Every day brilliance
Home Cinema Choice|February 2022
Panasonic delivers a bright-room LED TV that sports fans and gamers are going to eat up, says Steve May
Steve May
Every day brilliance

AV INFO

PRODUCT: 50in mid-range 4K LED TV with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision

POSITION: Below Panasonic's JX940 LED model, and its JZ series OLED sets

PEERS: Samsung QE50Q65A; LG 50NANO806

Panasonic typically lures movie fans to its 4K screens with cinematic image processing offering judiciously judged contrast and peerless colour accuracy. But for its JX850 line, the brand has taken a different tack, accommodating sports and gaming fans with Bright Panel Plus technology for punchy daylight viewing, and unapologetic image smoothing.

This gives it the feel of an all-rounder, and effectively positions the JX850 as a tempting alternative to upper budget 4K LED flatscreens from rivals Samsung and LG. That's not to say it doesn't also have Hollywood on its mind, with Panasonic speccing the brand’s much vaunted HCX Pro AI processor, and including FilmMaker mode with Intelligent Sensing, to give your movie nights a leg up.

1. Panasonic's My Home Screen 6.0 interface features a new overlay UI

A size for everyone

Available in 40in, 50in, 58in and 65in guise, this feature-heavy mid-ranger is competitively priced. Our sample is the 50in model, which can be taken home for around £630.

Despite that moderate price tag, the overall design and finish of the 50JX850 is pleasingly upmarket. Like previous Panasonic mid-level TVs, it sports an ultra-thin bezel, with the panel set atop (rather than surrounded by) the frame itself, creating a 3D relief which catches the light. The glass sits on a wide, central plinth-style pedestal that looks a little more bold than the circular, swivel mounts of some of the company's OLEDs.

This story is from the February 2022 edition of Home Cinema Choice.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the February 2022 edition of Home Cinema Choice.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HOME CINEMA CHOICEView All
AV Avenger
Home Cinema Choice

AV Avenger

You should think twice before accepting an invitation to play Resident Evil 4 with spatial audio in a haunted prison, warns Steve May

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2023
Catalogue classic Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi → Ultra HD Blu-ray, Disney
Home Cinema Choice

Catalogue classic Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi → Ultra HD Blu-ray, Disney

Forty years on from the movie's cinema release, Anton van Beek ponders what might have been if things had gone a little diff erently during the making of Return of the Jedi…

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2023
Feedback
Home Cinema Choice

Feedback

Got an axe to grind? Need to comment on current tech? Want to share your knowledge with our readers? Team HCC is here to help

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2023
M&K Sound V12
Home Cinema Choice

M&K Sound V12

TIME ON TEST: Three years REVIEWER: Steve Withers

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2023
Sony 'bar demands to be upgraded
Home Cinema Choice

Sony 'bar demands to be upgraded

This well-specified Dolby Atmos soundbar may have a mid-range price tag, but you'll soon want to spend more, cautions Steve May

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2023
Short and sweet
Home Cinema Choice

Short and sweet

Marantz's compact AV receiver returns with a new look and boosted features – Jamie Biesemans slips it into his AV rig

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2023
Discreet delivery
Home Cinema Choice

Discreet delivery

A slim, stylish Scandinavian on-wall system impresses Mark Craven with its handling of the sweet stuff

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2023
One project, two rooms
Home Cinema Choice

One project, two rooms

Dan Sait reports on a custom install where a JVC PJ/ Atmos system is joined by a stylish media den

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2023
THE KING OF B RDA HOLLYWOOD
Home Cinema Choice

THE KING OF B RDA HOLLYWOOD

Three of his movies have taken over $2billon at the global box office, he's pioneered SFX and 3D technologies, and he's been to the very bottom of the Pacific Ocean. That's James Cameron by the way, not Anton van Beek

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 2023
System selector!
Home Cinema Choice

System selector!

Given three similar budgets, Mark Craven, Steve May and John Archer assemble three different AV setups focused on movies, streaming and gaming

time-read
8 mins  |
May 2023