Customer Reviews

Polaroid PDM-0742 7"" Portable SwivelScreen DVD Player

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

My daughter got this as a gift for Christmas '06 and it worked really well for her for about 6 months. One morning she watched a movie and then put in a new one, but there was no picture. We could hear the movie, but nothing on the screen. I called Polaroid customer service and they were very helpful, however in order to fix the problem (burnt out backlight bulb) we would have to pay $90 for a new one (wholesale price). I know it cost about that much brand new so we didn't get our money's worth for less than 6 months of use!

The first one I bought was a dud and had to be returned. But the second one has been a tank! This thing has taken such a beating from my young child and it just keeps going. We have used this every single day for over a year and it works great! I can't even remember what plane/car travel was like before it. That said, the volume is a bit low for plane travel, especially if you're in the last row. It's just not loud enough to compete with back-of-the-plane noise. But I still love it. It has survived being dropped, shaken and generally abused by my preschooler and it just keeps working. Best money I ever spent. One point off for the low volume.

The PDM- 0742 model that we had withstood alot of abuse and constant use. It was dropped on hard surfaces countless times- and always worked perfectly. Unfortunately, the kids left it open on the floor and it got stepped on and the hinge was broken. Even then it continued to work, until being open so much allowed dirt to get in and damaged the unit. We had ours over three years, and I would buy another in a heartbeat.

The battery on ours would last around three hours at a time. It is extremely easy for children to use. The swivel screen is a really nice feature- and one you don't see that often for inexpensive players. The screen also folds flat, which is also very nice.

Unlike many of the other reviewers, we never had any problems with the sound. In fact of the many portable dvd players we have had, this one offered the best sound. The others being Kawasaki, Philips, and Initial. The kids each have their own dvd players, so we have had a fair amt of experience with them.

One of my kids is handicapped, so we spend a lot of time in doctors offices,& physical therapy,... A lightweight dvd player and headphones makes the wait easier for the healthy kids. This one is light enough for the kids to carry.

I've owned my Polaroid DVD player for over 3 years and it still works as great as the day I got it!

I purchased this product 9 months ago prior to a car trip. It worked fine that trip then we used it again a couple of months later - now I have been trying to use it and it started to say "bad disk" with most of my DVDs - now it even says "bad disk" with brand new DVDs. I called Polaroid & they said that their product only has a 90 day warranty. Clearly they don't expect it to last more than 90 days.

We bought a similar Polaroid dvd player (Amazon no longer sells it) at Christmas 06. By May 06 it was no longer able to play a dvd without jerking and freezing up. We only used it a few times and never mishandled it. Polaroid only offers a 3 month warranty and has lousy customer support - I emailed them 3 times before they finally got back to tell me they wouldn't do anything about the fact that it no longer works after only being used a few times.
Do yourself a favor - stay away from it! Would give it 0 stars.

My daughter received this Polaroid DVD player as a gift this year. Both kids really enjoy using the player and want to take it everywhere with them.

This morning, my wife was leaving for piano lessons with the kids and they had the DVD player packed along. My wife decided that they didn't need to bring the player to piano lessons and in her haste, she took it away and put it on the garage floor next to the car.

Upon the return home from piano lessons the fact that the DVD player was still on the garage floor was forgotten and my wife proceeded to drive over it in her BMW 3 series. The player was driven over by one tire in the process. The player was scraped on the bottom and the side seam was popped slightly. Incredibly the screen, DVD disc inside and casing did not break! The DVD player works just like before. Discs play fine, no damage effects on the screen, audio is fine and it can still be used with or without the AC power cord.

I wasn't a Polaroid fan before, but this experience gives me pause to consider Polaroid in future purchase decisions.

I bought this recently at Circuit City for around $100. I thought it would be an affordable option to pricer models. Right out of the box, the machine did not work. It constantly froze even on new DVDs. I tried all of the power sources including battery, DC Adaptor (car adaptor, and power supply cord with AC adapter. I noticed when it did (briefly) play the picture was rather dark and there was no way to adjust it. Also, the sound was woeful at best in the car. I returned it to Circuit City, but because of their 15% restocking fee, I took the gamble on Polaroid's 8.5 inch PDM-8551 because nothing else was in my price range. The reviews are a little better from what I have read, including the ability to adjust color. However, some reviewers experienced similiar problems. I am going to try to wear the new one out in the next 30 days so I make sure their are no kinks in it.

Overall
Pros:
Ergonomics - well laid out buttons, especially if a child is planning on using it.
Swivel Screen
Price - I guess you get what you pay for.
Solid Feel
Battery did not feel too hot

Cons:
Froze constantly
Lack of Adjustment of Color
Sound

The unit is nice and works well but WalMart sells the same thing for $40 less. That is about a 1/3 savings.

We got this for Christmas '06, and although it worked fine for 7 months it sure doesn't now. All it says is bad disk or just freezes the picture on the screen. Nice 90 day warranty. Polaroid isn't willing to do anything to help or fix it. DON'T buy a polaroid, they just aren't worth the money.