Polaroid to show $1000 4K TV at CES

[Scott Greczkowski]

Polaroid® Announces Exceptional Quality, Affordable Home Entertainment
Line at CES 2014

New 50” Smart TV and 50” 4K Ultra High Definition TV from a Brand Consumers Know and Trust

Las Vegas, January 2, 2014 – Polaroid is making it easier than ever to enhance your home entertainment with a superior quality, affordable new line of televisions. On display in the Polaroid booth #13613 at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show, Polaroid will debut a 50” Smart TV that is Roku Ready® as well as a 50” Ultra HD 4K Television. These new televisions will provide consumers with unparalleled picture quality and several state of the art new features, all at an affordable price point.

“Not many people realize that Edwin Land was a pioneer in developing the polarizing technology used in modern televisions,” said Scott W. Hardy, President and CEO of Polaroid. “We are excited to bring consumers a state-of-the-art product at an affordable price point. Families can share more movie nights together with our new home entertainment options.”

50” Roku Ready Smart TV
The 50GSR7100 50” Roku Ready Smart TV will allow consumers to stream more than 1,000 entertainment channels instantly with the revolutionary Roku Streaming Stick™. This built-in wireless device requires no cables and is powered by MHL, a port that closely resembles a standard H456 DMI and allows for easy plug-and-play use between the TV and the Roku Streaming Stick. The 50” Smart TV comes equipped with three HDMI inputs to deliver uncompressed, crystal clear digital video and audio, and its contemporary, modern look will be sure to impress. Consumers will have complete control of their Roku Ready TV by custom remote and/or mobile app.

50” 4K Ultra HD (UHD) Resolution
The 50GSR9000 50” 4K Ultra HD (UHD) resolution television will provide entertainment lovers with a cinema style experience with four times the resolution of a full HD TV. This new line of 4K TV’s offers consumers the highest quality picture resolution at the best price. Consumers will experience stunning color contrast, fluidity of motion and exceptional clarity with more than 8 million pixels. Its three HDMI inputs guarantee excellent digital audio and video quality.

Offered by Empire Electronics Corp, an authorized Polaroid licensee, these LED smart televisions offer a contemporary, modern look and will come equipped with an updated bezel and TV stand. The launch plan includes screen sizes ranging from 32”-69”. The MSRP will range from $599.99 for the 50” Smart TV and $999.99 for the 50” Ultra 4K TV. For more information, visit www.polaroid.com.

The Polaroid Brand
Polaroid is one of the most trusted, well-respected and recognizable brands with a rich 75 year history beginning with Polaroid instant film. Our range of products include instant and digital still cameras, high-definition and mountable sports video cameras, tablets and flat-screen TVs that deliver the fun, instant gratification and value for which the brand has long stood. Today, the Polaroid Classic Border Logo rooted in our beginnings of instant photo sharing serves to designate genuine Polaroid branded products. For more information, visit http://www.Polaroid.com.

Polaroid, Polaroid & Pixel, Polaroid Color Spectrum and Polaroid Classic Border Logo are trademarks of PLR IP Holdings, LLC, used under license.

Roku and Roku Ready are a registered trademarks of Roku, Inc., and Roku Streaming Stick is a trademark of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries.

 

[jayn_j]

But who the heck is Polaroid these days? Several years ago my kids bought a Polaroid CRT TV with saved allowance. The only thing 'polaroid' on it was the logo. It was some really cheaply constructed piece of junk that had bought a name brand nameplate.

In spite of the ad copy, Polaroid is the electronics equivalent of Basset. The brand and logo is sold to anyone willing to pay a licensing fee:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_Corporation

"Chapter 11" controversy[edit]
The original Polaroid Corporation filed for federal bankruptcy protection on October 11, 2001. The outcome was that within ten months, most of the business (including the "Polaroid" name itself[10] and non-bankrupt foreign subsidiaries) had been sold to Bank One's One Equity Partners (OEP). OEP Imaging Corporation then changed its name to Polaroid Holding Company (PHC).[11][12] However, this new company operates using the name of its bankrupt predecessor, Polaroid Corporation.[3]
As part of the settlement, the original Polaroid Corporation changed its name to Primary PDC, Inc.[6][11] Having sold its assets, it was now effectively nothing more than an administrative shell. Primary PDC received approximately 35 percent of the "new" Polaroid, which was to be distributed to its unsecured creditors[11] (including bondholders[13]). As of late 2006, Primary PDC remains in existence under Chapter 11 protection, but conducts no commercial business and has no employees.[12]
Significant criticism surrounded this "takeover" because the process left executives of the company with large bonuses, while stockholders, as well as current and retired employees, were left with nothing.[13]
Use of Polaroid brand following bankruptcy[edit]
After the bankruptcy, the Polaroid brand was licensed for use on other products with the assistance of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. In September 2002, World Wide Licenses, a subsidiary of The Character Group plc, was granted the exclusive rights for three years to manufacture and sell digital cameras under the Polaroid brand for distribution internationally.[14] Polaroid branded LCDs and plasma televisions and portable DVD players had also appeared on the market.
On April 27, 2005, Petters Group Worldwide announced its acquisition of PHC. Petters has in the past bought up failed companies with well-known names for the value of those names. The same year, Flextronics purchased Polaroid's manufacturing operations and the decision was made to send most of the manufacturing to China.[15] The "new" Polaroid Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 18, 2008.[16]
Auction for Polaroid Corp's Assets[edit]
On April 2, 2009, Patriarch Partners won an auction for Polaroid Corporation's assets including the company's name, intellectual property, and photography collection. Patriarch' $59.1 million bid beat bids from PHC Acquisitions, Hilco Consumer Capital Corp and Ritchie Capital.
This led to some very contentious fighting and litigation, and Patriarch wound up walking away in early May, 2009, and a joint venture between Gordon Brothers Brands LLC and Hilco Consumer Capital LP picked up the pieces. Quoting from a Reuters report which quoted some participants:
"The move by New York-based Patriarch, a private-equity firm, [to drop their claim], follows US District Judge James Rosenbaum's ruling on Thursday in Minneapolis that putting the purchase on hold during appeal would threaten operations at Polaroid, which is spending its cash at a rate of $3 million a month.
"Polaroid on April 16 won US Bankruptcy Court approval to be sold to a joint venture of Hilco Consumer Capital LP of Toronto and Gordon Brothers Brands LLC of Boston."[17]
Hilco Consumer Capital and Gordon Brothers Brands announced the closing of the purchase of Polaroid Corporation on May 7, 2009 placing Polaroid Corporation in joint holding under a parent company named PLR IP Holdings, LLC. Former Executive Vice President and General Manager - Americas, Scott W. Hardy was named as the new President of Polaroid Corporation and PLR IP Holdings, LLC. The majority of employees remained in their positions at the company's Minnetonka, Minnesota headquarters as well as office locations in Boston, New York and Toronto.[18]
On June 19, 2009, The new holding corporation for Polaroid, PLR IP Holdings, LLC announced an exclusive 5-year agreement with Summit Global Group to produce and distribute Polaroid branded digital still cameras, digital video cameras, digital photo frames and PoGo branded mobile products. Summit Global Group added several former Polaroid employees to their staff. The company expects the agreement to yield $1.3 billion in retail sales over an unspecified period beginning in 2009.[19]

 

[Ilya]

The brand name is not important in this case. What is important is that there is someone out there to drive the prices down.
I think we will see the Ultra HD prices tumble this and next year.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Polaroid? Why Do I not trust that name when it comes to TV's

Digital Camera, YES!

I honestly don't know what the big deal is with 4K TV's There is no content for them yet, might as well wait for the prices to go down as they did with HDTV's

 

[tigerfan33]

The brand name is not important in this case. What is important is that there is someone out there to drive the prices down. I think we will see the Ultra HD prices tumble this and next year.

But how do get 4k content to these cheap uhdtv sets?

 

[jayn_j]

A label does not guarantee performance. I would be suspicious and look at specs and limitations very carefully.

 

[mike123abc]

The Wall Street Journal had an article on this subject today: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles...579292630876600834?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTTopStories

It is probably a pay article, but here are some relevant quotes:

"But I don't see much difference when you compare high-end Chinese TVs with them," he said. "We are very confident [competing] in the global market."

The average price of UHDTVs sold in China is expected to fall to $973 in 2014, compared with $1,288 in 2013, according to NPD DisplaySearch. Outside of China, the firm expects the average to slide to $1,637 from $4,313.

Meanwhile, Japanese TV makers are trying to justify their price tags by using extra chips that adapt regular high-definition content so an improvement is noticeable on 4K sets. The picture quality of moving images, analysts say, is also superior, with colors and details that can capture water drops, the shadow of a fire and beads of sweat.

LG's Mr. Alessi says he fears that the lack of such features on the less-expensive Chinese-made sets will give UHDTV a bad name.

"Side-by-side comparison tends to show a big difference," says Paul Gagnon, director of North American TV research at NPD DisplaySearch. "The question is whether or not it is worth two times the price. That's something that's going to take time to figure out."

Essentially there is not really a reason for the price of 4k to be that expensive.

 

[Stargazer]

So are the chips in the television sets upconverting 720p and 1080p to a higher resolution in the 4K televisions?

Seeing as some of the 4K television will have Roku with them that will give some 4K content with a broadband connection.