The CX850U series, which is available in 55-inch (seen as low as $1,500 online) and 65-inch (seen as low as $3,000 online) options, isn’t the flashiest TV we’ve ever seen, and for that we’re thankful. Panasonic opted to go with a simple, understated look underscored by solid build quality. Both the screen’s bezel and the TV’s stand are made of metal rather than chromed plastic, resulting in a solid, stable television. Of course, this makes the TV a little heavier than its contemporaries, though not prohibitively so.The TV’s screen is covered in an anti-reflective coating which does a great job of taming reflections in a bright room. Around the back of the TV you’ll find 3 HDMI inputs — all of which are HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 compliant – a LAN port, optical digital audio output, a coaxial cable/TV input, and three USB inputs. There’s also an SD card slot for media playback.
The CX850U is by no means a disappointing TV – quite the opposite, actually – but it didn’t stand a chance of replacing last year’s elusive AX900 in our hearts. The display panel isn’t quite as good, there are fewer zones of backlight dimming, and although the TV’s processing is very good, it just isn’t as impressive as the AX900. With all of that said, the CX850U is still an excellent television, and worthy of being called one of the best TVs produced in 2015. Panasonic managed to keep the plasma-like appeal the AX900 exhibited last year while pulling its 4K Ultra HD line more tightly in line with emerging standards.
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| Panasonic TC-55CX850U TVs |
In the box with the TV is Panasonic’s tried and true wand remote control, upon which all major functions have big, backlit buttons you can press. Panasonic’s website also indicates a TouchPad remote is included, but we believe that is a typo, and that the remote is a $75 accessory (which we wouldn’t recommend anyway).
The CX850U also has fewer zones of dimming for its full-array backlight than the AX900 did, and that resulted in less-inky blacks across the board. But we were a little more bothered by what seemed like slow processing of the backlight adaptation. If you look closely, you can see the backlight adapting to the scene, but the adaptation happens slowly enough that you can see it as it brightens and dims. It’s most notable on dark movies with letterbox bars (we saw it primarily on Blu-ray movies), and we’d be quick to dismiss it as a major concern except more than just video aficionados may pick up on it.
None of those issues are enough for us not to recommend this TV. In fact, the CX850U should be getting an Editor’s Choice award from us, but we must dock the score a point because we’re not sure you’ll ever get to buy one. The TV has only been on the market for a few months, and already we can’t find a place to buy it online (Panasonic was the only retailer and it is now out of stock), nor is it easily tracked down at a retailer, as popular stores like Best Buy, HH Gregg and the like don’t seem to have it in stock.
Price Range : [$39.999.99] on amazone
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