Polaroid and WebOS are two brands that twelve months ago one would not expect to be sold together in Australian stores, now the operating system that was developed by John Rubenstein who worked alongside Steve Jobs to develop the iPhone OS can be found powering a $499 Polaroid TVs sold at Big W.
I have just reviewed the 55” Polaroid TV that is powered by WebOS and the value proposition that this software delivers is enormous, right from the moment that you power this TV up to a few minutes later when you are managing programs and attached devices in a seamless manner you realise how good this software is.
And if you are confused, Yes WebOS use to be exclusive to LG’s premium TV range, that was until late last year LG released their popular operating system to third party manufacturers many who like Polaroid dropped Android TV OS in favour of the WebOS because of its superiority in managing content and devices being attached to the TV.
The other big value proposition with this TV was the quality of the display especially when you take into consideration the $499 price. The Ultra High Definition 4K image to screen was excellent especially when watching live streamed NRL and AFL games on Fox Sport.
The display is 840 x 2160, 60Hz and has a 16:9 aspect ratio. When it comes to sound output you have internal TV speakers, Bluetooth audio and you can connect a sound bar via optical or HDMI ARC. I strongly recommend that you attach a soundbar to get maximum performance out of this TV.
4K movies from Netflix also look on this TV and I highly recommend that when you buy this TV you also buy brand new 2.1 HDMI cables that are specially configured for 4K streaming and ultra-high-definition audio that are built into
The first thing I noticed about this TV was the documentation that comes with the TV. It’s clear, easy to follow and very instructive.
Colour coded the instructions are easy to follow, you get information on HDR or High-Definition Range picture management as well as good solid and easy to follow information on how to best configure your
In the box is a brand-new magic remote that allows you to verbally give instructions to the TV such as go to Foxtel.
And if you have not activated the Foxtel app that comes with the WebOS it will immediately download the app for configuration or you can say, go to my Foxtel box on HDMI 3.
Alternatively, you can easily scroll to an attached source such as an Xbox, or Foxtel iQ box.
With this TV you get:
Powered by webOS – minimalistic layout creates a new way of navigating your TV
Magic Remote with built-in voice assistant – talk directly to the remote for suggestions on the latest movies, popular TV shows, and trending music.
4K Ultra High-Definition Resolution and a home dashboard powered by ThinQ AI, that lets you control and manage connected TV devices like external media players, storage devices and sound systems such as soundbars.
With this TV I attached a Foxtel Now box and within seconds the Thin Q AI kicked in found the Foxtel device and correctly named it and configured it into the menu running at the bottom of the screen.
Prompted I was able to configure the device to not only my postcode and State I was able to quickly tune digital TV stations and analogue as well as several radio stations.
But before I did this, I was able to configure the TV to a Wi Fi and an Ethernet broadband network and within seconds the TV was updated to the latest management software.
Remote
If you compare side by side the remote from the 55” Polaroid Web OS TV and a $5,000 LG TV, you will notice there is little difference because both TVs are powered by Web OS.
On the remote are a lot of new features such as instant access buttons for both Netflix and Amazon Prime as well as voice activation.
However, I strongly recommend that you do spend time reading the instruction book on how the Polaroid remote is configured because it is rich in new features not found on a lot of prior TVs.
You can also use a smart device such as your mobile to control and manage this device via Screen Share. Both the TV and the mobile need to be on the same Wi Fi network.
On the back are multiple HDMI ports which allow set top boxes and gaming consoles to be easily attached. The built in Simple Link CEC allows up to three devices to be attached and simultaneously used.
Conclusion
Pro
This is a real value for money TV which has one of the best in WEBOS operating systems built in. Ideal for a second room, bedroom or a weekender this can easily be used as a main TV.
Con
The is little wrong with this TV however I would have liked to have seen better legs, or even a central swivel. The alternative is a low-cost wall mount because this TV only weighs 17 kilos.
9/10
