Digital LCD picture frames ever discussed here?

[geepondy]

Any discussion of digital LCD picture frames discussed here? They are getting cheaper and more common but I imagine just like LCD monitors, there are better ones and worse ones. If I can get a decent one for under a hundred bucks, I would consider one as a Christmas present. Doesn't have to be huge, maybe 7 inches or so and take a regular SD card. Any review sites for them?

 

[zig3695]

i know and i just saw one at big lots- a colby 7" for $70. i know its a colby, which is cheap, but it really did look GREAT. my first glance and i thought "damn thats one of those good ones" but it wasnt. i think theyve been making 7" lcd's for so long now that most of them are pretty damn good. i think the frame aesthetics and functionality should be the top priorities, alongside price. i want a WiFi one, that way you can have it randomly show pictures off your pc.. that would never end.

 

[geepondy]

What I think would be important is viewing angle and I know some LCD monitors are better then others in that regard. Maybe the 7" is pretty generic though. I know the pixel count isn't that great. If I drive by a Big Lots, I'll have to stop in and check.

 

[zig3695]

so i guess these things are not as popular as they would seemingly be. what would make them more marketable? i think if it had wifi, super bright screen and very classy looks i would pay up to $200 for one.

 

[geepondy]

I just got back from Circuit City where I took a gander on what they had available. They had maybe eight different models but only two of them working on display, a Kodak 8" for $180 and a Philips 7" for $150. The color and clarity of the Kodak blew away the Philips. What was particularly noticeable was the viewing angle for the Kodak was much better. The resolution wasn't the greatest at 800x4 hundred something but this may be the norm for these types of displays. The picture itself looked crisp enough.

 

[zig3695]

wifi on that kodak?

 

[geepondy]

I think this is the one I saw and it's not wireless.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm...m/ccd/productDetail.do

However for $20 more I see they do have a wifi version but it's not available in stores.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm...m/ccd/productDetail.do

 

[zig3695]

damn no customer reviews either but i tell you what, thats what i was looking for, even the right price. now to find them on ebay for half that

 

[RandomFool]

I've got a panasonic one they I liked, I'm never home anymore so I don't use it much...

 

[geepondy]

For what it's worth, I subscribe to PC Magazine (free subscription thanks to Hot Deals forum) and they give a "Best Stuff" page and for a digital photo frame they choose this Pandigital 8" model in this link although I see Amazon user opinions seem to favor other models more heavily.

http://www.amazon.com/Pandigit...&qid=1192582433&sr=8-1

As you can see from the link, user opinions do seem to like the $79.99 Coby DP772 and also the same Kodak SV-811 which I commented on early from Circuit city for $179.99, available at Amazon for $114.99. User opinions of this frame seem to agree with my quick first impression of a decent image. I'm sure the Kodak wifi model must be much cheaper at Amazon as well.

 

[DeeKnow]

i got my wife a Westinghouse 8" for her birthday and she loves the thing... i think it was like $ 150 or 160.

Works like a charm. Everytime we have guests over, they want one just like it.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

i thinnk i would get one for my parents if they were around 60 bucks or so, which it looks like its getting to.

 

[zig3695]

well 'for the parents' is exactly why i wanted the wifi model. that way, i could even upload photos from my house onto there. it would be easier then trying to tech my rents how to use a electronic gadget.

 

[geepondy]

Almost all of the 7" frames are below $100 but the resolution is much lower. The 7" Kodak SV710 has a resolution of 480x234 pixels while the 8" SV811 has a resolution of 800x411. That's a sizable difference in resolution despite the only one inch difference in physical dimensions. Interestingly I see the 10" Kodak SV1011 has a resolution of 800x480, very little difference from the 8". I think I would get an 8", it looks like a good sweet spot and also small enough to sit on an end table or desk stand, etc.

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad
i thinnk i would get one for my parents if they were around 60 bucks or so, which it looks like its getting to.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

hmmm...that 800x480 resolution sounds good.

 

[geepondy]

More food for thoughts. I see a company called Smartparts, offers digital frames in the 4:3 format which is the format of most non DSLR digital cameras. They are not inexpensive though and don't appear to be discounted too much at least at Amazon.

http://www.smartpartsproducts.com/

 

[geepondy]

Ok, just an update, speaking of smartparts, Dell Direct is offering the 8.4" Smartparts SPDPF84M for the next couple of days for $98.94, far and away the cheapest I have seen. Comes with a remote also. I was going to jump on it but upon reading the user manual it is horrible unfriendly for someone not gadget literate which describes the intended recipient of my gift. When you turn it on, you have to tell it which type of memory card is installed. Then you have to select the folder where your pictures are shown. Then it will display a thumbnail view of the pictures in the folder and you have to navigate and select which one to view.

Although not nearly a good as the deal from Dell, I believe I am going to buy the Westinghouse DPF-0802. It is currently about $135 at Amazon (up from $121 a couple of days ago). It has a much simpler user interface in that to start with, you turn it on and it will automatically start displaying the pictures in a slideshow mode without any input from the user and it is pretty simple to operata from there. Both have wooden frames, 800x600 resolution (4:3 format) and both receive mostly favorable reviews on Amazon.

I'm going to wait until after Thanksgiving and hope the Westinghouse goes back down to $121 at Amazon.