Panasonic TX-58DX750B review

If you're after a new 4K TV with all of the mod cons including HDR playback, but you don't want to pay top dollar for the best of the best, the Panasonic DX750 series could well be for you.

We extensively tested and reviewed the 50-inch version of this TV, the Panasonic TX-50DX750B, back in April. The £1299 Panasonic TX-58DX750B model we have here measures a bit larger at 58-inches, and the two are joined in the range by the super-sized 65-inch Panasonic TX-65DX750B if you wanted to go even bigger.

One thing's for sure, this is an absolutely beautiful TV to look at. It's super thin and with it's super slim chrome bezel and stand, it looks every bit as good as any other TV out there.

But possibly the best thing about this Panasonic TV, and indeed all recent Panasonic TVs, is the Mozilla Firefox-powered smart TV system. It's incredibly easy to use and customise. You can add your favourite apps, be it Netflix, iPlayer, Amazon Prime, All 4 or any number of others, to your own homescreen. Everyone in the house can have their own homescreen with their own favourite apps, so your husband can pin Demand 5 and never miss an episode of Neighbours ever again (he thinks you don't know).

The TX-58DX750B is also equipped with the Freeview Play catchup TV service that lets you stream TV programmes that you either missed or want to re-watch from all of the TV's 'big four' broadcasters. You can even search for such content using an electronic programme guide that covers the past seven days of the TV schedules as well as the next seven.

Picture quality

As mentioned above, the TX-58DX750B is compatible with HDR but that comes with a few caveats. The main one is that the TV supports 8-bit HDR, not 10-bit, which means it can't reproduce all of the colours in the full HDR spectrum.

So it's not as good as TVs such as the glorious Panasonic DX902 series, but it's still a step up from non-HDR sets. It's a compromise between cost and performance and one we feel is worth it to get a taste of HDR without forking out another £1000.

The 58DX750B's picture circuitry has been developed with the assistance of Panasonic's Hollywood Laboratories. However, unlike the DX902 this mid-range model, it doesn't boast a picture preset calibrated by colourist Mike Sowa, or THX certification. And in honesty, setting the picture up yourself can be a bit fiddly at best. It's certainly not easy to get the very best out of.

But even in default picture modes, the TV's picture quality is fantastic for the price. For much of the time the images on the 58DX750B's screen look absolutely beautiful, punching well above its price point. In fact, even if you only use it with standard dynamic range content, the TV sits comfortably in 'best buy' territory.

Verdict

The Panasonic TX-58DX750B is an excellent TV and one we'd recommend to anyone wanting to spend more than £1000 without going totally overboard. Picture quality is very good 95% of the time, and the Firefox smart TV system is as good as anything out there.

This article is based on the Panasonic TX-50DX750B review that techradar published in April 2016