Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2024: See what a difference MLA makes to OLED at our exclusive TV demo

By Alastair Stevenson
published

We see if LG Display’s fancy new brightness screen tech is worth the extra cash in our latest OLED head-to-head demo

What Hi-Fi? stand at The Bristol Show
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2024 is just around the corner and, as ever, the team at What Hi-Fi? will be on the ground with all manner of treats. 

Chief of which is our tech demo, where this year we’ll be running an OLED vs MLA shoot-out to see if LG Display’s next-generation screen tech is worth your hard-earned cash.

Specifically, our team of tech experts will be on hand at the What Hi-Fi? stand to showcase the difference between MLA and regular OLED TVs in a direct head-to- head comparison.

At the demo, we’ll be running the MLA-powered Panasonic MZ2000 against its regular OLED sibling, the Panasonic MZ1500. These TVs are as close to like-for-like as you can get, outside of the lack of Micro Lens Array technology on the latter; but any differences there are between the sets will be on clear display in our dedicated demo room.

As a bonus, and just for fun, the demo will be presented in surround sound using an Arcam AVR31 and a KEF R Series 7.2 speaker package. 

To catch readers up, MLA is a new technology from LG Display that has the same goal as the Samsung-made QD-OLED tech we showcased at last year’s demo – to radically boost OLED TVs' max brightness levels. 

While this sounds cool, based on our testing of the new tech there are some added complexities when gauging if it is worth the extra money required to get a TV packing it. Which is why our home cinema head honcho created his demo.

Here's why we made this demo...
Tom Parsons
Here's why we made this demo...
Tom Parsons

There have been huge developments in OLED TV tech in recent years, with ever-brighter QD-OLED and MLA models emerging. But how much of a difference does this extra brightness make? And is the step-up worth it? I know what I think, but this is your opportunity to find out for yourself as we pit two awesome Panasonic OLEDs – one with MLA tech and the other without – against one another. And if you’re not that bothered about the TV comparison, just come in to watch some movie clips through a superb, high-end AV system. 

The demo will run from Friday 23rd Feb through Sunday 25th Feb, at the Marriott City Centre Hotel, Bristol, so get your tickets now.

If that wasn’t enough to tempt you, we’ll also be running a competition from the stand with over £12k in prizes to be won, so make sure to pop by and say hello if you’re at the show.

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Alastair Stevenson
Alastair Stevenson
Editor in Chief

Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. He has well over a decade’s experience as a journalist working in both B2C and B2B press. During this time he’s covered everything from the launch of the first Amazon Echo to government cyber security policy. Prior to joining What Hi-Fi? he served as Trusted Reviews’ editor-in-chief. Outside of tech, he has a Masters from King’s College London in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, is an enthusiastic, but untalented, guitar player and runs a webcomic in his spare time.