Meet Panasonic's 'affordable,' yet wildly expensive AX800 4K TVs

Panasonic AX800
It's like real life!

At CES 2014 Panasonic teased two new, more "affordable" 4K television sets.

Apparently, affordable is a relative term. The Japanese electronics firm announced the smaller 58-inch AX800 4K set will start at $3,799 (about £2,216, AU$4,071). The larger 65-inch screen, meanwhile, will set customers back an even more baffling $4,499 (about £2,624, AU$4,820).

Both television sets are available starting now.

Despite the obnoxious price-point, users will get an incredible looking 4K Ultra HD screen with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. The display panel is also backed up by a LED backlight featuring local dimming, which literally decreases the brightness in parts of the screen allowing it to produce deeper blacks.

For all your non-4K media, the screen also has an integrated image processor that up-scales everything from broadcasts to web pages into a quadruple HD picture.

Live smart

As a Life+Screen model Panasonic has also packaged it with smart features including voice recognition software that lets users dictate everything they want to search for.

On top of recognizing users' voices, the AX800 series also come with an integrated camera that can identify its owner's face. Once the television spots the user it can automatically pop up personalized information such as weather forecasts, message notifications, and a clock.

Remote Sharing is another feature that makes it possible to add video memos, messages, and other information to the 4K TV's home screen from a smartphone.

The only thing it seems the AX800 line can't do is Stream Netflix in 4K as Panasonic exclusively confided with TechRadar in June.

TOPICS
Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee was a former computing reporter at TechRadar. Kevin is now the SEO Updates Editor at IGN based in New York. He handles all of the best of tech buying guides while also dipping his hand in the entertainment and games evergreen content. Kevin has over eight years of experience in the tech and games publications with previous bylines at Polygon, PC World, and more. Outside of work, Kevin is major movie buff of cult and bad films. He also regularly plays flight & space sim and racing games. IRL he's a fan of archery, axe throwing, and board games.

Latest in Televisions
Hisense U7N Prime Day 2024 deal image
The Hisense U7N was one of the best TVs I tested in 2024, and it just had its price slashed at Amazon
Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar with Halloween theme over the top
Samsung promises to repair soundbars bricked by its disastrous software update for free – but it'll probably involve shipping
LG C3 deal image on blue background
Woah – LG's C3 OLED TV just crashed to its lowest price ever for March Madness
Samsung Wireless One Connect on stone pedestal
I tested Samsung's new wireless TV connection box, and gamers need to know one thing
Samsung S95D with peacock feather on screen
Samsung says an OLED-beating new screen tech could come sooner than we thought – but I wouldn't expect it in 4K TVs right away
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K is back down to 40% off – give your older 4K TV a cheap smart upgrade
Latest in News
A young woman is working on a laptop in a relaxed office space.
I’ll admit, Microsoft’s new Windows 11 update surprised me with its usefulness, providing accessibility fixes, a gamepad keyboard layout, and PC spec cards
inZOI promotional material.
inZOI has become the most wishlisted game on Steam, but I wouldn't get too caught up in the hype
Xbox Series X and Xbox wireless controller set to a green background
Xbox Insiders are currently testing a new Game Hub feature that looks useful, but I've got mixed feelings about it
A stylized depiction of a padlocked WiFi symbol sitting in the centre of an interlocking vault.
Broadcom warns of worrying security flaws affecting VMware tools
Nespresso Vertuo Pop machine in Candy Pink with coffee drinks and capsules
My favorite Nespresso coffee maker just got a fresh new makeover, and now I love it even more
Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro devices on a table.
Hate Windows 11’s search? Microsoft is fixing it with AI, and that almost makes me want to buy a Copilot+ PC