What Features of Digital Photo Frames Are Important?

It is kind of funny actually.  When I first went to look for a digital photo frame I thought they were all going to be a like.  Then I saw the prices.  They were all over the map.  Prices ranged from $20 to over $200 so they COULDN’T all be alike.  Could they?

It turns out they aren’t all alike.  In fact, there are a LOT of different sizes and features to choose from.

Features to consider:

• Size – I have seen digital photo frames from as small as 5” to as large as 15”  OK there are ones that work on key chains that are really tiny.  You have to decide how big you want your display to be.  Typically the bigger the display the more expensive it is.  The general consensus is that a frame that is 10” or bigger is good for viewing across the room or for elderly people.
• Resolution – More is better.  1024 x 600, 800 x 600 SVGA (super VGA),
• Aspect ratio – 4:3 or 16:9  4x3 is like the old standard television and 16:9 is the shape of HD TV.
• Contrast ratio – 400:1 or better is what you would want.
• Backlighting – There is a lot of variation in the backlighting.  For example if the photo frame runs on batteries ONLY then backlighting is a problem.  Cold cathode or CCFT backlighting required a lot of power but gives the brightest backlighting.  LED backlighting is much improved as of late.
• Memory – Is it internal or external?  SDHC cards, USB dongle, USB cable?  Sometimes there are even more than one card slot.  All of these are to be found on different models.  Many digital picture frames are designed to just pull the card out of your camera and plug it into the frame.  You must know your memory card type and look for that capability on the digital photo frame, however.  Sometimes memory is internal.  100MB of internal memory may not hold as many pictures as you want, so you may end up adding a USB dongle or SDHC card.  Fortunately, you can get those in the 2-4GB size very inexpensively and add to your pictures.  But you can’t if there is NO expansion capability.  So watch for that.
• Remote Control – Yes some of these have a remote control.  There isn’t a lot of room for controls around the edges.  So the addition of a remote control can be really handy.
• Extra Features – Clocks, Calendars, auto on/off, random (shuffle) slide show, brightness and contrast adjust are just a few of the EXTRAS you might find.
• General appearance – Most digital picture frames are just that.  They are fairly plain picture frames with the LCD inside.  But *some* have more ornate frames.  If you have to have that feature you will limit your options.
• Audio/Video – Some frames even play audio or video.  The video capable frames in particular add significant expense to the cost so be prepared to pay if you need this feature.  With tiny little built in speakers you can’t expect a big sound.  But it is good enough to listen to.
• Wireless – Some digital photo frames have wifi capability so you can send pictures from your computer wirelessly to the display.  Pretty fancy stuff.  Some can even access photo sharing sites like Flickr so you can download pictures from there.  Amazing!
• Touch screens – OK once you have a touch screen, video and MP3 capability you pretty much have a hand held computer.  They are out there.

Keep in mind that there have been complaints with some of the very top end digital frames.  When you add wifi and touch screens you get into a more complex unit and ease of use just went out the window.  Sometimes the wifi is spotty and not what you would hope.  The new generations keep getting better and better though.  10 years ago, something like that never would have existed.

Like I said, these digital photo frames are not all created equal at all.  Keep in mind the list of features you want by reviewing the above list and you should be fine.  Look around our website here at JennyTaylorPhoto.com to see the HUGE variety and great prices.