• John Wilson
• September 16,2021

Panasonic's latest OLED TV is gunning for the next generation of console gamers. Announced today in the run-up to CES 2021, the JZ2000 is Panasonic's new flagship 4K OLED model, and it's ringing in the new year with a selection of brand-new gaming-centric features that will help you make the most of the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X you received for Christmas.

Chief among these features is support for HDMI 2.1, the new HDMI standard that enables higher refresh rates at higher resolutions. The JZ2000 will support 4K (3,840 x 2,160) at up to 120Hz via an as-of-yet unspecified number of HDMI 2.1 ports.

Although the number of 120Hz-enabled games on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X is limited at the moment, both consoles do support this high refresh rate and this will stand you in good stead for the future.

Working in tandem with HDMI 2.1, the Panasonic JZ2000 also introduces variable refresh rate (VRR) support for refresh rates up to 120Hz. In simple terms, this should reduce the amount of screen tearing you see when gaming – a common issue that can really ruin immersion if not addressed.

Panasonic also says it has greatly reduced input lag on the JZ2000. Enable the TV's "Extreme" mode and the new HCX Pro AI chipset will push lag down to an impressive 14.4ms, which should be enough to boost your reflex times in your favourite shooter – although it won't improve your aim.

In fact, the new HCX Pro AI chipset is full of neat tricks and not all of them specific to gaming. Panasonic says that the new AI will automatically adjust picture and sound quality based on the type of content being played, whether that's a video game or a film, a sitcom or a sporting event. If you don't like constantly fiddling with picture settings, Panasonic says, this is the TV for you.

From a hardware perspective, the JZ2000 has had a few mild upgrades. It now includes two upwards-firing speakers that work alongside the sideways-firing pair to produce a more detailed surround sound experience, courtesy of Dolby Atmos. In addition, the JZ2000 now supports HDR 10+ Adaptive, in addition to the most popular HDR formats, including Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, and regular HDR 10+.

That's all we know at this stage but we're sure more information will come to light between now and launch. The Panasonic JZ2000 will come in 55in and 65in sizes, and it will be available in “early summer” 2021. Prices, likewise, have yet to be unveiled, although we don't expect the price to be much different to the JZ2000's predecessor – the HZ2000 cost £3,299 when it first appeared in May 2020.