(PRESENTER IS STROLLING AROUND THE GALLERY SPACE LOOKING AT THE PICTURES ON THE WALL)
A good picture deserves a to be displayed and not tucked away in a dusty photo album – but, if you’re running out of shelf space for all those frames, then you might want to consider one of these…
(PICKS UP DIGI PHOTO FRAME)
I’m Georgina Burnett and over the next few minutes I’m going to be looking at the household gadget that has revolutionised the way we look at our family snaps – the digital photo frame.
And the person with all the photo frame knowledge is Jenni Conti from Which? Now, Jenni, there’s a lot of factors to consider when buying one of these isn’t there?
There is, and a lot of them you won’t be able to test out in a shop or even know about until you’ve got the product home. That’s where we come in. Over at Which? HQ we’ve tested a range of photo frames and figured out which are the best on the market. We’ve marked these out on our website as “Best Buys”.
So what are the key things that potential buyers should look out for?
Well, picture quality is the obvious one – and like any digital display, a big part of this is to do with a frame’s ability to handle contrast and brightness. When you’re in a shop, look at how dark the blacks are, and how bright the whites ... let the frames play through a variety of pictures to get a better idea.
But shops will display photos that demo the frame in the best light, won’t they?
That’s right – and “light” is the key word there. Digital frames will often be displayed in low light because it’s more flattering... which makes it harder to assess things like brightness and contrast. Fortunately we’ve done all the hard work for you. Our panel of experts examine photo frames showing specific images designed to highlight weaknesses in the frame’s display. We test the brightness and contrast and also examine them from different distances and viewing angles.
All the results are in our reviews, so you can get a true picture of how your frame will perform.
And how does the pixel resolution affect the quality of the picture?
Well, generally the higher the resolution – that is, the more pixels a frame has – the better the quality of the picture. We examine frames with a microscope to calculate the pixel-by-pixel value. A typical 7 inch frame would give you a resolution of 720 x 480 pixels and a larger 15 inch screen would give 1600 x 1200 pixels. You can also buy frames in both 16:9 widescreen and 4:3 which is like a traditional TV. It’s worth remembering that most cameras shoot in 4:3, so unless you shoot in widescreen, your photos won’t fit.
So, being digital they must use memory of some kind... tell me a bit about that.
The pictures you want to display will either come from a memory card, or the frame will have a built-in memory. A good tip is to check that the frame you plan to buy is compatible with the card used by your camera, then you can just take the card from one to the other. If possible look out for a frame which takes as many types of card as possible, then you won't have to change your photo frame if you get a new camera. Plus you'll be able to let your visiting friends use their cards to show their own photos too.
And can memory ever be increased?
Absolutely! A frames in-built memory tends to be quite small so by using a compatible card or USB device the storage capacity is increased a great deal. A USB connection is also handy if you want to update your pictures because you can connect directly to your computer. Some digital frames now come with built in wireless options like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi too, giving you even more options of how to update your picture library.
Now, some people will be thinking that this is yet another thing to find a plug for, and cringing at the thought!
Most frames require a connection to the power supply, but some do work with batteries if it’s preferred. If this is the case it’s always better to find one that takes rechargeable batteries rather than disposable ones. Over at Which? HQ we do test the power consumption on all the frames, the results of which you can see on the website.
Now, when we’re looking at the pictures in the gallery we can look at an image for as long or as little as we like, but it’s a bit different with a digital frame isn’t it?
Most frames will scroll through your pictures in a slide show format. However, you should be able to alter the time each image is displayed on screen. A lot of them come with a remote control too so you can pause the slideshow any time you want.
OK, well we’ve heard what you have to say about them, but let’s take a look at what the consumer makes of the digital photo frame…
“I like digital photo frames because I can change the pictures very easily.”
“A digital photo frame is very easy to use because you can delete pictures easily, you know I can change them around whenever I want.”
“Digital photo frame? Yeah, I’ve had mine for a while now. It means I don’t have to drag the laptop out every time I want to show someone a photo.”
“It means when people come round we can show people our precious photos without getting it out of the box.”
So, a big thumbs up for the digital photo frame there!
You just need to make sure you pick the right one. And to make sure you do, just go to www.which.co.uk for all the best advice and a list of the tried and tested best frames to buy.
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In other words, the team at Which? can really put you in the picture…
… sorry, it was only a matter of time before I said it.