Thoughts on Digital Picture Frames?

[UpstateChris]

I have read this site and forum for years as it is clearly run and populated with some of the best educated and professional individuals in the field - for that I thank you all. Having come to respect your opinions, I figured this would be the best place to ask a quasi-photo related question. Recently I have been considering the purchase of a digital picture frame. I have done some searches and have not been able to find any info on them on this site.

My question is simply, "If you were going to purchase a digital picture frame for your home or office, which one would it be and why?" My primary criteria is picture quality.

If this thread has come up before and I just missed it, please point me in the right direction. Thanks!

[TCav]

UpstateChris wrote:

My primary criteria is picture quality.

What about picture size? There are a variety of digital picture frames available, some are designed to be carried in a purse and some are for a desktop. ( I don't know of any, but I have no doubt that somebody makes a large one intended for hanging on a wall and viewed from some distance.)

For Christmas, I got my wife the EDGE Tech 7" frame. I loaded it with pictures of her sons andtheir wives and children. When she unwrapped it, she didn't know what to think, but when I plugged it in and turrned it on she started crying (in a good way.)

It uses a variety of flash memory cards (so I could use some of my old sub-1GB CF & SD cards) and even plays MP3s while displaying a slideshow of all the photos.

[UpstateChris]

I should update my criteria a bit.... Picture quality is #1. 7"-12" size prefered. Exterior quality (looks like a high quality picture frame, not some plastic POS) would be third. I live in a fairly remote area and the only thing I have seen around here was a 7" that had 640x840 resolution and horrible color reproduction. Also, when I uploaded pictures at a much higher resolution and it down-sampled them...well, let's just say you would take the time to re-size your own pictures first.

The intended goal is to sit on my Hekman Copley desk in my office where I will have client meetings. Anyone familiar with fine furniture will understand this setting...I really like the idea, but it just simply cannot look "cheesy". I hope there are better alternatives out there...but if what is available locally is any indication, then I will be waiting another year or so.

[TCav]

UpstateChris wrote:

I should update my criteria a bit.... Picture quality is #1. 7"-12" size prefered. Exterior quality (looks like a high quality picture frame, not some plastic POS) would be third. I live in a fairly remote area and the only thing I have seen around here was a 7" that had 640x840 resolution and horrible color reproduction. Also, when I uploaded pictures at a much higher resolution and it down-sampled them...well, let's just say you would take the time to re-size your own pictures first.

Without question.

UpstateChris wrote:

The intended goal is to sit on my Hekman Copley desk in my office where I will have client meetings. Anyone familiar with fine furniture will understand this setting...I really like the idea, but it just simply cannot look "cheesy". I hope there are better alternatives out there...but if what is available locally is any indication, then I will be waiting another year or so.

From what I've seen, none of these are going to look like fine furniture. I think the best you can hope for is something that doesn't clash with the other desk accessories you've got.

If you've got black lacquer in-boxes, then a black plastic frame is probably as good as you'll get. If youve got walnut bookends, a plastic walnut frame will be as close a match as you'll find. Etc.

Maybe you should find a digital picture frame, and buy other desk accessories that match it, instead of the other way around.

Another possibility might be to get yourself an iMac, customize the screen saver, and tape your business card over the Apple logo.

$999 for a 17" digital picture frame is probably a good price, and it'll play MP3s and CDs too! (Boy, are the Mac fanatics going to hate me.)

[ceecrb1]

Got a pc on the desk? there is absoutly no reason why you dont just buy a 2nd monitor (IF your graphics card has two outputs.. usually these days they do if you have a seperate graphics card, ie not on the motherboad.. one digital and one analoge.. the good thing is that they give out two different images and so can be set to be two "desktops")

THEREFORE, shop around, find a monitor you like, size, shape, anything... plug it in, set windows to run 2 desktops and not just "mirror" the original, start up your fave slideshow prog in that screen and off you go! higher quality!

if your good with your hands, a 2nd hand laptop and some work with a dremel will adapt an old laptop.. check out "laptop picture frame mods" and such like on google.. most people "mount" them in their own frames so you can match what ever you like!

[TCav]

ceecrb1 wrote:

Got a pc on the desk? there is absoutly no reason why you dont just buy a 2nd monitor (IF your graphics card has two outputs.. usually these days they do if you have a seperate graphics card, ie not on the motherboad.. one digital and one analoge.. the good thing is that they give out two different images and so can be set to be two "desktops")

This is another good option, You can pick up a 15" or14" low-ball LCD monitor and use that as your digital picture frame. And some video cards can display on two differnet digital displays, so you can do this even if you already have an LCD monitor on your computer.

(I still like the idea of the iMac though.)

[arghman]

<bump>
any update? I'm looking for one as a gift (this needs to be standalone, using a PC+extra monitor is not an option) & am looking for decent picture quality.

[arghman]

...and are these any good? : http://www.photovu.com/products.html

[BillDrew]

In terms of exterior quality, talk to a local frame shop. Likely they could put a good frame around just about anything that would match other stuff in your office . They might even have a recomondation about what to get based on experience with other customers.

[randomfool]

I got a panasonic picture frame as a gift from my girlfriend. I don't know the model but it cost about 100 buck. It's actually really cool I liked it a lot until my girlfriend left me. Now I don't turn it on much because most of the pictures on it are of her.