Conclusion
The Panasonic TX-55CX802B improves upon the TX-50CX700 in two areas: 1080 lines of motion resolution is now attainable (boosting the clarity of moving images); and resolution in the third dimension is full HD 3D. Nevertheless, compared with last year’s outgoing Viera AX802/ AX800, we couldn’t help but feel that some cutbacks have been made: omission of DisplayPort and a fourth HDMI input; presence of judder with 24Hz and 50Hz 3D material; and a blurrier [Intelligent Frame Creation] “
Min” setting. On the upside, the CX802/ CX800?s native black level was slightly lower, and there’s always the promise of forthcoming HDR update.
Looking further afield, if the CX802 is indeed the nominated spearhead of Panasonic’s 2015 Viera TV campaign (at least for the moment), then the TX-55CX802 will be going up against the Samsung UE55JS9000 (the South Korean manufacturer’s
top-of-the-line JS9500 series is not available in 55 inches) and the recently reviewed Sony KD-55X9305C. The Panasonic comfortably delivered the most accurate colours, and its upscaling of HD and SD content was right up there with Samsung’s. The TX55CX802B’s native black level was also deeper than the other two, but once local dimming was taken into account, the Viera television was edged out in low-APL scenes when it came to overall contrast performance owing to low zone count and questionable dimming algorithm.
Of course, price is firmly stacked in the Panasonic CX802B’s favour, which undercuts
the Samsung JS9000 and
Sony X93C by at least a few hundred pounds. The TX-55CX802B represents good value for money then: sit within the TV’s sweet spot, and you’ll be rewarded with deep blacks, gorgeously realistic colour rendition that’s easily the most accurate on the market, and high-quality video processing.
