Polaroid TV Ships With Roku StickPolaroid TV Ships With Roku Stick

You can't "shake it like a Polaroid picture," but the Roku streaming stick embedded in Polaroid's new smart TV set will reveal plenty of images on the big-screen display.

In a new twist from the company made famous by its instant-print photos, Polaroid will introduce a 50-inch Roku-ready TV at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next week. (See 5 TV Tech Trends Heading for CES.)

The TV set comes with the Roku Inc. stick included, and offers users a way to circumvent or supplement cable TV service with easy access to over-the-top (OTT) video.

Polaroid will also debut a 50-inch 4K ultra high definition (UHD) television at CES. Both TVs will ultimately sell in multiple screen sizes starting at 32 inches, and moving up to 69 inches. The 4K TV carries a price tag of $999.99 for the 50-inch version, while the same-size Roku-ready set will be $599.99.

Streaming sticks are set to be one of the hot items at CES this year, but it appears that the TV manufacturers themselves don't want to be left out of the story. While smart TVs include their own OTT video apps, the advantage of a streaming stick is the fact that it's easily upgradeable, with a price point that's less than a tenth that of many flat-screen displays. Most consumers won't replace their TVs every year, but changing out a small adapter is another matter. By including the Roku stick with its TV, Polaroid gives users a cheap hardware upgrade path going forward.

Polaroid notes that its Roku-ready TV powers the built-in wireless device through an MHL port. No extra power cables are required.

— Mari Silbey, Special to Light Reading