Digital Photo Frames

[RHCP]

I'm pretty sure i'm posting this in the wrong place so feel free to move this or tell me where to post it.

Digital Photo Frames, anyone had any experience of them?

I'm looking at this one for mothers day.

http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=1751

Any input would be good.

Cheers

[Lawrenzini]

They're a gadget and quite cool and I wouldn't expect too much from them. However if you bare that in mind and are happy then go for it.

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/125778

[ghibbett]

I got one for Xmas and in some ways they are good (vibrant colours and very contemporary) however the battery life is pure pants.

Mine lasts about 3hrs max before 4hrs of recharging is required. And in the manual it states you should never run them off mains power all the time. So actually they're quite rubbish. I was disappointed.

Once you can get ones that last a week before needing a charge, then they'll be worth it, IMHO of course!

Cheers,

[PAH]

Originally Posted by Lawrenzini

They're a gadget and quite cool and I wouldn't expect too much from them. However if you bare that in mind and are happy then go for it.

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/125778

I got the white one of those from eBuyer. For the price I think they're really good as a present for the parents or grandparents. Intend giving a couple as christmas presents having sorted out a few dozen family photos to display on it.

These cheap eBuyer ones do require the image files to be jpeg and probably best to switch them off overnight, both to increase longevity of the screen, to save leccy, and because the manual states "not recommended to be used over 8 hours at a time" though no reasons for that are specified. Also require a memory card as they don't have any built in ram, but 2gb SD cards are under a tenner now so no big deal.

eBuyer also do some slightly better ones from Cibox which come with a remote and support more types of images, even avi/mpeg4 with audio I think, all for around 50 quid.

[JC3]

Originally Posted by RHCP

I'm looking at this one for mothers day.

I think these frames would make a great Mothers Day gift. But bear in mind that like anything else, you get what you pay for. The resolution on the one you're looking at is pretty low, and I would guess the viewing angle on the budget frames isn't great.

If your budget can stretch consider this:

http://www.e-bowl.co.uk/products/4998.html

I bought one the other week for the in-laws and thought it was pretty good, all in all. The wooden frame isn't to my taste but suits the oldies just fine. The only negative comment I have is that the remote control sensor on the frame looks a bit tacky when viewed up close, but from a distance you don't notice it too much.

I really fancy getting a bigger one and was looking here:

http://www.digital-picture-frame.co.uk/

at this one in particular:

http://www.digital-picture-frame.co...._pro_image.htm

Break into a sweat when I think about parting with the cash though!! But it's a nifty gadget!

[mg-paul]

I got given one of the Philips ones as a wedding gift. Actually found it quite good (apart from the battery life), the resolution is quite high making the images look fairly good.

In fact I ended up buying another one for my Parents, I can now send them 512MB SD cards filled with photos every few months (they are not PC literate but can work out how to put the card in).

[Zone]

Also don't forget the Photography forum sponsors Fototech

[Lawrenzini]

The resolution isn't going to matter on a 7" screen. If you are sat more than 2ft away you won't be able to tell.

[Peakoverload]

Each to their own but I just don't get the point of them.

What's so wrong with a nicely mounted print in a frame? At the end of the day nobody is going to sit looking at a photo for hours on end, it just becomes decoration, so unless you can run them 24/7, you've always got to switch them on when you want to look at them...kinda defeats the purpose doesnt it? Just another thing to add to your electricity bill IMHO.

Like I say, each to their own, if you like them than that's great but I'm afraid they are lost on me.

[Liquid101]

The other option is to build your own

One the chaps I play golf with buys cheap second hand laptops for 50 quid (he has had them for free!). Strips all but the basics out - Mainboard, Hard disk etc then folds the screen back on itself, chucks in a wireless network card, mounts the whole thing in a large wooden frame. He is then able to control it wirelessly from his main PC. He's not a techy, but he is a doctor! so I suppose he's used to these kinds of operations He has made several now, around the house.

Obviously the downside is that you need to run an operating system, and it gets warm, but other than that it's a cheap way of getting a 15/17 inch frame with almost unlimited images, video etc.

I keep meaning to try it myself!

[rickyt]

I'm lost too , why anyone would want to buy one of these things .There just a novelty/gimmic item surely.If you have photos you want your relatives to see ,why not put them on a DVD ? . This is a cracking way to show your photographs .Some fancy transitions , some nice background music . Really entertaining and most of all , everyone has a TV and most will have a DVD player , so it's very east to set up for none techy's . You could make a gift of a DVD player too along with your DVD, after all Asda were selling some recently for a whole £9.99 . No batteries to change or charge and no memory cards to fiddle with .

[monkeyleader]

I was watching Ciscos presentation at CES this year and they were talking about social networking and the fact that in the (not too distant) future we could see wireless (networked) photoframes for example which would hook into your social network.

So for example I live away from the rest of my family - now if each of them had a wireless photo frame and were on my social network they would get automatic updates of the photos I was sharing (holidays, new babies etc etc) I think this is when devices such as this get interesting.

Of course you start thinking abotu this and all of a sudden you realise you have just sent your drunken night out photos to your wee granny

Nige

[gadgetman]

I`m actually looking into buying a couple of 10" displays at the moment. I want to put a couple into a couple of shops that I sell to. The idea is to have a photo slideshow of our products which are not on display. Can anyone recomend a model. I have considered the phillips model so far and feel £150 is reasonable

[stevedster]

Just bought the Kodak one for £70 from PC World, impressed with it, better than a £50 one I have had before

[daveb975]

I have just bought a 7" Philips one for £80 from Mymemory, and I have a 9" frame already.

I actually think they are a very good way of displaying photos. I have mine going on a 30 second cycle, so I get to see a lot of photos which would be just stuck on my HDD otherwise (I only print a few photos)

Battery life is rubbish, but the Philips frames have no warning about leaving on for a long time. They could probably be run 24/7, but I use the auto time so they area only on from 6pm-midnight.