Digital photo frames have become one of the most popular electronics gifts for kids, parents, grandparents, and friends. They offer the ideal opportunity to display pictures and take them with you wherever you go, without the need to carry around traditional photo albums. You can even choose small digital photo frames - so that your memories will fit in your pocket or purse.
If you are considering giving a digital photo frame to someone special, consider preloading the frame’s memory with pictures prior to wrapping it. This will allow your recipient to enjoy the gift straight from the box!
Digital photo frames have now become a mainstream consumer product. Whether choosing an electronic picture frame for yourself or as a gift, there are a few points that you need to consider to ensure that you’ll be happy with your purchase.
Ease of Use
Although digital photo frames can have many cool features, such as audio playback, video integration, Internet access, wireless technology, and many others, keep in mind that these features often need to be set up using complicated menus and setup screens, making them confusing to some people. If you don’t like to read manuals and follow instructions, you may want to opt for a frame with simple functionality.
Screen size
When choosing the screen size, consider where the frame will be standing. Most inexpensive digital photo frames feture a display of about 5.6 inches diagonally. This size is usually good enough to look at pictures when sitting right in front of the frame. If you are trying to view photos at an angle or from a distance, you may not be able to see much. You may want to consider a larger size. Frames are available in different sizes from the smallest digital keychains; popular sizes are: 7″ digital photo frame, 8′ digital photo frame; large picture frames measure 15″.
Resolution
Don’t save on resolution: 640×480 pixels or higher is best. Low resolution frames are cheaper, but you’ll be sacrificing quality of viewing. Resolution of 480 by 234 pixels is usually too low to display sharp details, so images may look boxy and pixelated! In my opinion, you should consider only frames with a resolution of 640-by-480 or higher.
Aspect Ratio
Photo frames typically come in one of two aspect ratios, 4:3 or 15:9. Most digital cameras shoot in a 4:3 aspect ratio and a frame with a matching 4:3 ratio is ideal. Frames with a 16:9 widescreen ratio will crop or stretch photos to fit the format to the screen, or display them in a letterbox to fit the image on the LCD screen. On the other hand, a 15:9 aspect ratio will give your pictures a widescreen feel.
Connectivity
Wireless connectivity is proudly mentioned in many product descriptions, but in reality, many people find configuring wireless features difficult. While wireless connectivity seems great in theory,even those who consider themselves computer savvy may have trouble getting wi-fi frames to communicate with a home wireless network. If you’re thinking of buying a frame as a gift, be sure to consider whether the recipient has a wireless network at home and their level of technical skills.
Memory-card compatibility
Although most digital frames support multiple memory card formats and have USB slots, confirm that the memory card you use is supported. A memory card adapter can be purchased separately, but it’s an additional expense.
Music and Video
Many digital picture frames can play MP3 files. Some play video files, but supported formats vary. Kodak frames play MOV files, others play AVI or MPEG4. However, when you read reviews, video and MP3 playback in general seems unreliable.
Read more about Digital Photo Frames and how to quickly transfer old pictures to digital format suitable for electronic picture frames.
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