The digital frame is a device that allows us to please see all those photographs that we take daily with cameras and our smartphones. Most of us do not print photos but leave them saved somewhere and do not concern them except when it happens.
Instead, thanks to digital frames, we can have our favorite images visible every day. Here we had listed out the latest and advanced models of the best digital photo frames.
Everything You Need to Know About Digital Photo Frames
However, it must be admitted that not all products offer sufficient quality to make the most of the photographs. If you want to choose a good article you have to pay attention to certain details.
The disruptive change of digital photography has seen the birth of digital frames to give us another way of sharing the most precious photos.
This electronic gadget is now growing in popularity worldwide, so it makes sense that the market offers a lot of variety of models. To avoid getting lost, check out the most common questions about them in this section.
Display Resolution
The price is sometimes enough to understand whether the display resolution will be sufficient or not to enjoy a pleasant image reproduction. Still, it is not the only element to be kept under control.
The quality of the screen, the construction material, and the supported technology are the key elements to consider when buying. Check the resolution declared by the manufacturer, which usually settles around 800 x 600 pixels, but can go up to 1024 x 768.
If you are an amateur photographer, you will like to see reproduced all the details of your shots. The size and type of screen directly affect the quality of the images; the LED ones are brighter than the liquid crystal ones.
Ease of Use
With integrated controls or not, which can be loaded directly via devices such as external HD or USB flash drive, each one has different characteristics of use.
Compare prices, but also pay attention to the possibility that the supplied software offers to set accessory functions, such as the possibility of programming the switching on or off, or deciding which photos to play based on the time of day.
Even the ability to retouch photos as soon as possible is only supported by some models, if you are a perfectionist, you will not miss the advantage of modifying the effect of the photo directly before airing it.
How Many Things Can You Do?
The ranking of the best devices you compile according to your taste and your needs, but in the review of the essential characteristics that we are pleased to find in a digital frame, there is also the possibility of exploiting the device in various ways.
Those who also offer the viewing of videos or the reproduction of audio files during the roundup of photos, add that extra touch that makes this digital evolution of the classic photo frame truly precious.
How to Use a Digital Photo Frame?
A digital photo frame is a great choice to show friends and relatives who visit home the most beautiful photos of the last holiday, or the memories of a lifetime.
The choice of this device depends a lot on how much you want to spend and on other simple features that will satisfy everyone’s needs. Here we also shared a video guide about that.
The Importance of The Screen
A digital frame, at first glance, is a simple display, precisely surrounded by a frame, where a digital photo scrolls or is shown. The resolution of this display determines the quality of the image that will be displayed.
In fact, it does not matter if a photo is taken at maximum definition if the screen has a low resolution: the quality of what you will see will be determined by that of the display.
To date, most digital frames offer a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, the most modern models reach 1,024 x 768 pixels. The size of the screen is also a determining factor to better see the photos taken. Some models are up to 15 inches in size.
Upload Photos
The only thing to do to make a digital photo frame operational is to upload the photos you have taken. Each model offers one or two possibilities. The most common are those that allow you to upload photos via a memory card.
Other models, in addition to this model, are equipped with a USB port to which to connect a stick, and in some cases, even external hard drives. How many photos you can upload depends a lot on the internal memory of each frame, and of course, on the size in megabytes of the photo.
Some models do not have memory, but they read and view photos directly from the inserted memory card. These devices are also the cheapest.
Photos, Videos, and Music
The most modern digital frames, in addition to viewing photos, are also able to play videos and music. Some even allow you to choose which background music to hear as you scroll through the photos on the video.
Always the most current (and less economical) models also have software that allows small photo editing, such as adding filters and effects to have even more stunning photos to show to friends and relatives.
How They Are Controlled and Visualized
As a rule, digital frames are equipped with a remote control that allows you to interact with them. You can choose to freeze the photos, zoom in, slide them with a pause between them, select the output effect of each, and so on. Some models also have controls integrated into the frame, to make the setting operations even easier.
Before uploading photos, it is a good idea to make them suitable for viewing the various displays, which normally have an aspect ratio of 16: 9.
Consider the fact that photos taken with an SLR or a digital camera are normally in the 3: 2 format, and therefore if they are not transformed into the 16: 9 format when they are displayed, they will have unsightly black bands on the sides. This operation must be done through a PC and a photo editing program.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does a Digital Photo Frame Work?
A digital frame is nothing more than the modern representation of the classic framed photos that users love to have at home, perhaps to always have the opportunity to take a fleeting look at their loved one.
The real novelty of the product is the ability to view more than just a photo, using an internal memory card, such as an SD card, or a USB stick with the photos on top in a format readable by the frame, usually jpeg.
The features naturally change according to the model and it is possible to find automatic ones, which scroll photos one by one, and those that change photos when you press the appropriate button on the back of the frame.
Can a Digital Frame Be Transformed Into a Monitor?
This operation, although not one of the most useful, can be done on some frames that receive video input from a computer, for example. All you have to do is connect the frame to your PC via a special USB cable.
Once this is done, the operating system will automatically install the drivers, and if you can use the frame as a monitor, it will appear among the screens that can be selected in the “Screen settings” menu, which you can access by clicking with the right mouse button on the desktop.
In the next menu, you will have to go to the “Screen” section and press the “Detect” button to connect more. Remember that this procedure will return you a mirror screen, which shows everything you do on the main monitor.
Is It Possible to Use the Tv as A Photo Frame?
Depending on the TV model you have, you may or may not turn it into a digital photo frame. The models proposed by Sony, for example, have a mode called Picture Frame Mode, which translated into Italian is just a “digital frame.”
By activating this mode, simply going through the TV settings, the screen will have a reduced brightness, thus consuming less with a reduction of about 35%.
For the photos to be displayed, you will need to connect a USB stick with the files from which the TV will draw. Although this solution may seem convenient, it must be remembered that a TV has a much higher cost than a simple digital frame. Therefore we still recommend that you carefully evaluate your options.
Can the Tablet Be Used as A Photo Frame?
If you own a tablet that you no longer use because it is obsolete from a technological point of view, you can always modify it to make it a digital frame with which to view your favorite photos.
However, it is necessary to follow a procedure that provides for the purchase of support to keep the tablet upright, a charger so that it is always powered and, to always have all the photos available, also a Wi-Fi connection.
The first step is to upload photos to a free hosting service like Google Drive or Google Photos. Next, download the free application Fotoo to your Android tablet. Once installed, you can access the settings and select your Google Drive or Google Photos account from which the application will draw.
How to Upload Photos to Digital Photo Frame?
Digital photo frames rarely have internal memory, so the best way to upload photos is to copy them from PC to a USB stick or a micro SD card. This way, you simply have to insert the storage media in the frame to access the photos.
If your frame, however, has an internal memory card, you can connect it directly to the PC via USB and copy your photos into the main folder of the frame.
