Skip to main content

Panasonic expands its 4K OLED TV line (literally) with humongous 77-inch model

Panasonic EZ1000 Premium 4K HDR OLED TV
Panasonic announced it will be expanding its EZ1000 4K OLED TV series with a new 77-inch model to be featured at the IFA electronics show in Berlin this week, as reported by Twice. The new display will bring some competition to the largely LG-dominated OLED space as one of the biggest of its kind on the market.

Along with 4K Ultra HD resolution, the new TV features HDR for improved contrast and richer colors, including support for the upcoming HDR10+, which aims to bring the dynamic HDR performance of Dolby’s proprietary HDR format, Dolby Vision, to the open-standard HDR10 protocol. The EZ1000 will also support Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG), another upcoming HDR format that will be used in HDR broadcast signals.

The large screen size and expanded HDR format support alone makes the EZ1000 77-inch a noteworthy model among Panasonic’s lineup, but Panasonic has enlisted its Hollywood contacts to help with picture quality as well.

In an effort to further differentiate the new TV from other OLED displays, Panasonic ensured the TVs quality thanks to THX 4K certification. While plenty of high-end TVs — such as Sony’s 4K TV line — do not feature THX 4K certification, it’s a notable benchmark. Displays must pass a high bar across several different criteria in order to get the THX stamp of approval, but they receive the benefit of getting THX’s own fine-tuned presets. The EZ1000 77-inch now ranks among a select number of TVs to pass the certification, and sports the THX 4K Cinema Mode picture preset.

Picture quality isn’t the only aspect of the EZ1000 that’s been fine-tuned. Interestingly, the base of the TV is actually a 70-watt Dynamic Blade Speaker. The speaker was engineered by Technics, the Panasonic-owned Hi-Fi audio brand which also makes gear like the $53,000 Reference Series that debuted at CES 2015. The Blade speaker houses multiple drivers, and a quad passive radiator for bass boost. Since the speaker spans the length of the TV, it’s not only powerful, but also surprisingly thin.

This is an exciting announcement, but it raises an important question: Will this TV ever make it to the U.S.? As of this writing, we haven’t even seen Panasonic’s 65-inch model from last year make landfall stateside. Given that track record, it seems unlikely we’ll see the company’s latest monster either. For now, pricing and availability is still forthcoming.

Editors' Recommendations

Brendan Hesse
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brendan has written about a wide swath of topics, including music, fitness and nutrition, and pop culture, but tech was…
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are on sale for $170
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and their charging case.

If you're on the hunt for true wireless earbuds deals, here's an offer that you should consider -- the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro for only $170, following a $60 discount from Samsung on their original price of $230. We're not sure how much time is remaining before they return to their regular price, so you need to make a quick decision on whether to buy these wireless earbuds. If you want them, proceed with the purchase as soon as you can as the offer may end at any moment.

Why you should buy the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer studio-quality sound while maintaining a comfortable design, so you'll be able to keep listening to your favorite playlists or watch several episodes of streaming shows over up to 8 hours of battery life and up to 30 hours including their charging case. The wireless earbuds easily pair with Samsung Galaxy devices, but they also work great if you're using an iPhone. If you ever lose them, SmartThings Find will help you locate them, and they come with IPX7 resistance against water, which means they can withstand immersion in up to 3 feet of water for 30 minutes.

Read more
Disney Plus Free Trial: Can you stream for free in 2024?
Disney+ app on the iPad Air 5.

There is currently no Disney Plus free trial. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. In fact, there hasn't been a Disney Plus free trial for many years. But all is not lost. While you can't get Disney Plus for free, there are quite a few very cheap options. We list all of the tiers and options below: Everything from the $8 ad-supported tier to the $25 Disney Bundle Trio, which includes ad-free Disney Plus, ad-free Hulu and ESPN+. Occasionally Disney has a deal that gets you three months for $6 total, but that's not available right now. We'll keep you updated if it ever comes back.

The best and most reliable way to save is through the Disney Bundle, which sees ESPN Plus and Hulu thrown in for just $15 a month. On their own, Disney Plus is normally $8 per month, Hulu is $8, and ESPN is $10, so this is a great deal.  If it sounds good to you, you should start your subscription now. The price of the Disney Bundle increased to $15 on October 12, 2023.

Read more
Best TV deals: LG, Sony, Samsung, TCL, and more
Vizio OLED TV

No home theater is complete without a great TV at its center, and even if prefer to watch the best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max, and more in a more casual viewing environment the right TV can make it more enjoyable. If you’re shopping the best TVs you’re likely to run into some high price points, which is why we’ve put together all of the best TV deals you can shop right now. Below you’ll find some impressive savings from top TV brands like Sony TV deals, Samsung TV deals, LG TV deals, TCL TV deals, and more. We didn't discriminate amongst retailers for this list, so you'll find Best Buy TV deals, Amazon TV deals and Walmart TV deals, as well as deals from individual retailers.
Insignia 50-inch F30 LED 4K Smart TV — $220, was $300

Insignia's low cost TV just got even cheaper. It's got the standard LED display that you're probably used to if you last bought a TV some years ago, but also has a 4K resolution, smart capabilities, and a large 50-inch screen. In other words, this is a fantastic way to upgrade or replace your aging TV for about the same cost (or less) than you paid for it. If you're wanting a TV, but don't want to pay too much, this is a no-brainer.

Read more