LAS VEGAS – The Polaroid brand reemerged for TVs at International CES, under new licensee Empire Electronic of Ontario, Calif., which is planning a series of LED LCD TVs, including the brand’s first Ultra HD model.
Empire is licensing the moniker from PLR Holdings for the TV category, and will attempt to rekindle the success Polaroid had temporarily enjoyed in the category before the prior the prior brand owner, Peters Group, fell into bankruptcy.
“Not many people realize that Edwin Land was a pioneer in developing the polarizing technology used in modern televisions,” said Scott W. Hardy, Polaroid president and CEO of Polaroid brand administrator PLR Holdings. “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.”
The Polaroid 50-inch 4K Ultra HD model 50GSR9000 ($999 suggested retail) offers 3,840 by 2,160 resolution and includes three HDMI ports.
The company also showed a line of Polaroid smart TVs powered by an add-on Roku-ready Streaming Stick. The FullHD LED smart televisions offer a contemporary, modern look and will come equipped with an updated bezel and TV stand.
Planned Polaroid FullHD screen sizes will range from 32 to 69 inches.
The highlighted Polaroid 50-inch Roku-ready 50GSR7100 ($599) will enable streaming more than 1,000 entertainment channels using a Roku Streaming Stick that connects to the set’s MHL-compliant HDMI port and is controllable by the TV’s remote or a smartphone app.
The 50-inch smart TV comes equipped with three HDMI inputs and offers a contemporary styling design.
