Review: Samsung SPF-85V

Written on Nov 10, 2008 by MKowalski and filed under News, Reviews, Samsung

When it comes to digital photos and video, internet storage and sharing has changed the way we interact with our media. Instead of prints, the majority of younger picture takers are sending their snaps directly to online destinations these days. Digital photo frames share a fundamental concept with online photo sharing, bypassing prints in favor of direct-to-frame display. Why, then, are so few photo frames equipped to grab images directly from the internet, and why do even fewer do it well? These questions relate directly to the design philosophy behind Samsung’s latest digital picture frame, the Samsung SPF-85V.

This 8″ frame with built-in Wi-Fi wireless networking capabilities shakes things up, eliminating most of its internal memory (it features a mere 64 MB) in favor of high-tech integration with online photo sources. Want to check out the images from your friend’s vacation that were just posted online? With some limitations, the 85V can pull them directly from the net. In addition to pics from friends and family, Samsung’s newest model can also source current images from your favorite blog, or any other site.

In theory, online integration in a photo frame sounds great. Previous attempts, however, haven’t always lived up (or even come close) to the full potential and promise of seamless network integration. Can Samsung succeed with the 85V where others have failed?

In addition to the 8″ SPF-85V, there’s a non-wireless version (the SPF-85H) in the same size, as well as 10″ models (the SPF-105V and SPF-105P) with and without Wi-Fi. Although there are a few differences between the various models in this series, the basic evaluations presented here apply equally to the other models in this line as well.

Samsung SPF-85V Quick Specs

• 8″ display
• 800 x 600 resolution
• 400:1 contrast ratio
• 64 MB internal memory
• Internal battery (estimated life – 30 minutes playing video, 40 minutes slideshow)
• 802.11b/g wireless
• Auto on/off function
• UbiSync Technology (Secondary PC monitor via USB)
• Auto Photo Resize
• SD/MMC/MS card reader, USB memory slot
• Dimensions – 8.98″ x 7.38″ x 1.79″
• Weight – 1.89 pounds

 

Design and Build

At a time when most digital photo frame pictures are pushing designs that are increasingly conservative and traditional in an effort to shake off the digital frame’s image as a device for tech geeks only, Samsung goes in the opposite direction with the 85V and its siblings. This frame is sleek, black, and modern.

And with an innovative control arrangement – the 85V’s soft “buttons” are really just separate areas of the frame’s touch-sensitive right-hand bezel, with light-up icons that disappear when the buttons aren’t needed and reappear when the frame is touched – the 85V doesn’t try to hide the “digital” part of “digital picture frame.” Instead, Samsung’s latest frames embrace their status as high-tech gadgets, working to appeal to a younger audience than has traditionally shopped for digital frames with modern-design flair, a flashy interface, and carefully considered wireless network integration.

A highly stylized floral pattern on the back of the frame’s plastic case and a lightly embossed swirl pattern on the front bezel add a slightly feminine touch to the 85V’s overall aesthetic, suggesting that Samsung is targeting a market with its new frames that’s not only young and trend conscious, but also more female than male. Unfortunately, if you’re less than thrilled with the 85V’s looks, there’s not much to be done about it as this frame doesn’t use modular/interchangeable bezels.

The 85V’s plastic stand sits in a tight fitting ball-and-socket joint, and the thick plastic leg gives this device a lot of stability on a desktop. There are no nail recesses for wall-mounting the Samsung and no provision for portrait-orientation display, though a built-in Kensington lock slot may make sense for dorm residents who worry about suitemates with sticky fingers.

At 1.2 inches thick, the 85V cuts a svelte profile for an 8″ display. All in all, the 85V’s plastic casing feels rugged and strong, though it does creak a bit when pressure is applied. The decision to rubberize the bottom of the stand, however, preventing the frame from sliding across slick desktops earns Samsung points for a thoughtful design touch.

Connections are centralized on the left-hand side of the frame, with a small multi-card reader and both mini and full-size USB ports. Two tiny speakers, one on each side of the display area behind the bezel, provide audio output for the 85V, which serves to explain why video or music playback at any volume sounds so muffled and fuzzy with this frame.

Finally, one of the 85V’s selling points is its Wi-Fi connectivity. We’ll delve more into pulling images and other content via the wireless connection in the next section, but for the moment suffice it to say that setting up a network connection with the 85V is as simple as wireless networking gets. The frame will prompt you automatically on initial start-up if wireless networks are detected, and other than the laborious task of entering a long security key without a physical keyboard (you use an on-screen keyboard display and the frame’s arrow buttons instead), there was nothing to report in associating the frame with a wireless network. If you need to make a change, the Settings menu centralizes all Wi-Fi configuration options in one place under a Network subheading.

Memory/Picture Sources

The 85V covers a broad range of connection options, with USB ports capable of both hosting flash drives and connecting to a computer for mass-storage transfers. In both cases, getting images to the frame is a simple task; it shows up as a drive when connected to your computer, and images from flash drives pop up in the Photo display menu under “USB” without prompting, regardless of the file structure of the drive. Audio and video are handled in the same way, though you’ll have to back out to the main menu and scroll down to either the “Audio” or “Video” headings to see these file types.

The frame’s card reader works in the same way, and had no trouble reading SDHCs as well, though it’s only signed for SD, MMC, and Memory Stick. This means, though, that those with CompactFlash or xD memory types are left out in this case when it comes to direct file transfers. With both USB devices and memory cards, the 85V doesn’t prompt you to load images to its internal memory – probably a good thing, given how little of it there is to begin with – but pressing the Menu button while on the photo browser screen or during the slideshow calls up a pop-up menu that lets you copy either single images or the entire contents of an external memory source.

As for file types, JPEGs from several different cameras were all displayed just fine, and the Samsung seems to have no trouble with MP3 audio, either (though I didn’t test other formats). On the video side, both WMV and AVI files are recognized, though WMVs were especially sluggish and jumpy on playback unless you copied them to the internal memory first – which may or may not be an option, depending on the size of the movie.

On that note, I was initially disappointed to learn that Samsung had taken what seemed like a stellar frame all around in the 85V and essentially killed its functionality by only packing in 64 MB of internal memory. Throw a couple of long home movies on there and your built-in storage space is spent. Without loads of internal memory, there are a few ways to approach using the 85V. The first, for old-school types who like physical memory, would be to dedicate a 512 MB flash drive or SD to picture storage duty. USB thumb drives are dirt cheap for their storage capacity, and with the 85V’s auto resize function turned on especially, you may have one with enough free space to greatly expand this frame’s potential just sitting around unused. The downside? Unless the drive is physically tiny, it will visibly stick out from under the bezel on the left-hand side.

The more elegant solution to the 85V’s memory problem is perhaps so simple that it’s elusive: use the frame as Samsung intended it. The point of having a great, easy to configure wireless networking function on a photo frame as Samsung sees it is to be able to pull photos from the web in real time. If friends or family have blogs or travel sites, you can set the 85V up to pull images directly from either RSS feeds or any URL you supply. You’ll need a computer that’s connected to the same wireless network as your frame to add new websites, and getting through this step can be a little scary if you’re easily frightened by technology. Basically, you plug the frame’s configuration IP address (as listed under “Network” in the 85V’s settings menu) into your web browser and…

…you end up at a login screen just like this one. Enter the default password (again, found in the list of network options on the frame itself) and you’re immediately ushered into a tabbed list of configuration options that lets you set up web spaces for the frame to source photos from, configure memory use and network settings, even change what’s playing on the frame.

Once you’ve added sites or feeds to the 85V’s list of spaces to check out via the computer-side control panel, the frame almost immediately begins pulling images from these locations.

“But,” you might ask, “how do I display my personal photos on this frame if I don’t have a website for them?” Simple. The 85V also integrates with the Windows Live Spaces blogging, social networking, and photo sharing service. This free Microsoft service, which resembles the more well-known MySpace in the kind of content it serves, is easy to work with, interfaces flawlessly with the frame (you simply add Space names in the computer-side console in the same way that you add site URLs), and provides a home for uploading your pictures to the web besides. Once you’ve created a Space and associated it with the frame, simply upload whatever photos you want to see displayed on your frame to the service and they appear almost immediately. Of course, if you have friends who also share their photos via Windows Live Spaces, you can add their public images to the list of things to display on your 85V as well.

Basically, Samsung has done an excellent job integrating both URL/RSS image sourcing and images from Windows Live Spaces, and tech savvy users shouldn’t encounter problems getting photos straight from the web through one or more of the 85V’s possible sources. I do wish there was an option to add new sites, feeds, or Spaces on the frame itself without having to sit down at a computer and log into the browser-based configuration utility, but overall, Samsung’s new model is about as smooth and simple as a person could ask for when it comes to getting photos straight from the web. If the internet is the future – and in many ways, the present – when it comes to storing and sharing photos, the 85V might be the first frame that really takes advantage of what that means. Now, give me ways to pull photo feeds from Facebook and Flickr as well and I’d be all set.

It’s entirely possible that after the last few paragraphs, some readers over the age of 50 have already scratched the 85V off of their photo frame short list. Getting the most out of Samsung’s wireless ready frames requires a willingness to dig in to online photo sharing, and technology in general (at the very least, using the 85V in this way mandates an internet connection and a wireless network). If you’re not interested in a device that integrates with your digital lifestyle – or you’re wondering what the heck a “digital lifestyle” even is – most of this device’s advantages will be lost on you, leaving you frustratedly trying to find a work-around for its one crucial disadvantage: limited internal memory. If online photo sharing isn’t already something you’re familiar with, the truth is that there are plenty of other great, easy to use frames at this price point that would probably be better choices, including Samsung’s SPF-85H, which has 1GB of internal memory, but no wireless.

Display Modes

The 85V comes to life quickly, and returns to whatever menu or mode you were in last by default (this can be changed via the Settings menu). An easy-to-understand home screen is the central starting point for all of this frame’s functions and modes.

Enter the Photos heading, for instance, and the 85V takes you to a file browser showing different memory types and letting you move, delete, or view all available images – even those from online locations.

Similar file management interfaces are used for both audio and video files as well.

The frame’s slideshow mode can be accessed either by navigating to and selecting a file for viewing from the image browser screen, or by pressing the slideshow/playback control. Once you’re in slideshow view, pressing the menu control calls up a pop-up list of options.

From this menu, you can modify speed or transitions, set background music, rotate images manually (though the 85V does respect EXIF orientation data if your camera records it), or adjust screen brightness. With a huge list of transitions options, basic playback speed controls, and settings that let you specify which images the 85V uses for the slideshow (internal memory, only those in one folder, all images, etc.) and in what order, there’s a lot going on in the Samsung’s slideshow.

From the home screen, users can also access a basic clock/calendar screen. If you’re connected to a wireless network, the 85V can update its time automatically, and there are lots of alarm clock options. For what’s clearly a desk frame, though, I was a bit surprised to find no options for doing a split-screen clock/calendar/photo display with this frame.

I was also intrigued by Samsung’s claim that the 85V could be used as a mini monitor in conjunction with your computer when connected with the supplied USB cable. Plug the frame into your PC and you’ll see a prompt asking you whether you want to enter storage mode (for file transfers) or monitor mode.

Seems simple, right? Unfortunately, it couldn’t possibly be this easy. Mini monitor mode requires you to install both a driver and Samsung’s control console software on your computer, and try as I might, my computer with its Vista operating system wouldn’t install the software – even though there’s a Vista-specific version. In the same way, Mac users are simply out of luck for software support.

Thinking that Vista might be the problem, I tried the install on a Windows XP machine as well and fared no better. While it seems that everything is in place and the software installed correctly in XP, with my specific configuration at least, I never succeeded in making the frame actually respond as a mini monitor. I’m willing to grant that operator error may have been involved, but after repeated attempts with two machines, it’s seeming like there’s a bug that Samsung has yet to work out with this function. In truth, I would have preferred a basic VGA port connection on the 85V, allowing the frame to be connected as a secondary monitor to just about any laptop out there with no additional software required.

Menu System

I spent a few weeks tinkering with the 85V, and I’ll have to admit that while I love the illuminated soft buttons that “disappear” back into the frame bezel when not in use, I never did get this device’s interface down. Getting from point to point in the menu system, which is made up of a mercifully short list of submenus, was usually an exercise in educated guessing. Want to go out to the menu you were in previously? Sometimes the back arrow does the trick, but it might also be the back button. Or the menu button. Or the up arrow. You get the picture. I would have read the manual for clarification, but unfortunately, Samsung doesn’t provide one except in electronic form, and I never seemed to have a computer handy when I was puzzling over how to find that setup menu I had accidentally stumbled into before.

The Samsung’s sidebar buttons may also frustrate some users. It takes a firm, clean press on a single button area to register a touch, and given how close together the arrow buttons sit in particular, this isn’t always an easy task to accomplish. Depending on what else the frame is doing, the interface can also run a little slow at time: if the 85V is busy downloading new images, for example, it may sit unresponsive for several seconds after a button press before jumping into action. If you got impatient and, thinking your request wasn’t registered, pressed twice (or three, or four times) you may end up somewhere other than where you intended in the menu structure when the 85V finally gets around to responding.

Beyond a little sluggishness and control confusion, however, the menus look great – no cheesy pre-packaged firmware here – and are clear and easy to understand. Samsung’s experience building a range of consumer electronics from computers to cameras to cell phones shows in the level of polish that attends nearly every aspect of the 85V’s interface, from the start-up screen to the fun confirmation noises that accompany each button press (and can easily be turned off once they cease to be fun). In a market where most devices have menu systems that appear to have been cobbled together just to get the job down, the 85V’s clean, purposeful, and concise lists of options are a welcomed change.

Display

Although an 800×600 display on an 8″ frame is hardly groundbreaking, Samsung caught my eye with its claim that its latest frames offer a 400:1 contrast ratio. One look at the frame’s displayed images gave me no reason to doubt the claim.

“Crisp” may be the best way to describe the 85V’s image playback, with vivid colors, deep blacks, and sparkling highlights. Viewing angles are also quite good, showing no signs of color inversion even at the extreme ends of the side-to-side viewing range.

In a perfect world, the 85V would offer color and contrast controls as well. As it stands, all you’ll get with this frame is a brightness slider that’s accessible in slideshow mode. Admittedly, the Samsung’s display comes with plenty of punch right out of the box, but more options to tune up a display are rarely a bad thing. While we’re wishing, I’d also add a light sensor, empowering the 85V to boost or cut screen brightness automatically based on ambient light.

Extra Features

Read the list of specs for this frame and you’ll notice one extremely unusual addition: battery power. Samsung claims the 85V is good for about 40 minutes of picture viewing off the plug thanks to a small built-in, non-replaceable battery. In my experience with the frame, try more like 25 minutes from fully charged to shut down if you’ve got the Wi-Fi running and do anything more on the frame than let the slideshow run. Still, having battery back-up is not a bad feature as far as it goes. Say you want to show some friends pictures from the frame that’s in your bedroom: simply unplug the frame and tote it into the living room, even pass it around for easy viewing. It’s a nifty concept, if not one that you’re likely to take advantage of every day.

In addition to pulling files from feeds or Windows Live Spaces, the 85V can also play back media from your Windows Media Player library. You’ll need to make sure your machine is discoverable on your network, but the first time I connected the frame to my wireless network I was prompted by my computer (running Windows Vista) to share files from my library with the Samsung.

All supported media types, including video and audio files, can be played back on the frame across your network, making your computer’s music library accessible as background music for slideshows if everything is set up correctly.

The 85V also has an auto on/off feature. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind that uses a light or motion sensor to only power up during daylight hours or when people are in the room.

Instead, you have to specify power on and power off times for the device.

Bottom Line

Samsung’s approach with the 85V and related models isn’t for everyone. For some, so little internal memory in a frame that’s hovering around the $200 mark at most retailers will be a big turn-off. For digitally savvy users, though, a deficiency in this one area will be more than made up for by the fact that Samsung’s new wireless models are among the best around when it comes to getting fresh photos from the web. There aren’t any crazy hoops to jump through or special software to install. Just tell the 85V where to go look for images and it brings them back instantly. Use the Samsung for a few days and you figure out that wireless connectivity wasn’t just included for the marketing copy it provides: instead, once you make it a habit of accessing your images remotely via the internet, the 85V may make you wonder why you ever bothered with saving them locally in the first place. With some refinements in the next generation – most notably, integration with more photo sharing and social networking sites, or even the ability to push images directly from the frame’s card reader to image hosting locations, plus a fix for that mini monitor function – Samsung could have a real game-changer with these models.

Pros

• Wi-Fi is relatively easy to set up and use
• Excellent display
• Modern styling should appeal to a younger audience
• Innovative interface

Cons

• Menu navigation can be challenging
• Highly limited internal memory
• Mini display function still has kinks to work out
• Video playback jumpy, audio weak

4 out of 5 stars

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