Digital photo frame

TomaS · December 3, 2006

Wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a LCD photo frame. I would like to get good resolution and 35mm (2/3) aspect ratio. 8x12 would be ideal size, but all I can find thru online searches are 8x10 or smaller with low resolution. It appears to be somewhat ignored technology.

Thanks in advance,

saurora · December 3, 2006

Seems I recall Andy posting a link a while back to some larger (higher end) LCD frames, but I can't find it when I do a search. Seem price is the main reason this seems to be an "ignored" market. They don't come cheap!

ivar · December 3, 2006

saurora wrote:

Seems I recall Andy posting a link a while back to some larger (higher end) LCD frames

You mean this one?

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=33002

saurora · December 3, 2006

Yep! That's the one! I guess searching with "LCD" didn't do the trick!! Google is not always my "best friend"! It can't seem to read my mind....

ivar · December 3, 2006

saurora wrote:

Google is not always my "best friend"! It can't seem to read my mind....

It can't read mine either, so that's why i use my keyboard

Man, that would be cool though.

TomaS · December 3, 2006

Thanks Saurora & Ivar! That is is exactly what I had in mind. Except for the price!

I wonder what the status of the SM discount is? I did not see an update on that.

docwalker · December 3, 2006

I am really interested in these for advertising my photos. I have a few locations that would allow me to put one up with a CF card full of photos running on auto. I can see placing a stack of business cards in a holder underneath for people interested in buying a photo. I could go in once a month and rotate the photos out. Security is not really a concern due to the type of location and the people working there. I am just looking at this as another form of pseudo word of mouth advertising.

Price is a factor. The photovu is a nice unit. But the price is out of my reach for now.

Please let us know if you find a good price on one.

TomaS · December 3, 2006

Hey doc,

That was basically what I wanted to do with one too. Upscale resturants, coffee shops, etc. would be good candidates to 'rent' one from me and display my biz cards. Not sure why they are so expensive. A quality LCD display is down to $300 or so. Add in a network feed, dedicatedl CPU, memory, and some firmware and you got it. I was hoping for 19" for about $500, but that does not appear to be realistic right now.

I revived the original thread in 'Wide Angle' to see if there is any news since the last post back in the summer.

ziggy53 · December 3, 2006

Just thinking out loud, but I think the "cheapest" way to do what you want is to use an LCD display with analog video inputs, and then hook a regular DVD player to it. Using DVD software, you can loop a DVD using "Repeat Title" or some such after the current title finishes to return to the beginning.

You can get a fairly decent 19" LCD display for around $200USD and a cheapo player for less than $50.

Granted, this is a "kiosk" sort of solution, but it should get you where you want to go, if you can site the kiosk properly.

ziggy53

TomaS · December 3, 2006

Very true Ziggy. And that might be a good low cost way to market pictures in some situations.

But if you think about an upscale resturant, they want 'art' on the wall, not a sales kiosk type of thing. Just having a clean 'frame' that hangs on the wall and does not require any other hardware, intervention, or wires would be soooo much more desirable in most retail establishments. Add to that an 'invisible' update of images by changing an online gallery. Ah.... THAT might be a hot item.

ziggy53 wrote:

Just thinking out loud, but I think the "cheapest" way to do what you want is to use an LCD display with analog video inputs, and then hook a regular DVD player to it. Using DVD software, you can loop a DVD using "Repeat Title" or some such after the current title finishes to return to the beginning.

You can get a fairly decent 19" LCD display for around $200USD and a cheapo player for less than $50.

Granted, this is a "kiosk" sort of solution, but it should get you where you want to go, if you can site the kiosk properly.

ziggy53

docwalker · December 5, 2006

TomaS wrote:

Add to that an 'invisible' update of images by changing an online gallery. Ah.... THAT might be a hot item.

That is actually what the photovu frame offers. They have a wireless feed option. My problem is that the locations I am looking at do not have internet or a wireless network to build on. So it will have to be standalone CF cards, CDs, or hard drive. As for the frame vs LCD I agree that the art aspect is the biggest selling item for the host.

My main criteria is something that is self sufficient, can be programed to turn off and on at specific times, decent resolution, and capable of having new photos loaded quickly.

Oh and price is a big factor

DoctorIt · December 5, 2006

Ha - I was just about to ask for some help on this too - only I'm not interested in marketing/advertising/kiosk - rather for home use. I'm just looking for a good holiday gift for my mom. A search only revealed the PhotoVu frames.

Anyone out there in dgrin land have any good experience with a sub $100 digi-frame? Doesn't have to be big either.

Stormdancing · December 5, 2006

For those adventerous souls - have you seen this?

http://www.applefritter.com/hacks/duodigitalframe/

DoctorIt · December 5, 2006

Stormdancing wrote:

For those adventerous souls - have you seen this?

http://www.applefritter.com/hacks/duodigitalframe/

good idea, but not gonna work so well for mom or grandma...

apples talk?!

Stormdancing · December 5, 2006

DoctorIt wrote:

good idea, but not gonna work so well for mom or grandma...

apples talk?!

What? You mean you don't have an A+ certified TechnoGranny?

TomaS · December 5, 2006

I just saw one at Sam's club for $109. It is 7" (diag) and I think it was 420 horoz resolution with a wide (16/9) aspect ratio. It was not operational, so could not evaluate the quality. Had 128KB mem built in, USB interface, and you can plug in mem cards too.

Might be the ticket for Granny.

DoctorIt wrote:

Ha - I was just about to ask for some help on this too - only I'm not interested in marketing/advertising/kiosk - rather for home use. I'm just looking for a good holiday gift for my mom. A search only revealed the PhotoVu frames.

Anyone out there in dgrin land have any good experience with a sub $100 digi-frame? Doesn't have to be big either.

wholenewlight · December 6, 2006

DoctorIt wrote:

good idea, but not gonna work so well for mom or grandma...

apples talk?!

Not sure if they still have them but Staples had a 5X8" for $69. Son-in-law is a Staples General Manager. He ran out after Thanksgiving but said he got more in last week.

wholenewlight · December 7, 2006

Just came in my email inbox:

Costco - NV-560 Digital Picture Frame 89.99, Shipping Included

$10 Off
Digital Spectrum 5.6" Digital Picture Frame
White or Black

The NV-560 Digital Picture Frame is the newest in a line of photo players from Digital Spectrum. The NV-560 sports a high resolution, bright 5.6” TFT screen that displays digital photos in vivid color. The contemporary design features a white or black bezel in a clear acrylic frame. Set up as a slide show and play directly from a memory card. The number of images is only limited by the capacity of the memory card being used. The NV-560 accepts CF/SD/XD/SM/MMC/MS cards for maximum compatibility with major digital cameras. The unit is light, portable and easy to use. A great companion to your digital camera and an excellent way of showing off your pictures to family and friends. An easy to use on-screen menu is used to access the different control functions, giving you full control of the slide show and player functions.
Link

colourbox · December 7, 2006

The reviews of the Digital Spectrum frames on Amazon are not encouraging.

TomaS · December 7, 2006

Doc,

These guys are coming out with wireless enabled frames for less than PhotoVU in January. Amazon has them for pre-order at $399 and $499. I think I will wait and order one of them. Their current models get mixed reviews, but I can always return it if it is crap.

Target seems to have a good selection of sub $150 frames online.

docwalker wrote:

I am really interested in these for advertising my photos. I have a few locations that would allow me to put one up with a CF card full of photos running on auto. I can see placing a stack of business cards in a holder underneath for people interested in buying a photo. I could go in once a month and rotate the photos out. Security is not really a concern due to the type of location and the people working there. I am just looking at this as another form of pseudo word of mouth advertising.

Price is a factor. The photovu is a nice unit. But the price is out of my reach for now.

Please let us know if you find a good price on one.

DoctorIt · December 7, 2006

TomaS wrote:

Doc,

Target seems to have a good selection of sub $150 frames online.

That's the ticket - thanks, I'll check 'em out.

Trasmc · December 12, 2006

We just bought the Kodak version at Target (less than $150). The thing the Kodak version has that some don't is a "shuffle" mode for the slideshow - something the intended recipient will like.

The images look decent enough for our purposes, although if you are viewing a mix of portrait and landscape images with the frame arranged on your table or wall for landscape, the portrait images won't use the entire screen size.

Good luck!

NJCOWBOY · December 14, 2006

Digital photo frame

TomaS wrote:

Wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a LCD photo frame. I would like to get good resolution and 35mm (2/3) aspect ratio. 8x12 would be ideal size, but all I can find thru online searches are 8x10 or smaller with low resolution. It appears to be somewhat ignored technology.

Thanks in advance,

JUST READ YOUR POST TODAY. IF YOU'RE STILL IN THE MARKET FOR DIGITAL PHOTO FRAMES, YOU MAY WANT TO TRY THE FOLLOWING SITE:

http://www.ceiva.com

wholenewlight · December 14, 2006

NJCOWBOY wrote:

JUST READ YOUR POST TODAY. IF YOU'RE STILL IN THE MARKET FOR DIGITAL PHOTO FRAMES, YOU MAY WANT TO TRY THE FOLLOWING SITE:

http://www.ceiva.com

I saw these a couple of years ago. I liked the idea of no pc to do updates (for mom far away) but didn't like the idea of having to keep the frame connected to a phone line. I see that they now have optional wireless adapters. Better. I like the idea of a cheaper frame with a card reader best.

controld · December 14, 2006

wholenewlight wrote:

I saw these a couple of years ago. I liked the idea of no pc to do updates (for mom far away) but didn't like the idea of having to keep the frame connected to a phone line. I see that they now have optional wireless adapters. Better. I like the idea of a cheaper frame with a card reader best.

Not to mention that you get hosed for a $100 a year "PicturePlan" to be able to load photos remotely. I wonder if the unit is easily hackable to pull from a Flickr feed or somesuch.

Anyone actually bought one of these units?

- Mike

colourbox · December 19, 2006

FYI, came across some photo frame reviews in the middle of this page.

TomaS · January 4, 2007

Update
I ordered the PhotoVu 10.4" frame on 1/1 (a holiday) and received it 1/3. It is way better (sharper, more features, nicer framing) than any digital frames that I looked at in stores, AND a better buy too. This company is first class! I will be ordering the 19" soon.

The only downside is the aspect ratio - the current models is .75 for the 10" and .8 on the larger screens. They tell me that they are working on a .66 AR wide screen model.

ziggy53 · January 5, 2007

TomaS wrote:

... This company is first class! I will be ordering the 19" soon.

...

$1000USD for the 19" model. Yikes!

ziggy53

colourbox · January 5, 2007

The appropriateness of the aspect ratio depends on how many vertical photos you're showing, I suppose. Tall photos don't look so great in a widescreen frame. I've thought about buying at least two digital frames, some mounted wide and some mounted tall, and only loading photos with the appropriate orientation into each. But that's not in my budget just yet...

andymillson · January 7, 2007

Thinkgeek (one of the best site for anything geeky

) has these available

http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/cameras/898a/
http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/cameras/7edc/
http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/cameras/8ad9/

Check availability for these on their website, that have been out of stock lately, but should be coming back in soon

Andy

BradfordBenn · October 4, 2007

Okay I know that this is an old thread but I figured I would ask here... so what is the concensus after all this? I am leaning toward the Philips (of course right after the coupon expired) but figured I would ask.

Any "I am really happy with...." or "Stay away from ...." comments? I could look at Amazon also but figured see what this group thinks.

Digital photo frame

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