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With Panasonic's brand-new 4K TVs, such as the TX-50AX802B, we were impressed with the picture quality, but a little disappointed that they didn't support 4K Netflix. Given that this is pretty much the only way to get hold of 4K content in the UK, its omission was a little surprising.
Even though there's not a huge amount of content available (Breaking Bad and House of Cards are the two stand-out programmes), having a 4K TV and not being able to see some content natively is a bit of an issue.
At the time it looked as though it was a problem with the HEVC decoder chip, but this processor is capable of decoding UHD Netflix. The issue was in software and how the Netflix app worked with the TV, which is good news, as Panasonic is poised to roll out an update for 2014 4K TVs.
Available in the next few weeks (dates to be confirmed), the update will fully fix the current issues and make the TVs capable of accessing and displaying the 4K stream. This will put Panasonic back on a level footing with its main competitors Sony and Samsung.
In terms of the AX802B range, this will make a big difference, as our main issue when we reviewed it was the lack of Netflix support. However, with near-perfect colour reproduction, excellent contrast and a sharp picture, it should be one of this year's best TVs.
We'll be taking another look at the model we reviewed when the Netflix update rolls out, with an aim to update the review. Existing owners should get an OTA update, but we'll bring you more information on when to expect this when we have confirmed dates.
