Photo Frames

[JoeDif]

Are all of the electronic photo frames pretty much the same? DW wants to get one and asked me to research. Other than download capacity is there anything else I need to look at before purchasing?

Thanks

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Good topic. Im currious too! My family says I have too many family photos up on the wall. Theres only 3 frames that hold 55 total pictures and theres only 25 in the hall.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

I started to type up a few things but these guys already covered them.......


http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2300977,00.asp

 

[JoeDif]

I started to type up a few things but these guys already covered them.......


http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2300977,00.asp

Interesting article......Thanks!!

 

[ssanders79]

Capacity is not an issue as most have a memory card and/or a usb slot. With models like these the only limitation is the size of your memory card/usb flash drive.

We picked up a 7" frame that was a black friday specal two years ago from Target. It is fine, but the resolution is not the best regardless of the image file specs. If I were to go out looking today I would pick one that has a higher display resolution that was in my budget.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

For Christmas, we received two. An Insignia and Pandigital 7000DW. The model # for the Insignia isn't currently available. They both provide excellent images. The Pandigital has a remote control that attaches (magnet) to the back of the frame. Since I don't need another computer in my house, these work perfectly well for what they are designed to do, display a slideshow of images!

 

[GrillMouster]

Stay away from the widescreen ones. The widescreen feature is a gimmick that plays on the trend in television sets. Most camera images don't take images in widescreen ratios, so to take advantage of that extra width on the frame you'd have to crop all of your images to be short and wide. It's not worth the hassle, and it often compromises the look/feel of the image when you crop it in such a way that you didn't intend when you took the picture.

Also, pay attention the pixel resolution. The higher the resolution the crisper your images will look. Cheaper frames sometimes have lower resolution, and as a result your images look blocky and pixelated.

Read the reviews. Some cheap frames don't have the ability to randomize the images in slideshow mode. That seems like a very fundamental feature to be missing. Too often the only way you'll realize this limitation is by someone mentioning it in their review of the frame.

 

[JoeDif]

Stay away from the widescreen ones. The widescreen feature is a gimmick that plays on the trend in television sets. Most camera images don't take images in widescreen ratios, so to take advantage of that extra width on the frame you'd have to crop all of your images to be short and wide. It's not worth the hassle, and it often compromises the look/feel of the image when you crop it in such a way that you didn't intend when you took the picture.

Also, pay attention the pixel resolution. The higher the resolution the crisper your images will look. Cheaper frames sometimes have lower resolution, and as a result your images look blocky and pixelated.

Read the reviews. Some cheap frames don't have the ability to randomize the images in slideshow mode. That seems like a very fundamental feature to be missing. Too often the only way you'll realize this limitation is by someone mentioning it in their review of the frame.

Thanks for the heads up. I never considered the widescreen cropping issue. Good to know!!

 

[GrillMouster]

Another problem with widescreen is that screens are measured from one corner diagonally to the opposite corner (top left corner to bottom right corner). As a result, a standard format image will appear smaller (well, shorter) on an 8" widescreen than it would on an 8" standard ratio screen.

I had to explain this to my mother when she replaced her 32" standard television set with a 32" widescreen HDTV and wondered why the picture looked smaller. As an aside, I also had to explain why her SD cable signal looked inferior on the new TV and why the sound was much worse (SD looked worse on an HDTV, because noise, imperfections, and low resolution were more apparent, and flatter TVs have smaller speakers that sound like a tin can). Basically, she unnecessarily spent a bunch of money to DOWNGRADE her multimedia experience. Now she knows why I tell her to always check with me before buying any big-ticket items.

 

[YesDear]

We have several Phillips brand frames. They are not cheap but easy to use and resolution is I think very good. To me the picture was the important part. I did not care about mp3 player.

I currently have 1800 pictures running in mine.

 

[JoeDif]

We have several Phillips brand frames. They are not cheap but easy to use and resolution is I think very good. To me the picture was the important part. I did not care about mp3 player.

I currently have 1800 pictures running in mine.

Thanks!! DW doesn't really care about any extra features. She just wants one that has good picture resolution.

All of this has been extremely helpful

 

[greens_in_WA]

Bought 2 HP df808 from woot.com for $40 each, they have an 8" screen with a 800x600 resolution. I would say that the resolution is as good as my laptop monitor (Toshiba 14.1"), maybe a touch clearer.

However, if the picture quality is really important, go to your local Best Buy, Fry's, etc and eyeball them to see what looks good to you. Then buy online if you can get a better deal.

 

[budmonster]

I have a 14" Digital Photo Frame at home that DH got me for Christmas last year. Its great, very clear pics, wifi capible, remote. I'm sorry I don't have the name with me with I get home from work I will find out what brand it is and post it.

 

[JoeDif]

I have a 14" Digital Photo Frame at home that DH got me for Christmas last year. Its great, very clear pics, wifi capible, remote. I'm sorry I don't have the name with me with I get home from work I will find out what brand it is and post it.

 

[KramBerries]

I'd like to buy something like this and slap it on a surplus LCD monitor. The problem is, I can't find anyone that actually sells something like it.