I'm a qualified primary school teacher and love pink fluffy things! If you rate my reviews I'll be h...
I'm a qualified primary school teacher and love pink fluffy things! If you rate my reviews I'll be happy to return the favour. ***FLUFFY***
Member since:10.08.2007
Reviews:106
Video reviews:5
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INTRODUCTION ------------------------ Last year when digital photo frames were first introduced my dad really wanted one. About this time last year he noticed the first one and thought they were great. The price obviously was a barrier to getting one. He has hinted on and off for the last year that he likes them and I decided to take the plunge. After a rotten year at university and the help my mum and dad gave throughout I decided to get a joint present a Kodak 7" frame. I ended up travelling on trains, buses and taxies to get the frame…showing it was quite popular amongst the public. When I saw the box I realised how small the frame was and thought a size bigger would be much better, still I had got this one now.
The next day whilst looking on the internet I got the urge to order my own picture frame and was keen to get an 8" frame. In two weeks I will graduating and thought it would be nice to have something to store all of the pictures and memories on.
THE FRAME BUSINESS --------------------------------- Choosing the right frame is never easy. In fact this year most shops will be selling
digital picture frames and it is one of the most 'wanted' Christmas presents according to Customer Services at Argos. There are many companies out there and I didn't take my decision lightly. After all I would rather spend £10 more for a top quality frame than a cheap frame. Thing is they start at the low price of £29 and can reach the dizzy heights of £300 in some places.
Some frames offer different colour frames, remote controls, free SD cards, MP3 player and even video playback options. The decision is certainly not one to be taken lightly. When looking for my mum and dad I wanted to get the best frame I could afford and the frame had to have a remote control, MP3 player and possibly video playback. I soon settled on the Kodak range and the SV 710 model. I wanted a larger frame so I bought a SV811 frame which is very similar but one inch larger.
APPEARANCE --------------------- The frame looks like a normal picture frame it is black in colour with a stand on the back. The stand enables the frame to stand up in a landscape or portrait position. The frame can also be mounted on a wall.
The frame looks like a standard, boring, dull photo frame and a quick glance would not do it justice. The frame looks very stylish when the frame is in 'slideshow' or 'video playback' mode.
EASE OF USE -------------------- The frame is very easy to use and accepts most forms of removable media. It accepts Secure Digital (SD), Multimedia Card (MMC), USB, xD-Picture Card, CompactFlash and MicroDrive so it is very versatile.
The buttons are easy to use when standing on a tall shelf, mounted on a wall or positioned on a table.
On the box its states that it is ready to go. This basically means that it can be plugged in using the power cord (provided) and pictures added via one of the above storage methods and ready to go.
I did struggle at first to work out how to get the music and pictures in unison for a slideshow, and did have a few problems with the video playback function but a quick read of the instructions answered all my questions.
The remote control also makes it a lot easier to flick through the photos meaning that instead of flocking around a small frame to view particular pictures they can be viewed from a distance allowing all people to see the frame clearly.
The remote control also contains pause, mute, rewind and fast forward functions meaning that if you want the videos to play silently you can or if you want to go back, forward or pause on a certain picture this is made a lot easier.
PICTURE QUALITY ----------------------------- The picture quality is very good in fact in some cases the pictures look better than a 'developed or 'printed' image inserted in a frame. The frame is obviously designed to be viewed from a distance as with most electrical items with screens. I always remember my mum saying "sit to close you will get square eyes" not sure how true this is but it certainly does not make the picture any clearer by sitting on top of the frame. As with most screens the pixels can be seen when close up but merge into the background when sat an appropriate distance away from, the screen.
SOUND QUALITY -------------------------- OK so it's not the same quality as an MP3 player, Hi-Fi System or a television but the sound quality is good. The sound quality is good enough to accompany pictures and for a picture frame is very good. I personally think the sound function gives it that nice touch.
MOVIE PLAYBACK QUALITY ------------------------------------------ I personally find the video playback quality a little too grainy. I find that videos taken on a digital camera at a low resolution can appear very grainy on an 8" frame however the videos taken at a high resolution do appear a lot better but still not as crisp and clear as the photos.
MY VERDICT -------------------- It's very nice to invite family and friends around for a holiday slideshow. I don't have to spend £5-£20 each time to place photos into an album/frame when I can store my pictures on named SD cards/USB sticks and insert whatever collection I wish. I can imagine that for people who have a lot of wedding photos, holiday snaps or pictures of young children would benefit greatly from one of these.
AVAILABILITY AND PRICE ---------------------------------------- These frames are available in most online stores including Amazon (£99.99), Kodak store (£99.99) and Play.com (£79.99). The frame is also available in a selection of high street stores such as Asda (£131.38), Argos (£89.99) and PC World (£132).
Screen Size: 8 in inch - without Loudspeakers - without USB, with USB - without Remote Control, with Remote Control - Screen Format: 4:3 - Resolution: 800 pixel - 600 pixel Pixels
Screen Size: 10.2 in inch - without Loudspeakers - with USB - with Remote Control - Screen Format: 5:3 (15:9) - Resolution: 1024 pixel - 600 pixel Pixels
Oct 31st, 2007
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