Panasonic TX-50DX780E: HDR, UHD and 3D? Yes please

The Japanese manufacturer renews its range of televisions for 2016 and replaces its successful CX750 series from last year with this new Panasonic TX-50DX780E. It maintains high-end features and panel qualities that only the best manufacturers can develop. Although it changes its aesthetics a bit, it adds more functions and maintains its outstanding finishes that Panasonic has always shown.

Technical characteristics of the Panasonic TX-50DX780E

The main characteristics of this panel are undoubtedly its UHD resolution with support for HDR, mounted on an exquisite IPS panel which generates contrasts never seen in this class of panels. The rest of the characteristics, no less important, are those that we detail below in its official list of specifications.

Other formats: Panasonic TX-58DX780E / Panasonic TX-65DX780E

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View of the Panasonic TX-50DX780E connections

Exterior design and connectilife

The Japanese manufacturer has always stood out for its elegant designs, providing a superior quality of materials than what other brands are accustomed to. He has always played a lot with metals and chrome finishes, leaving those plastics for his rear or internal parts that are so little liked in a series of this caliber.

This Panasonic TX-50DX780E features a two side leg stand that effectively supports the full weight of the panel. It is a design, whether successful or not, it is becoming very fashionable in recent years, and those users who have a not very long table may have to do without televisions with this feature. In this case, Panasonic, as Sony did well in the past, has created two different positions on its base to be able to place it on any table, large or small. They call it support switch and is inspired above all by European homes.

Different positions of the base Switch Panasonic TX-50DX780E TV

For the rest, we find tight frames, without becoming excessively thick or thin. It is a section in which Panasonic has always remained in the same line for many years and that does not cease to like its followers.

In terms of connectability, this Panasonic TX-50DX780E is proud to boast that it does not come off anything. We will find not only a multitude of digital connectors, such as the 4 HDMI, 3 USB for playback and recording of content through its triple tuner, which includes two receivers of the standard DVB-T2, another two from DVB-S2 for satellite channels and the latest DVB-C for analog channels. By having a double tuner for both digital terrestrial television and satellite, it will allow us to record content on one channel while being able to view another different channel at the same time. The connection of digital audio outputl, or optical, to be able to enjoy the best sound quality of our movies through an external player.

As for analog connectors, although the scart or SCART connector disappears, there is the connection RGB and av to be able to connect our older devices, in addition of course to the headphone audio output.

The wireless connectivity does not disappoint with its internal WiFi 801AC receiver and the Bluetooth receiver with which to send the audio signal from the TV to some compatible wireless headphones or sound systems.

Image quality and features in general

In the image section, the Panasonic TX-50DX780E does not disappoint anyone. Ride on a magnificent and accomplished panel IPS with local dimming (or Local Dimming) a screen with resolution UHD 3840 x 2160 pixels. The work of upscaling to its native resolution from sources of varying quality is handled by the HCX chip, dedicated solely to focus on image enhancements. As we always say, it will depend a lot on the quality with which the source comes, but in general terms its work is simply excellent.

Image processor of the Panasonic TX-50DX780E

As if that were not enough, the infinite contrasts that this Panasonic TX-50DX780E achieves with its IPS LED panel are signs of praise, since in this type of panels the contrast is what is most penalized. Not only does it achieve pure black levels, but the color gamut with which this television reproduces colors is so faithful to reality that we will not want to stop looking at it. Their brightness is more than intense and in no case they manage to saturate the scenes that are reproduced.

Also, we must not forget that the Panasonic TX-50DX780E joins the bandwagon of televisions compatible with high dynamic range scenes (or HDR), so it has nothing to envy to the rest of the competitors in the segment, also adding the possibility of continuing to play files in 3D, with active glasses this time (not included), a function that other manufacturers have let die and that apparently only Panasonic and LG have decided to remain unchanged in their respective high ranges.

With regard to audio, being diplomatic we could say that it is effective with its 20 Watts of real power, but it will always be the Achilles heel of today’s televisions. As the saying goes: “to show off you have to suffer”, and to achieve minimum thickness of televisions you have to give up a certain sound quality. But there is nothing that cannot be fixed with a powerful equipment or a sound bar to match, so this aspect is still a secondary problem.

Software analysis / Smart TV

The software that Panasonic had been using for so many years in its Smart TVs was the Smart Viera system. It was a system that could do everything, but it was complex and slow. Very slow. Fortunately, the Japanese realized that the competition had much more fluid and optimized systems and since 2015 they have been offering a system based on Firefox OS which highlights the incredible ease of use and speed between menus.

Although it does not have most of the applications that manufacturers such as LG or Samsung have, it is a system in which we will find everything we need for day to day. The most famous ones, like Netflix and YouTube, will be pre-downloaded as standard. As for the browser, apart from being one of the most optimized on the market, it is one of the only ones that has the ability to reproduce pages with content in both HTML5 and FlashPlayer, which, as you will remember, was eliminated from all Smart TVs from other manufacturers.

Firefox OS

Although a control with a moving mouse function is missing, it is possible to connect wireless keyboards that have a mouse integrated in it, to be able to enjoy this wonderful Panasonic TX-50DX780E more comfortably.

The connectivity with Android mobiles or tablets is total since it is possible to send their content to the TV to play it on a more comfortable viewing screen, apart from having its own application to be able to manage the TV with the mobile as if a remote control is involved.

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