Panasonic TH-65GZ2000U OLED Professional Edition

This was a treat, followed by a blow. Panasonic has been one of the few TV companies prepared to ship largescreen models out for a full review, rather than offering limited ‘hands on’ time. And we were delighted to spend time with its top-ofthe-range model, this Panasonic TH-65GZ2000U OLED Professional Edition Ultra-HD TV.

Then, after the review, came the news that Panasonic is pulling out of the Australian TV market. That makes the GZ2000 the last and best Panasonic TV that will be available here. It’s a last-chance-to-buy scenario—get it while you can.

Equipment

Perhaps Panasonic was happy to ship this TV to us because it’s tougher than your average OLED TV. Yes, it has the sheet-of-glass look typical of the breed, but it’s a thicker sheet of glass. According to our calipers it’s 6.3mm thick. We measured the thickness of an OLED panel from another maker recently, and it came in at only 3.6mm.

Is thinner better? Well, it may look a little more svelte, but it’s also way more fragile. And the Panasonic TV is tougher still because the deeper chassis containing the electronics extends more than halfway up the back, and in fact all the way to the top in the centre section.