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Entered CNET Catalog: 05/28/2004
SKU: LCD-1750
Manufacturer: Polaroid Corp.
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Manufacturer description
Polaroid is the worldwide leader in instant photography. The company supplies instant cameras and films; digital imaging hardware, software and media; identification systems; and sunglasses to markets worldwide. PRODUCT FEATURES: 17'' 16: 9 HDTV LCD Television/Monitor; 1280 x 768 XGA resolution for picture clarity; 3-line digital comb filter for improved picture quality; MTS stereo system with SAP capability; VGA-SXGA input for PC use; A/V, S-video and component video inputs; Picture-in-Picture; 125 channel tuner.Product summary
The good: Inexpensive; HDTV resolution.
The bad: Mediocre as a PC monitor; cannot do native wide-screen in PC mode.
The bottom line: This relatively cheap 17-inch LCD TV makes an adequate set for the kitchen or the bedroom, but it's less than ideal as a PC monitor.
Average user rating: from 8 users
1.5 stars
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 05/28/2004
Housed in a silver case with a charcoal-colored border around the screen, the LCD-1750 is reasonably attractive and as thin as other LCD TVs, measuring 14 by 21 by 7 inches (H, W, D) with stand and weighing 13.7 pounds. On the back, you'll find a handle, which makes the unit easy to take on a road trip or tote from room to room. The included remote is a little strangely shaped (thin at the bottom, thicker on top) and rudimentary, but we did find it simple to use.
As you might expect from a budget model, this Polaroid isn't loaded with features. Nevertheless, the standard stuff is all present and accounted for. You get PIP (picture-in-picture), which allows you to watch TV in a small window while using the rest of the screen as a PC monitor, and basic aspect-ratio controls (standard, zoom, wide). For connectivity, the LCD-1750 provides a set of component, S-Video, and composite-video jacks and an RGB connector for your PC (sorry, no DVI). If you prefer your PC's speakers to those built in to the TV, you can connect them via a back-panel minijack.
To test the LCD-1750's performance, we hooked up a Digital Video Essentials before looking at scenes from the Superbit DVD Adaptation. After lowering the color to a more balanced level, reducing sharpness to eliminate extra edges around lines, setting contrast to the midpoint, and blasting the brightness, we were looking at a fairly decent image with reasonable detail in the shadows. The color of the blacks wasn't very deep, but we didn't expect them to be with an inexpensive LCD. During the movie's orchid-hunting scenes in the swamps, we also noticed that green foliage--and green in general--didn't pop like it should. As noted, the LCD-1750 displays the full resolution of 720p HD, and high-def content from the Discovery Channel and HDNet looked quite good.
Oddly, though, when using the LCD-1750 as a PC monitor, you can't view a wide-screen image. Instead, the manual instructs you to set your monitor to 1,024x768, which results in black bars appearing on either side of the desktop. You can stretch the computer image to fill the screen, but it looks fuzzy. In case you're wondering, when watching with bars, you're really looking at about 14.5 inches (diagonal) of image. As a computer monitor, the LCD-1750 performed about as well as the Dell W1700 (not included in the chart below, since we used an earlier methodology to test it) and quite a bit worse than the Sharp LL-M17W1U (which we compared side by side with the Polaroid).
The long and the short of it: If you will use this Polaroid exclusively as a TV, it's an acceptable solution for kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms. Choose something else, however, if you want an LCD TV that doubles as a strong PC monitor.
CNET Labs DisplayMate tests (Longer bars indicate better performance)
Sharp LL-M17W1U
80
Polaroid LCD-1750
63
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 User Rating: 
1/10
Poor Quality merchandise, Customer Service, Warrenties
Pros: NOTHING NOW. ITS NOT WORTH THE $$ I SPENT.
Cons: I pruchased a Polaroid flat screen tv for my vacation home. The tv lost its picture 3 months into ownership.
Review: The tv only lasted 3 months! No picture after that. I called POLAROID, only to get prerecorded messages, or put on hold or HUNG UP ON. When I finaly got a live person to talk to, they said for me, the consumer, pay to have it packed and shipped back to them in return they would "fix" the problem and return it to me. I checked into the cost of shipping and handeling for a flat screen tv and it was almost $200. I have talked to several television repairmen, they all say the same thing: PLOAROID isnt worth the $$ you spend. Stating they have terrible products, horrible customer service. Sure wish I would have know that before my purchase. I bought the tv at WalMart in Brownsville, TX. I called corperate Wal Mart and informed them about my situation. I suggested to them that they drop their dealings with Polaroid. I am in the process of turning them into the Better Business Board, I am going all the way with this shabby business dealing. No wonder this company is 1 BILLION $$ in debt!! They wont get another dime from me. I will post this where ever I see fit! BEWARE OF POLAROID PRODUCTS!!!!!!
User Rating: 
2/10
Polaroid is not honorin their customer's warranties
Pros: none what so ever
Cons: Polaroid does not honor their customer's warranties. They have had my TV for over 2 months now, been promised a refund on numerous occasions. Read the whole story here, and spread the word!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49252265115
Review: Me and my roommate bought a 42" LCD Full HD TV of the brand Polaroid from Walmart on black friday of 2007. We had trouble with the TV within three months of the purchase and it got repaired three times. The TV ended up with a worse picture quality than it originally came with, but at least there was a picture there, which was not the case before the three repairs. I didn't feel like arguing anymore so I let the problem with the picture be.
Right before black friday of 2008 a different problem emerged with the TV; our remote stopped working. It turned out it wasn't the remote itself that was the problem, but the remote reciever on the TV, so I called Polaroid again and explained my problem. I was promised that I would get a new TV sent to me within two weeks if I sent my broken TV to the Polaroid repair center. I had to pay for the box to ship the TV in myself (it was 22 dollars...), but I was ok with that since I was supposed to get a new TV when they had gotten my broken TV.
Two weeks pass, no TV, no phone call. I call the support again and is told that they don't have any TVs to send to me, but instead they will issue me a refund for the full amount I paid. They continue on to tell me that I will get the refund within two weeks. Two weeks and two days pass, I get no refund. I call them up again and was told that because Polaroid is in chapter 11, all their refunds has been pushed back to late January (this was early January). At this point I'm furious, I call the corporate office, they tell me the same thing, my roommate calls the corporate office, they won't return his phone calls, so he calls again, still no return call, I call again, no return call, and finally my roommate calls once more and catches someone as she is about to call out (usually you get an answering machine when calling the corporate), and she's accusing us of harassing her...
The last call I made to Polaroid was in late January (the phone number to the corporate office is no longer in use, so we're getting transferred to the regular costumer service department), and they can't say for sure when our check is going to come, but they tell me it's within 15 days... They have continually lied to us and refuses to honor our warranty. We have also been in contact with Walmart where we bought the TV (they are still selling their TVs) and they were really helpful at first, but since our first conversation they have yet to return a single phone call to us, and they have not done anything concrete to help us. A lot of talk and no action. May I say that I'm a college student and this TV was 800 dollars, cheap for the type of TV I got at the time, but a lot of money for me none the less. Polaroid has had our TV for two months now, we have seen nothing from them so far.
We are definitely not the only ones that has this problem, click yourself to this site and see how big of a scam this company is: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/home_electronics/polaroid_tv.html
Right before black friday of 2008 a different problem emerged with the TV; our remote stopped working. It turned out it wasn't the remote itself that was the problem, but the remote reciever on the TV, so I called Polaroid again and explained my problem. I was promised that I would get a new TV sent to me within two weeks if I sent my broken TV to the Polaroid repair center. I had to pay for the box to ship the TV in myself (it was 22 dollars...), but I was ok with that since I was supposed to get a new TV when they had gotten my broken TV.
Two weeks pass, no TV, no phone call. I call the support again and is told that they don't have any TVs to send to me, but instead they will issue me a refund for the full amount I paid. They continue on to tell me that I will get the refund within two weeks. Two weeks and two days pass, I get no refund. I call them up again and was told that because Polaroid is in chapter 11, all their refunds has been pushed back to late January (this was early January). At this point I'm furious, I call the corporate office, they tell me the same thing, my roommate calls the corporate office, they won't return his phone calls, so he calls again, still no return call, I call again, no return call, and finally my roommate calls once more and catches someone as she is about to call out (usually you get an answering machine when calling the corporate), and she's accusing us of harassing her...
The last call I made to Polaroid was in late January (the phone number to the corporate office is no longer in use, so we're getting transferred to the regular costumer service department), and they can't say for sure when our check is going to come, but they tell me it's within 15 days... They have continually lied to us and refuses to honor our warranty. We have also been in contact with Walmart where we bought the TV (they are still selling their TVs) and they were really helpful at first, but since our first conversation they have yet to return a single phone call to us, and they have not done anything concrete to help us. A lot of talk and no action. May I say that I'm a college student and this TV was 800 dollars, cheap for the type of TV I got at the time, but a lot of money for me none the less. Polaroid has had our TV for two months now, we have seen nothing from them so far.
We are definitely not the only ones that has this problem, click yourself to this site and see how big of a scam this company is: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/home_electronics/polaroid_tv.html
User Rating: 
3/10
DVD quit working less than 2 months of buying
Pros: nice style
Cons: not worth buying for the lenght of time it worked
Review: DVD player was the main use for this tv and it quit working in less than 2 months after purchase.
User Rating: 2/10
Polariod Junk
Pros: OK Picture
Cons: Very poor internal parts
Review: Take your money and buy a Sony or other well known brand. The extra money you spend will go a long way in the long run. Polaroid TV'S only last at most 1 year to 15 months. THEY ARE JUNK!!!
User Rating: 3/10
Polaroid LCD 37"
Pros: Was a good price compared to some
Cons: lines run through the picture
Review: We bought it in April '07 and in Dec. '07 the sound does not always work. When you turn it on it makes a loud buzzing or nothing at all. You have to cut it off and on over and over trying to get the soung to work properly. Sometimes the screen will be black and there will be no sound. The tv will not turn off you have to un plug it.
User Rating: 3/10
I purchased a Polaroid 32" LCD 11/07. 11/08 it shut off and hasnt been on since...
Pros: Stylish T.V. Great picture. Very good price compared to others.
Cons: No repair shops in central La can get parts for to fix it. Luckily i bought a warranty so its someone elses problem now.
Review: A month after i bought my Polaroid for $747(before tax & warranty) Wal-Mart had the same T.V. $100 dollars cheaper and it had a built in HDDVD player. If you plan to buy a Polaroid, I strongly suggest you buy some kind of replacement plan or service agreement. If your Polaroid goes out, as mine did, you will not be able to find a repair shop that can get the parts to fix it.
User Rating: 1/10
Purchased Polaroid LCD 6/5/06 & approx 8 wks later I no longer have sound or a picture
Pros: The set looks nice
Cons: I cannot find a repair shop in the DC area who is able to fix it as I am told they are unable to obtain polaroid parts
Review: Polaroid has not contacted me since the second call placed to them 8 days ago.
The model # is PCBFLM-1911
The model # is PCBFLM-1911
User Rating: 
9/10
Great TV, GOOD Monitor
Pros: Price and Value. Can't get a better 17 HDTV at this price.
Cons: If you are buying for a monitor only, you are looking at the wrong thing.
Review:
