Panasonic wasn’t going to let the likes of Samsung, LG and Sony take all the TV glory at CES 2022 and has unveiled a new flagship OLED set for this year.

The LZ2000 follows on from the JZ2000 from last year (no, we don’t know what happened to the KZ) and now comes in a larger 77in size as well as the usual 55- and 65in options. The ‘Z2000 is normally focused on stunning visuals for film buffs but now has better gaming chops.

In fact, Panasonic says it is a ‘gaming powerhouse’ with support for HDMI 2.1 (120Hz), improved lag at 60Hz and automatic Nvidia GPU detection. There’s also a new Game Control Board as part of the interface where you can get information and adjust settings.

Image quality is still top-notch with ‘Hollywood tuning’ and the 4K LZ2000 can now optimise the picture – specifically the colour temperature – depending on the ambient light conditions, so it’s a bit like an iPhone’s True Tone display in that respect.

The Master OLED Pro configuration supposedly delivers better brightness for mid-tones, too, and this should also lead to more pop when watching HDR content. There’s wide support for that, including Dolby Vision IQ, Dolby Vision, Filmmaker Mode, HDR10+ Adaptive and HLG Photo.

The Auto AI genre detection feature has also been upgraded and will better select the settings if you’re watching sport, movies or otherwise.

A flagship TV wouldn’t be complete without great audio and Panasonic has replaced the front-facing speakers with ‘array’ speakers that have beam-forming technology. There are also side- and top-mounted speakers and Dolby Atmos support.

The sound system has been tuned by Panasonic sub-brand Technics.

Not forgetting about software, although some rivals have really focused on it this year, the My Home Screen 7.0 OS supports ‘all major video streaming services’ and has a myScenery feature has more still imagery as well as relaxing nature sounds from the Joy Foundation and features locations including Hawaii, Madagascar and Nepal.

What we don’t have, as per usual, is any pricing for the LZ2000 or information on when it will be released beyond ‘summer 2022’. Going by the JZ2000, we expect it will cost around £2,699 (around $3,650) for the smallest 55in model.

Read our guide to the best TVs and check out more TV news via CES from Samsung, LG, Sony and TCL.