Panasonic Z85 Series (2024 Model) 55-inch OLED 4K Ultra HD Smart Fire TV, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive, 120Hz Refresh Rate - 55Z85AP

If you are a die-hard Panasonic Plasma aficionado, as I am, you are still using your old but superb Plasma and thinking OLED is not that much better, so you will watch the Plasma for yet another year. My 42" 2009 Panasonic was working fine but I finally decided I needed more screen real estate, particularly for live sports.So last week I hesitantly purchased this Panasonic OLED after spending way too much time in retail settings looking at them and comparing, and of course reading or watching endless reviews. I knew that only OLED can compare to Plasma, and there are some pluses and minuses with OLED compared to Plasma, so I was fully prepared to send this back and stick with my trust Plasma.I narrowed it down to this Panasonic and the Sony Bravia 8 because both have excellent motion processors and most of my TV watching is live sports. I chose this one for two reasons: (a) it's a Panasonic, and (b) it's a native Fire TV. Given that I'm a Panasonic person and have always used a Firestick, it was a relatively easy choice.One week later I can say it was the right decision. I retired the Plasma to a bedroom and this 55" OLED is now my main. It's better than the Plasma in most ways, except of course for that perfectly smooth motion processing for which Plasma is famous. With the right picture setting (Sports), it comes close but is still not Plasma quality. But in every other respect, it is superior to my trusty Plasma.The other thing that swayed or convinced me was "Brian's Tech Therapy" review of this TV; he did another one that compared the Panasonic OLED to the Bravia 8. If you have any doubts, watch those.Bottom line: after 15 years with Panasonic Plasma, I finally graduated to Panasonic OLED. I suggest you do the same.Granted, OLED TVs require some viewing adjustment depending on what you are watching, but as Brian's Tech review makes clear, Panasonic made changing the "Picture Mode" exceptionally easy. I'm loving this thing and still playing with all the settings, but it's not a chore. They really make a difference and this is where OLED shines.

If you’re someone who values picture accuracy over oomph, the Panasonic Z85A is one of the best values on the market. Panasonic is known for its reference grade picture quality, and this TV really holds up to that promise. While it might not get super bright, it really does feel more lifelike and analytical in terms of picture quality, especially on Filmmaker Mode, which everyone should be using. There are compromises of course, and brighter OLEDs out there, but if you want your picture to have the elegance and restraint of Panasonic, this is an amazing choice.The one negative is the Fire TV system, which is ad filled and fairly laggy. As someone who primarily uses an Apple TV 4K, mercifully I do not have to deal with it much. That being said, it is nice to have an ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV tuner on board, and the OTA guide interface is solid.One final note: the base of the TV stand is quite large, and barely fits on my TV stand. Since it sits quite low as well, my Sonos Sound bar blocks it a bit. If you’re not wall mounting and want to use a sound bar, make sure your TV stand is about 18 deep at minimum.

Great TV for the price. It's a better TV than my friend's LG C3. It's definitely worth the money. It doesn't get extremely bright, but it gets bright enough the Dolby Vison support is nice, and it has excellent sound. It is well-built and super slim. I don't care for Fire TV, but it's not a dealbreaker. The best OLED for the money.I had to get a new remote because mine was defective, and the customer service experience leaves a lot to be desired. Remotes aren't available to purchase, so if your remote goes, and it's not under warranty, you can be left with a TV you can't control. The lack of a replacement remote being available is the one downside to this TV, and it's a big one. Otherwise, the TV is great. It's better than my Sony Bravia it replaced it's said Sony TVs are the best, but this Panasonic is superior in everyway compared to my Sony.

At the $1100 price point it was a no brainer. Coming from a 10+ year old Panasonic led. Picture is great. Brightness is more than adequate for most viewing conditions. If you have a bright room with windows, watching really dark scenes can be an issue, but this may be common with all OLED. Movies, 4k gaming, all big improvements from my old set.Fire TV is fine, not great, but I can live with it. There's an option to turn off auto play ads in the preferences, featured content. It can be lagging at times and sometimes the apps don't appear on home screen, but usually turning off and on again fixes it. EARC going to my receiver works great for my home theater.Having a built in ATSC 3.0 tuner was great for me since I don't pay for cable or YouTube tv anymore and it's how I watch live sports most of the time. I haven't seen it mentioned in reviews but I really like the integration of the live TV with the antenna. This may not be important to many but this was a surprising feature for me. You can even pause and rewind.Overall no regrets. Easy to recommend for someone looking for an upgrade.