NPR does take their analysis a bit to the extreme, claiming that if every household in America had a digital picture frame, we’d need to build five new power plants to run them. That may in fact be true, but of course isn’t very close to being realistic. Even so, the root argument is valid. More electronics, including digital frames, need to be better stewards of power.

Many frames do offer power management features though and we always note them in product announcements and reviews. There are three main ways they do this, each with varying effectiveness. As you research the purchase of a digital frame, it’s important to understand what these mean:

1. Scheduled Power On/Off – This is the most basic power management option and simply lets users schedule a shutoff time and start up time for their frames. It’s static, so each night you can schedule a turn off at 10pm and a turn on at 8am. 
2. Light Sensing – Some frames offer power saving via auto dimming features where the frame either shuts off or drops the brightness significantly when lights are out in a room. It stands to reason that if the lights are off, there’s no one in the room to watch the frame anyway. This is generally very effective and actually fairly simple to integrate for frame manufacturers.
3. Motion Sensing – The most advanced power management we’ve seen are frames that shut off or dim when there’s no movement in a room. By far the most effective way to save power, these frames have a sensor on the front that detects movement. If there’s none for a set period of time, the frame dims or turns off until motion is detected. This way even when it’s daytime, the frame won’t be on unless someone is nearby. Unfortunately this is the least commonly found power saving option.

Of course people can just turn frames on and off manually, but the reality is that doesn’t happen very often. Buyers want frames that blend in with the scenery and devices that take extra time to manage don’t get used much. Our recommendation – the next frame you buy should have some level of power management. You’ll not only waste less energy, but you’ll get more life out of the frame since the display, which has a finite life, won’t be on while you’re away.

Before we get more into the discussion, here’s the email we received today from Wayne:

Can y’all tell me why on EARTH so many new frames are 16:9? I hardly see ANY new cameras that are 16:9…and about, oh–say, 0% of my iPhoto library is in 16:9.

What gives?

Wayne’s email isn’t the first comment or email we’ve received on the topic, and like Wayne, we too often wonder about the purpose of 16:9 aspect ratios. When frames use a widescreen like that, it means you have to alter your photos to fit the display, as almost all photos are shot in standard aspect ratio. The easiest ways to do this are on-frame tools like cropping images, or zooming in to fill the screen. But neither option is ideal and in worst cases leads to heads chopped out of pictures and so on.

We think there are two possible reasons for the recent surge in widescreen digital frames. First, and most likely, frame makers are trying to make their product appear cool by appealing to the widescreen phenomenon that is taking place in the HD television space. But unlike DVDs and high-def content from television stations, our pictures are shot almost entirely in standard aspect ratio. So appealing to consumers by trying to seem hip isn’t very helpful.

Another reason we could be seeing certain size frames in widescreen has to do with cost. The panels used for displays in digital frames are the most expensive component. They’re also all stamped from single sheets, so the more panels you can get per sheet, the cheaper the unit cost will be for each. We’ve seen this in the notebook space where a manufacturer will make display decisions based on the number of panels per sheet. While this reason may be less of an issue than the one above, it’s still worth noting as a possibility. 

Whatever the reasons, frame buyers are better off going with 4:3 screens right now than the wiescreen alternatives. While Kodak, who is the largest player in teh frame space, still works with widescreen frames, we’re seeing some positive signs of change. Sony, who just released their second generation frames, switched from widescreen to standard, a big move for a company like Sony. 

As you shot be sure to consider screen aspect ratio and we’ll make sure to mention it it all of our reviews and in our product database.

R&M is definitely right in their assertion. Buying a digital picture frame, then picking out your favorite pictures, resizing them, then transferring them to the frame or a memory card is kind of a pain. What’s worse is updating the content on the frame, especially if you happen to be the one managing the picture for a parent or some such. From the report:

Convincing indicators portend a slow but consistent shift away from isolated self-contained platforms to networked devices that interact in a client-server model. The client side of the equation represents the multiple devices consumers use to enjoy digital media (e.g., a TV, stereo, DVD player, or digital picture frame). The server in this architecture is represented by the platform on which the majority of a consumer’s personal digital media actually resides (i.e., on which it is stored and from which it can be served).

In the case of digital picture frames, I’m not sure consumers will end up relying on a home server per se, but probably more on web-based services like SmugMug, Flickr, Picassa, Facebook and so on. These are the places where people already load their images and the idea of being able to simply consume those same images on multiple devices, be it your computer desktop of a digital photo frame, is pretty appealing.

To make this work though, the digital frame must be able to connect to the web. There are of course many frames that do this already. We recently reviewed the D-Link DSM-210, which uses a third party service called FrameChannel to let you view images from your Facebook profile, amongst other things. We’re not crazy about FrameChannel, but there are several other services coming online, that are all trying to give you easier ways to have more dynamic content on digital picture frames.

While none of this is terribly new, it’s important to highlight the trend that is the inclusion of WiFi and Ethernet (and to a lesser extent Bluetooth) options in digital picture frames. As you evaluate purchasing criteria for a frame, selecting one that can connect to the Internet may be your best bet for practicality and longevity of the device. The additional flexibility in loading images to your frame, not to mention the additional content (weather, stocks, sports, etc) that is available, can easily justify the increase in cost. It’s also important to note that almost all of the online services associated with these frames are free, you simply need a network for the frames to connect to.

Related Articles:

Understanding Digital Picture Frames
Digital Picture Frame Buyer’s Guide

Resolution-it’s all in the pixels

Screen resolution is a big deal.  Above all other features in a digital picture frame, the quality of the displayed image is paramount.  Resolution affects the crispness of the image, the fine details that can be observed and the overall quality of the displayed photograph.  The number of pixels and the size of the frame are a combination that means everything to the quality of the image.

The number of pixels per inch determines the resolution; the higher the better.  Cheap digital picture frames will cut corners, offering a low price and a low resolution at the same time. These low resolution frames will leave your photos blocky and otherwise not nearly as nice looking as they were on your computer. Higher resolution is almost always better, so an 8” frame that offers a 800×600 resolution will generally look much better than an 8” frame with a 480×320 resolution.  

Sound and images

For a true multi-media show; how about a little sound to go with those images?   Some digital picture frame manufacturers include speakers with their frames. These frames usually support MP3 files.  While the playback quality is not the same as your desktop stereo, it does provide a multi-media show that adds an additional dimension to your picture show.

What is Contrast?

How black is the black in your pictures and how white is the white?  The difference is called contrast and it is very important to photographers.  The difference between these two extremes is the contrast ratio and is another measure of a good digital picture frame. A higher contrast ratio number is better.  With higher contrast, if you captured a vibrant photo to begin with, you will have a vibrant photo displayed on your frame.

The Aspect Ratio

When you display a picture, does it matter to you if part of the picture is cropped off?  Maybe the top of Uncle Fred’s head is cut off.  That is where yet another ‘ratio’ comes into play when you are shopping digital picture frames. The ‘aspect ratio’ determines if your photos are displayed as you shot them or stretched or squished to conform to the frame display dimensions. A standard size photo displayed in a ‘widescreen’ frame will look stretched.  Instead of cutting off Uncle Fred’s head, it may make Uncle Fred look like he put on a few pounds.  If you know how to use photo editing software, you can crop your photos before displaying them on your digital picture frame.  This eliminates the need for the frame to do the cropping. But the bottom line is frames come in two basic aspect ratios, 4:3 is normal, while 16:9 is widescreen. If you buy the latter, you’ll need to stretch or zoon standard aspect pictures to fit the display, or crop them on your own. Some digital cameras have a widescreen mode as well.

Touchscreen control

Some digital picture frames allow you to use controls on the screen to make adjustments. These ‘touchscreen’ models may be preferred by people who like to use similar controls on other home devices.  On digital photo frames, these controls are generally placed outside the image area and control a menu.  Some makers backlight the menu items. Some brands have controls that reside along the edge of the image area, but you touch the area that is over the matte portion surrounding the image area to activate the controls.

Colors of the rainbow and more

How many colors can a digital picture frame display?  That’s a question that get’s asked when a consumer is buying a new monitor for their computer also.  The old adage, ‘the more the merrier’ applies here.  If the frame you are considering displays over a half million colors, it’s very good. If you find a product with a number over 2 million, you’re likely to get color rendition that would satisfy a pro photographer.  Well saturated colors combined with high contrast produce stunning image reproduction.

Will my photo frame display what my digital SLR can shoot?

If you shoot RAW; probably not. If you use any of the most common image file formats, you’re likely to be in luck.  Your point and shoot or your DSLR will likely shoot a format that your digital picture frame can handle. Most digital photo frames will display JPEG files.  Some others are capable of displaying your TIFF files and your PNG files and even bitmap (BMP) files. Others are capable of displaying GIF files.  If you purchase a digital picture frame that plays video also, it may play MPEG-1, 2 and 4 file formats.  It might even play your cell phone videos.  These features vary by manufacturer.

Memory

Internal memory has become a more common feature of digital photo frames.  Some frames include software that will compress your large image files so that they will work with your frame display and won’t take up all of the available internal memory.  Internal memory can also display photos when a memory card is not plugged in. Newer picture frames have memory capacity all the way up to one gigabyte. The software that is included with many frames can also allow you to place captions on your pictures, produce transitional effects   and rotate images.

Network connection

If you have a home network, you can add some digital picture frames as a component of the network.  If your digital picture frame is Ethernet or Wi-Fi equipped, you can download images from a home server or online services like Flickr and Facebook.  These features come in especially handy for managing frames remotely, like at a grandparent’s house for instance.

Hopefully this digital picture frame specs primer helps clear up the marketplace some. For a more general overview, be sure to read our Digital Picture Frame Buyer’s Guide.

Several manufacturers produce digital picture frames and most offer a selection of sizes. Common sizes, measured diagonally, range from 3.5” to 15”. Some are wall mounted and some sit on your desk or table; it’s critical to consider frame location when making your decision. Generally, what differentiates one frame from another is the display quality, frame design, connectivity, file transfer method, multimedia  support and extra features.

Display Type and Quality

One of the many features of digital picture frames that effects picture quality is something called the ‘aspect ratio’.  The aspect ratio is the ratio of the horizontal dimension of your picture to the vertical dimension.  A standard full-size screen typically offers a  4:3 ratio.  Many frames come with a widescreen option that produces a ratio of 16:9.

The widescreen format has proven popular with computer monitors and televisions, and digital picture frames are no exception.  Remember though that most digital cameras use the standard format.  You need to shoot in an optional widescreen format, when it’s available, to produce an image that is perfect for the 16:9 ratio, otherwise you’ll need to crop your photos or use a built-in zoom feature to fill the entire frame display.

The resolution and display quality are important. A high resolution display can produce the same rich, vibrant colors that you experience with a high quality print. Resolution is measured in pixels per inch just like a computer monitor; the greater the number of pixels, the crisper the details in your pictures.

Frame Design

Digital picture frames range in design from high-tech to country. The difference is usually found in the border around the frame’s display. Sony for instance uses a very sleek, modern look, while others go with more standard wood or painted frames. Kodak and a few other companies let you interchange the frame plates to make sure the frame fits with its surroundings.

Connectivity

When you are considering connectivity, you are really deciding if transferring files with a physical connection to your PC or via memory card is what you want. Some digital frames come with built-in wireless options like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. These features generally add substantial cost, but do offer new ways to update images on the frame. Some let you update pictures over a wireless connection to your social networking profiles or other websites. With Bluetooth you can transfer images over the air from your Bluetooth equipped devices like a mobile phone or laptop.

Even if you go wireless, you won’t be able to avoid the power cord. Most frames require connection to a power supply; although some work with rechargeable batteries. However, those often need recharging after a few hours and generally offer very small screens.

File Transfer

The source image files generally come from a memory card inserted into the frame or internal memory within the frame.  Current digital picture frames support a variety of memory cards like Memory Stick, CompactFlash,  MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital, xD Picture Card and even a USB drives. It’s a nice idea to buy a frame that supports the memory you already have. Images from these external sources can generally be copied to a frame’s internal memory. A larger amount of internal memory means the frame can hold more pictures and display them without a need for external memory.

Multimedia Support

Some digital picture frames include the ability to play audio and video files. These are typically higher-end frames that have built-in speakers. Don’t expect great sound though, these frames won’t replace your MP3 player. A handful allow for output to larger screens as well. For instance, Sony is starting to integrate HDMI ports on their frames so you may view your stills on high-definition televisions.

Extra Features

A variety of additional options may be included with digital picture frames such as built-in clocks or calendars, auto-shutoff, remote controls, the ability to print directly to a printer, an option to connect directly to a digital camera and many more. Each option and its usefulness is a matter of personal preference.

Before You Buy…

There are a few points to keep in mind when purchasing a digital picture frame beyond the standard features. If you go the wireless route, a moderate comfort level with computers is advised.  Some digital picture frame manufacturers include services that download photos from a web site where your friends or family can submit new photos. These services often require a subscription fee.   Also, it’s a good idea to keep in mind that some frames that are widescreen will crop your standard sized images.  This will result in some image loss at the top and bottom of your photo.

Consider the viewing distance in the room where you will use your digital picture frame.  Will the images on the screen be easy to view from a point across the room?  Larger formats are expected in the future, but some manufacturers already produce frames that will work in most rooms.

Another thing to think about is that LCD screens, like those used in digital picture frames, can ‘hold’ an image permanently if the image has been left displayed on the screen for a long period.  It’s best to use the slideshow feature available on most frames to prevent this.  This also allows the viewer to anticipate the next picture and holds their interest.

Digital picture frames provide a unique way to share your memories.  They are an attractive purchase or gift because they can always be updated and you can never have too many frames. Your digital picture frame will quickly become a point of interest in your home or office.