The screen seemed bright (though not as bright as flagships thrice its price) and the pictures seemed clear. I quickly connected to my TATASky box and logged in to streaming services. While the user interface isn’t Android and does involve visiting a software market and downloading apps, it’s easy to use and didn’t once become unresponsive. The remote sports a Netflix button and thus I enjoyed some old episodes of The Blacklist in 4K. A caveat: download the app on your phone and then try logging in to Amazon Prime and others. It’s much easier than using the remote.
The TV supports a wide array of connections and there are plenty of options in settings, reminding me of old CRT sets. The net result of all those options was that I was able to get the best possible performance from standard definition (SD) sources on a 4K TV.
While watching The Pacific on Hotstar, I felt there was a bit of ghosting during action scenes. That said, the TV was loud and didn’t need a sound bar.
But despite that, Panasonic bundles a very capable and loud audio system with the TV. The SC-UA7 boasts 1,700 watts of power (RMS), has a very capable digital FM tuner, USB support, karaoke support, and can be also connected to mobile devices via Bluetooth and NFC. I was able to use the same app to connect to this as well. I connected the TV using an optical cable, and sure enough, was rewarded with clearer sound.
The Panasonic 49-inch EX600 and SC-UA7 bundle is a good thing to own if you’re a fan of old movies and don’t want to compromise on sound. There are bigger screen sizes available at this price but none that plays SD content so well.