Whenever we hear about a new range from Panasonic in-store here at Richer Sounds we always want to be the first to witness the latest and greatest tech from one of our favourite manufacturers. This year they have once again surpassed our expectations, producing a thing of beauty in the CX802 range.
I’m going to start this off by saying I’m slightly biased when it comes to Panasonic TVs. I saved all my pennies up when I was younger and invested my hard earned cash into a Panasonic 42” Full HD plasma TV over 9 years ago and it still gives me a great picture today (that shames many modern basic LED and LCD screens). The build quality is great, its reliability is unfaltering and the sound was equally impressive for my needs at the time.
Fast forward to today, and immediately the improvements made to the smart hub by integrating the Firefox operating system have paid dividends. The menus are smooth, sleek, responsive and most importantly very simple to navigate around. The CX802 series is powered by a Quad Core processor, which means that this TV is capable of handling anything you can throw at it which explains the especially quick app loading times, motion processing is also smoother too.
So to test the picture quality, the CX802 is a 4K Ultra HD screen but we started things off fairly simply, watching a live Sky HD feed of badminton. What we could gather from this was that the colour pallet on this TV is about as natural as you are going to get apart from physically strutting onto Centre Court at SW19 – although you’d probably get a few funny looks turning up there with a shuttlecock.
The CX802 is available at Richer Sounds in 40″, 50″, 55″ and 65″.
Once we had given our favourite players a cheer it was time to crank up the resolution to a Blu-Ray disc with our go-to tester, Pacific Rim (a Blu-Ray I suggest any TV aficionado should own). The detailing is incredible! Some scenes were upscaled so well that they could be mistaken for actual 4K Ultra HD content. The colours once again are vibrant but natural as well as having a wonderful sharpness to them that stayed clear throughout the frantic action scenes.
Lastly it was time to see how it handled the top end of the spectrum, true 4K material. instantly we were awe-struck, some silently approving and others letting out a loud, “WOW!” There were no motion issues to mention as we expected with such a powerful processor, the colour spectrum seemed even wider too (it has an impressive gamut range like a Quantum Dot TV). In fact it was so impressively intimate and involving we heard some customers referring to it as, “an almost 3D like image” thanks to its precision clarity.
Focusing on the design, the build quality is still to an extremely high standard. The newly designed smart remote is a very clever bit of kit with a rugged touch pad that should certainly be able to last for the life of the TV; a basic remote is also included with easy to use chunky buttons and a dedicated Netflix button for those wanting to dive straight into their favourite streamed shows. There are only 3 HDMI sockets on this TV as opposed to the usual 4 but they’re all HDCP 2.2 capable and of the HDMI 2.0 standard so no issues when it comes to hooking up your high end equipment to it.
You also have a satellite connection on this TV if you want to get rid of an existing box as well as having Freeview HD as per the norm. You can also utilise the Freetime system from last year’s range, plus it’s ready for the new Freeplay catch up service that’s due for release later this year, so you’ll have all the catch up services you could want at your fingertips.
The last major advantage of this TV over its rivals is the fact it can cope with the HDR (high dynamic range) content becoming available on Amazon Prime. This is currently only available in the 9 series Samsungs and therefore really is punching well above its weight in terms of the cost (an important exception is the 40″ screen size that does not support HDR).
I can honestly find no faults with this TV. There were a few niggles when it came to some background motion at lower definitions but again after a little playing around with the settings it turned out just fine. For anyone looking for an exceptional screen that is future ready and will serve you for years to come, Panasonic are leading the way. It’s one of my favourite sayings but this screen really does give you excellent bang for your buck value.
If I had to be picky, I believe that it deserves either a decent surround sound system with an amp or indeed a good soundbar to get the most out of the viewing experience. But this is generally the case with most TVs nowadays as they get thinner and thinner.
10/10
Author: Andrew, Weybridge store
I will have to agree with this review in its entirety. I embarked in a journey of replacing my old Kuro plasma and believe me it, was not easy, I tried and tested Samsung 50JU6400, LG 55UF850v, Samsund 55UF7000, Panasonic ax902 x2 and finally settled for the Panasonic 55CX802. This TV has provided the best balance of contrast and colour compared to aforementioned, combined with the excellent array of image and sound controls within its vast menus. I must have spent 6 weeks, putting the above TV’s through their paces, exploring all the features and applying various settings. I must have also read through all the forums and review sites looking for recommendations and to see what the experts thoughts were. I must say that although I still miss my Kuro, I am more than pleased with my purchase and thank Richer Sounds for their patience and understanding throughout this long journey. There is no doubt that I will never consider buying any AV product other than at Richer Sounds. The 55CX802c has competently taken the place of my former Kuro and with the 6 year warranty and the £200 cash back due soon from Panasonic, I have found my new TV soulmate.
I believe that currently only selected screen sizes have HDR capability, so you might want to clarify that point.
I have to say that the Panasonic model numbering system is misleading, as functionality varies for different screen sizes within the same model number.
Hi Duncan, thanks very much for your comment. Yes you are correct, the 40″ model does not support HDR, thankfully this is the only exception in the range. I’m inclined to agree this method of model numbering can be a little confusing so we’ve made sure look into clarifying this online and I have updated the article to mention this fact. Alex.
Which size screen does this review relate to?
How does standard definition look on the CX802?
And is the 2D to 3D conversion any good?
Thanks
Greg
Hi Greg, thanks for your comments. Andrew tested the 55″ version, however the spec does relate to the whole series – with the exception of the 40″ that is the only size that doesn’t support HDR (as mentioned in the article).
I’ve asked Andrew for more details about the 2D-3D conversion, he commented that the 3D was pretty good in comparison to the cinema. Unfortunately you no longer get glasses with the TV, so this might be something worth considering when making a purchase.
Of course the proof of the pudding is in the tasting as they say, so I would definitely recommend calling your local store to book a free demonstration. Our friendly colleagues will be able to show you any of the fantastic models we have in stock and help with any other information that you might require.
I hope this has helped!
Alex
So what 40″ 4k cvs support freesat and PVR/HDR? I’m looking for a tv where I don’t need to have a freesat box at all, just the tv but not too big.
Hello Edward,
Thanks very much for the enquiry. No TV will offer HDR support without the use of an external hard drive. This is because they do not have in-built storage to record to. Both the Panasonic TX40CX802 and Samsung UE40JU7000 support recording on an optional external hard drive. There are quite a few TVs that support recording, a few more with twin tuners (so you can watch one channel and record another), and a few more with Freesat built in… but few feature all three of these items.
For more information, please feel free to call our Telesales team on 0333 900 0093.
Many thanks,
Ian