How to Choose a Digital Frame
Today’s digital photo frame marketplace contains a bewildering number of frame sizes and options from which to choose. With so many options available, it becomes a bit of a daunting task when trying to decide which frame to purchase. The simple truth is that selecting a frame becomes easier when you understand what the basic features are.
The most important features to consider when shopping for a digital photo frame are the following:
Display Resolution – Display Resolution is the amount of picture detail that your frame can display. Resolution is defined by the number of pixels that the display can use. Lower display resolutions like 640×480 pixels will show less detail than a larger display resolution like 800 x 600 pixels or 1024×768 pixels. The minimum suggested resolution is 800×600.
Display Aspect Ratio- Much like TVs or DVDs, digital photo frames are available in wide screen (16:9) aspect ratio or a regular display aspect ratio (4:3). What this basically means is that if you try to display a regular photo in a wide screen frame, you may end up with black bars on both sides of your image. Many wide screen frames compensate for this (make the black bars disappear) by stretching the width of the photo in order to fill in the wide screen frame. This produces an image where everything looks wider than they actually are. Most digital cameras sold today will take a picture at a 4:3 (regular) while Digital SLR cameras take a photograph at 3:2. Be sure to double-check your camera’s aspect ratio when selecting a digital photo frame.
Screen Surface – Screen surfaces can have an impact on how well you see the picture. Most of the time, the shinier the display surface, the more reflection you’ll have. If there’s a lot of reflection you may not be able to see the photos displayed in your digital frame. The three basic types of surfaces are; matte finish, gloss finish, and displays with a anti-glare coating. Shinier surfaces will have a bit more clarity and brightness. The displays with the anti-glare coating will have less reflection, but will also be less bright as a result of the coating.
Ease of Photo Transfer- In order to view photos with your digital photo frame, you’ll need a way to transfer them from your camera or laptop to your digital frame. Fortunately most digital photo frame manufacturers provide you with more than one way to transfer your photographs to your digital frame. These transfer methods include connections from your camera, slots for external memory devices, or (on more expensive frames) wireless connections so that you can download your photos from Flickr or other web sites where you store your photos.
Built-in Storage- Most frames today have at least some built-in storage so that you can save your photos to your digital frame and not need to use an external memory device. The importance of having built-in storage is really more of a personal choice. For most people, the ability to store photos in their frame is more convenient. If you decide to buy a frame with built-in storage, try to find one that has at least 256MB of storage space. If you decide to buy a digital photo frame that has internal memory storage, be sure to buy a frame that has as much storage space as you can afford.
Frame Price – No one really wants to spend more than they need to for a digital photo frame, but be careful when considering a low cost frame. In general, less expensive frames will have a poorer image quality and fewer options. If you are comparing a frame that costs $150 to one that costs $50, there is likely a big difference in quality and features. When you’re shopping, be sure to compare both frames to see what the less expensive model does not have compared to the more expensive model. If you’ve done your research and the less expensive model has most of the features that you need, then go for it! In general, you’ll be better off over the long term if you spend a bit more for your frame. It’s one of those items that you’ll have for a while and so you want to make sure that it suits your needs.
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