Kodak, widely known for imaging products and cameras, has entered the television market in India with 5 new HD LED televisions. The super-attractive market has seen the recent launches from LeEco, TCL and RInging Bells.
While Kodak was successful with its imaging products, the company hopes to expand to other segments that have even better returns. In partnership with the Noida-based Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SSPL), the company has launched five televisions in the range of Rs. 13,500 and Rs. 40,000.
Steven Overman, President of Kodak’s Consumer and Film Division and Global Chief Marketing Officer said, “We are very pleased to partner with SPPL to address the burgeoning market for TV sets in India. We look forward to providing consumers in India with a new range of great Kodak-branded products.”
Out of the 5 televisions, 3 are smart TVs and 2 are regular. The smart television market has starting gaining pace and a lot of manufacturers are looking to invest in this industry. The smart televisions come in sizes of 32-inch, 40-inch and a massive 50-inch.
Let’s talk about the features of the smart TVs first –
- Powered by ARM Cortex A7 processor
- 512MB RAM and 4GB internal storage
- All three TVs run on an outdated Android 4.4 Kitkat
- Internet connectivity and WiFi capability
- 32-inch TV comes with 250 Nits panel from Samsung, 40 and 50-inch ones come with 300 Nits Samsung panel
- USB to USB copy capability, HDMI and VGA ports
- The televisions boast of progressive scan and a yPbPr color space
- Response time of less than 8 milliseconds
Here are the 5 Kodak LED TV models launched
|
TV Model |
Key Specs |
|
KODAK 32HD X900S |
250 Nits Panel, USB to USB copy, Inbuilt games, Samsung Panel, Sound |
|
KODAK 32 HDXSMART |
Glass cabinet, Latest interface, True Colors, Sound , MHL, USB to USB copy, 4 GB Flash storage, 512 MB memory, Air Mouse |
|
KODAK 40 FHDX900S |
300 Nits Samsung Panel, Sound, USB to USB copy, Inbuilt games |
|
KODAK 40 FHDXSMART |
300 Nits Samsung Panel, Latest Interface, Sound, USB to USB copy, MHL, 4 GB Flash storage, 512 MB memory, Air Mouse |
|
KODAK 50FHDXSMART |
300 Nits Samsung Panel, Latest Interface, Sound, USB to USB copy, MHL, 4 GB Flash storage, 512 MB memory, Air Mouse |
When we expect a company to launch Android-based TVs, we expect at least a version older and not three generations old. The RAM as well as internal storage also seem to be low and not something expected at such price points.
Coming to regular television sets, the two versions are similar to the 32-inch and 40-inch model, sans the smart features. It is surprising to note that the televisions have nearly the same internals at different price points. This makes us wonder how the company justifies the higher prices on the basis of the screen sizes.
How do these compare to TVs from other brands?
LeEco has launched some amazing televisions are similar price points. In the end, even if these Chinese companies charge higher than Kodak, they’re also providing a much better product loaded with features.
These five televisions are just full HD, while other manufacturers provide larger screens with Ultra HD capabilities, producing fantastic colours and contrast. They also offer their own content on these TVs to keep the users engaged, and not leave them to their own content.
Kodak also hasn’t talked much about the sound quality and processing speed of the TVs. The launch seems like a desperate, and an under-researched, attempt to get into the smart TV market. We wish there was something unique the televisions had that distinguished themselves from the existing options in the market.
The 32-inch televisions will be sold exclusively on Shopclues, while the rest will be available on Flipkart and Amazon starting 15th August. The company has not officially revealed the prices, but given us the range of the cheapest to the most expensive TV set.
