PV1910 Digital Picture Frame

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.photovu.com/products.html' target='_blank'>http://www.photovu.com/products.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"The PhotoVu digital picture frame solution is designed to meet the needs of photo enthusiasts, professional photographers, and businesses. With the popularity of digital cameras, anybody who enjoys photography can now actually use their entire photo collection without putting an unsightly computer in a living area. Professional photographers have longed for a solution where a specific or entire collections could be shown in a dynamic and cost-effective way."</i><br /><br />Interesting product, but I just don't see a market for digital picture frames. Who buys these things, besides Bill Gates and Donald Trump? This device costs roughly $1,600. For that kind of dough I can buy a new PC or big HDTV. :roll: <br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/pv1910black.jpg" />

[dean_shan]

People have been trying to sell these things for years. It's a good idea but they just cost so much.

[foldedspace]

Couldn't you just buy an iOpener and make your own? You could add a USB wireless adapter and put Windows 98 on it. Just a thought....

[SassKwatch]

It's a good idea but they just cost so much.

Bingo.

I'd love to have one, but not at current prices. If/when they ever drop below $100 (US), I'd get one in a heartbeat...assuming reasonable quality.

[Chris Gohlke]

Yeah for that money, buy a laptop or even better a low end tablet PC and just build a frame around it.

[Jonathon Watkins]

8O That's just mad! WAY too much! 8O

[Felix Torres]

Actually, I was looking at a digital picture frame as an option for mother's day. A different vendor, of course. (As the GM in the old Tank McNamara cartoon said: "Surely that is in pesos!")

The model I was looking was in the $300 range for a 10 inch TFT LCD.
It even had a built-in card reader.
&lt;sigh>
Alas, it would *not* display pictures from the card directly; the pictures had to be loaded into its onboard RAM by a PC.

You would think the concept of running a slideshow from the flash card you thoughtfully provided a slot for, cannot be such a huge evolutionary leap for the designers, could it?

Its not that hard a concept, is it? A cheap display with a bit of memory and a card slot and the ability to manage slide shows and small movie clips. The chips and firmware to do this are built into every $50 DVD player on the market, so all you need to do is take out the DVD drive and put in a cheap LCD. A $199 price for a 12" screen should be easily doable with today's tech...

Maybe when larger OLED displays become common, the electronic frame will take off. The grandma market alone is worth billions!
:wink:

[Felix Torres]

It's a good idea but they just cost so much.

Bingo.

I'd love to have one, but not at current prices. If/when they ever drop below $100 (US), I'd get one in a heartbeat...assuming reasonable quality.

Radio Shack has a model in that range.
3.5" QVA screen, though.

[Neil Enns]

My problem is I want to replace the 12x18 prints I hang in my office. And I want three of them. If only they were $25 a piece :)

*sigh*

Neil

[Phoenix]

$1600 ?!?

Dumb.

[sylvangale]

After hunting around... that 19 inch WiFi LCD for $1600 is probably a steal... 8O

The cheapest digital picture frame I could find was for $129.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&index=Y&kw=SMDPF&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=332753

It would be nice if they were cheaper. When you have a lot of personal photos and you have them cycle randomly on a screen saver it looks pretty cool.

[Jonathon Watkins]

When you have a lot of personal photos and you have them cycle randomly on a screen saver it looks pretty cool.

That's what I do on my PC for digital photos I have taken. The built in sideshow screen saver on XP works very nicely indeed for this. :D

[Chris Gohlke]

The model I was looking was in the $300 range for a 10 inch TFT LCD.
It even had a built-in card reader.
&lt;sigh>
Alas, it would *not* display pictures from the card directly; the pictures had to be loaded into its onboard RAM by a PC.

So what does the card reader do?

[Littleshmee]

$1600... that's a little over $2000 canadian. How many prints would that pay for? 8O

[Felix Torres]

So what does the card reader do?

Read the card on the PC.
So you put the card in the frame, copy the pictures to the PC and then d/l them to the frame via USB.

Brilliant! Eh?
Not!

[ale_ers]

When you have a lot of personal photos and you have them cycle randomly on a screen saver it looks pretty cool.

That's what I do on my PC for digital photos I have taken. The built in sideshow screen saver on XP works very nicely indeed for this. :D

This is the feature of my Media Center PC that I thought was just OK when I bought it, but now it has turned out to be my must have application.

I always play music through my MCE and put the random slideshow on mostly so that you can see the name of the song on the TV. It posts the pictures with a 'Ken Burns' effect then as the song changes it lists the title and artist on the bottom MTV style. It looks like a music video with my pictures without ever having to do any set up...and it is different every time. Not to mention you see pictures that are normally in an album, shoebox or your computer.

For the 4th of July we had a huge party outside on our deck and I was playing music on the outside speakers. However, when ever someone would go inside to the kitchen or bathroom they would come to find me to ask me about the slideshow.

Instead of a frame I would rather have a better TV.

[Chris Gohlke]

So what does the card reader do?

Read the card on the PC.
So you put the card in the frame, copy the pictures to the PC and then d/l them to the frame via USB.

Brilliant! Eh?
Not!

I think they were smoking something when they designed that.

[JTWise]

I think they were smoking something when they designed that.

That is the problem with alll of these type of products. Every one of them were designed by idiots. Either they have to use the PC, or they download the files from a website (so that they can charge a monthly fee). Give me a simply product at an affordable price with no monthly fee and I will buy it. Until then, I will just use the slideshow screensaver on my computers.

[bjornkeizers]

^agreed.

I don't need a really big screen, just something that will show my pics and load them off a flashcard. Apparently, that's too difficult. If they make them for less then 75 euro, I'll take two right away. I could buy a pretty nice laptop for 1600...

[Schade]

$1600?

I thought $1000 was high for this one...

http://www.wallflower-systems.com

It's a slightly smaller screen, but it has a 30gb hard drive, amplified speakers, and audio out. AND you can e-mail photos to it.

This is where I think the market is. Sure it's easy for you or I to build a frame around a monitor or use a cheap tv and computer, but not for everyone. I've explained 82 times to my grandmother not to download the low-res photos from my Yahoo photo album and print 8x10s. I tell her, email me the name of the photo you want and I'll email the photo to you to print, it will look WAY better. She keeps doing it, though.

So, here's where these things step in. Family gets one of these for grandma for christmas, instead of sending email photo sharing invitations to grandma, they simply send their pictures to grandma's picture frame. Boom, done.

Okay, it's a specific example, but you get the idea. I think there is a good market for these devices. Management of the information still feels sloppy to me (what to do when frame crashes?), but this is a good next step.

(Edited 7/6 - I was just poking around Wallflower's website and realized that they use the grandma/grandkids example too. I don't at all work for Wallflower, I just saw this thing on the Science channel the other night. Oh, and they do support -via USB- automatic download and display of USB mass storage devices.)

[Phoenix]

Now this is a cool picture frame:

-10.4"
-32MB RAM and 20MB Flash memory
-Photo transfer to internal memory (no memory cards) via USB 1.1 or WiFi.
-No stupid online service charges or subscriptions.
-Software to create transitions, effects, and so on.
-Built in mic and stereo speakers for adding and playing back sound with photos if you want. (Can also add music or sound files - WAV format).
-Kensington lock capable to secure it to a desk.
-Will fit any standard 8 x 10" picture frame.


I like the idea of picture frames and I'd love to have one ($1000+ for one, however, is just plain stupid) - but this one I'm talking about, although still around $470 and not exactly cheap, is the coolest picture frame I've seen.

Click Here - Pacific Digital Picture Frame (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=330822&is=REG&si=feat#goto_itemInfo)

[Chris Gohlke]

How about this

Digital Frames, Inc. 10" Digital Picture Frame

Product Description
The quick and easy way to view and share pictures instantly. Simply insert a CompactFlash™ or SmartMedia™ memory card directly from your digital camera or PC. Showcase digital photos anywhere in the home or office. Or send one to Grandma! Use the automatic slide show feature to enjoy the latest pictures all day long.

Easy to use!
Large, 10 in LCD screen with 800 x 600 resolution for 8” x 10” photos.
No computer or internet connection required, and NO monthly fees.
Rotating stand for vertical or horizontal placement, or mount on the wall.

$299 on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009RAW5/qid=1089242989/sr=1-6/ref=sr_1_6/102-3041321-4833729?v=glance&s=photo

Or for a really cheap one

SmartParts 3.5" Digital Picture Frame

Product Description
From the Manufacturer
The Smartparts Digital Picture Frame offers a great way to display your digital photos. It features a built-in memory card reader that is compatible with CompactFlash, MMC, and Secure Digital memory cards. Just plug your card in and download the images straight into the frame. You can also connect the frame to PCs via USB cable. The device measures 5.5 by 5.15 by 1.60 inches and weighs 0.6 lbs.

Product Description
The Smartparts Digital Picture Frame Displays Digital Photos, on it's built in screen, your television or your Computer! Reads from CompactFlash, SecureDigital and MMC Memory Cards. Built-in Memory Card Reader Connect to PC's Easy to Use - No Installation required TV Viewer allows you to view pictures on any television

$129 on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002FDK8W/qid=1089242989/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-3041321-4833729?v=glance&s=photo

Of course the screen is so small on this one, you could really just use an old PPC for the same functionality

[sylvangale]

Someone should design picture frames for old PDAs. That way we can use them as digital photo frames when we upgrade! :mrgreen:

[Felix Torres]

How about this

Digital Frames, Inc. 10" Digital Picture Frame




That one's interesting.
Its not yet actually available but it looks interesting; I'll have to keep an eye on it.
Plenty of time before mother's day. :)

[Phoenix]

That one's interesting.

Its not yet actually available but it looks interesting; I'll have to keep an eye on it.

Plenty of time before mother's day. :)

The price may indeed be interesting, but according to those who reviewed this Digital Frames, Inc. frame, the screen is complete garbage.

It uses a low quality STN screen as opposed to the Active Matrix TFT screen found in the Pacific Digital frame.

I just wish these things weren't so expensive. But the Pacific Digital uses a much higher quality 10.4" screen, has built in WiFi (along with the USB port), has a built in mic and stereo speakers for adding sound, and offers flexibility in terms of its looks by allowing any 8 x 10" frame you could buy in a store to be used (which is really nice). I'd like to see it sell for less, though. Who wouldn't.

I noticed that the PD frame has two negative reviews on Amazon (not the ten that the Digital Frames, Inc. product has), but these two reviews were not only both from the same person, but he was only complaining about not initially being able to get the WiFi on the frame to work. He said nothing about the product itself being poor.

I always liked the idea of being able to shove in a memory card into a picture frame, and although I wouldn't turn away from this option, cards can be stolen - not that it would, but you never know. After viewing the specs of the PD frame, I like the idea that photos are loaded into internal memory, and after readjusting photo file size, 20MB would most likely be enough, although a little more would be optimal, just in case. The cool thing is that photos can be uploaded to the PD frame via WiFi which is really slick. No wires or cards. I like that.

[Felix Torres]

I always liked the idea of being able to shove in a memory card into a picture frame, and although I wouldn't turn away from this option, cards can be stolen - not that it would, but you never know. After viewing the specs of the PD frame, I like the idea that photos are loaded into internal memory, and after readjusting photo file size, 20MB would most likely be enough, although a little more would be optimal, just in case. The cool thing is that photos can be uploaded to the PD frame via WiFi which is really slick. No wires or cards. I like that.

Neither Wi-Fi or USB are at the top of the list of features I'd be interested in; both require a PC to operate and the idea of the picture frame is to be independent of the complex hardware.
Taking the datacard out of the camera and plugging it into the frame is as far as it should go.

The problem seems to be that too many of these things are being designed as PC peripherals instead of as a standalone consumer electronics gadget. Which runs counter to the core market for such a product in the first place; if you have a PC then a picture frame is a lot less valuable than if you want to use it in a place without PC resources.

The big money lies in non-techies; techies will run a slideshow on the hdtv or the PC instead.

Back to the drawing board...

[Phoenix]

This is actually an interesting discussion to me. I never thought I'd have so much to say about picture frames :lol:


The Pacific Digital frame will accept photos directly from a camera via the USB cable, so you don't need your computer if you choose to leave that out of the picture (no pun intended). The WiFi just adds value and flexibility.

You mention the idea of not needing to use a computer when supplying photos for a frame, but more often than not, people are going to use their computers in the process of transfering photos to a digital frame. Having a card slot in a picture frame would not ultimately or realistically eliminate the need for a computer. I say this because it boils down to how people function. When using a digital camera, I think it's safe to say that most people who purchase a card specifically for their camera aren't going to remove it with a bunch of photos, stuff it into a picture frame and then just leave it there - that would leave them without a card for their camera during general use. But on the other hand, I can't imagine anyone buying a card that they plan on using just for their frame, stuffing it into their camera, and then snapping a bunch of photos over the course of who knows how long during various activities, with the idea that every photo they take they'll want to use with their frame and put on display for all to see, without doing a bit of touch-up or filtering and archiving on the computer first.

I don't believe that's how people do things or how people use these frames. People who buy these frames clearly want variety, which means that they'll be changing the photos from time to time. Also, keep in mind that when people take photos, not every photo they take is going to be a winner, interesting, something they'll want staring them in the face everyday, or something they'll want on public display as it sits on a desk or hangs on a wall. Some photos they'll want to keep and archive but won't want to delete, but also won't want on the frame for whatever reason. To expect someone to fill a memory card with nothing but beautiful, respectable, interesting photos that they can just quickly pop out of a camera and immediately stuff into a frame is just plain unrealistic. And what would happen when later on, someone wanted to remove some of the photos on the card because they were tired of viewing some of them, but once again, desired to archive, not just delete them? How would someone deal with all of these things without a computer? No, I believe that people will take their cameras, snap some photos, go to their computer, optimize or touch up the photos a bit, decide which ones they want for public display on the frame, archive the rest, and then transfer the ones they want to another card that they purchased specifically for use in the frame.


Also, consider the following...

A computer is a very personal and private device - meaning that you don't show people everything you have stored on it. But a picture frame is designed as a public display device - it's going to sit on your desk or hang on your wall and it's going to cycle the same group of photos over and over all day and all night (unless you shut it off somehow), not just for your pleasure, but for others to see as well. For this reason, and for the reasons I mentioned in the previous paragraph, someone will want to take great care in preparing their photos for viewing on a showcase device like this, especially a device that they just spent a bunch of money on and that only does one thing and purely for pleasure. For these reasons, I don't believe these frames are designed to be independent of computers - I believe a computer is absolutely part of the process of preparing photos for display on a frame, regardless of how it was designed. Not to mention, with some (or perhaps all) of them, how are you going to set effects and special transitions without a computer? How are you going to arrange the photos so they play in the order you want, without a computer?

I don't believe these are marketed to non-techies. How many non-techies do you know with these things? A digital picture frame is a total luxury and probably one of the last things anyone would buy - the icing on the cake for the person with everything, after every other gadget has been purchased. No one is going to spend hundreds of dollars toward the purchase of something of this nature before they've spent that money toward the purchase of a computer. Besides, someone who buys one of these things will need a digital camera, and anyone with a digital camera is going to need a computer. Non-techies stick to a standard film print in a normal plastic or wooden frame like you see on virtually every desk and wall in the world.

Digital frames are designed for dedicated use - to cycle through a set of photos all day, over and over for personal pleasure and for public display, which meets a completely different need, serves a completely different purpose, and functions and runs slideshows in a different manner than a computer or an HDTV. Not to mention, a picture frame can operate indefinitely without taking away from what someone wants or is trying to do on a computer or TV. Based on this, I don't think the inherent design and function of a digital picture frame can anymore support the idea that it's marketed primarily to non-techies anymore than it can support the idea that techies would shy away from it.

People don't buy these frames to take from place to place to use as a portable slideshow for showing off photos. A person could, providing it ran on batteries, but these frames are designed to be stationary, not mobile. Once again, they're designed to sit on a desk or hang on a wall and not move. And once again, no one is going to purchase one of these before buying a computer. Anyone who buys one of these will not only have a computer, but is also serious about their photos and wants to show them off in a unique way, which means they're going to take greater care in preparing them before transferring them into one of these frames - this being properly accomplished only with a computer. With these things in mind, how far would a device like this ever realistically be from computer resources? Probably not very far - it's going to be sitting on a desk which would be right next to a computer, or on a wall in someone's home or office which would also be near computer resources. It's not as though this frame would be miles from a computer and the owner would have an urgent need to add photos, but now with no way to do so. Even if a frame that required a computer to change photos, were away from a computer, how hard would it be to transport it back to a computer, change the photos, and then put the frame back where it was? No one's going to be lugging this thing around all over, anyway. And although someone would change photos from time to time, they certainly would not be changing photos everyday. So this is hardly a burden and it doesn't reduce value.

To be honest, I'd like to see a memory card slot in the Pacific Digital picture frame which would give it even more flexibility, but from what I can see, it offers the best balance of quality, features, flexibility, customization, and price than any other frame I've seen out there.

I'm a techie, and I'd love to own a frame. :D