My brother loves all things high-tech, so I couldn’t resist buying him the Pandigital 5.6" Digital Photo Frame. He had commented once that he wanted a digital photo frame for his office. I had seen these before he asked (they looked neat!), and thought it would make an excellent gift for him.


Description

This photo frame comes in a sturdy cardboard box. The box includes:

* 5.6" Digital Photo Frame
* 2 Interchangeable Frames (one black; one acrylic)
* 64mb Internal Memory
* Remote Control
* USB Cable
* AC Adapter (cord approximately 6-feet long)
* User Guide
* Service Manual

The AC Adapter is designed so that it will not cover the other outlet in a two-outlet wall receptacle. The plug is not polarized, meaning that both prongs are the same width.

The remote control has grooves on it so that it can slide into the Compact Flash slot on the side of the picture frame. This is a great way to store the remote so that it doesn’t become lost. (Important since the remote is very small and performs options not available through the controls on the frame.)

I have included the product specifications at the bottom of this review. The information also includes what types of memory cards and files this frame will accept.


Features & What Drew Me to This Digital Photo Frame

The first thing that attracted my attention to this digital photo frame was that is has 64mb of onboard memory. Some of the other photo frames I saw only had 8mb of memory. As we all know, it’s better to have more memory because you know that at some point you’ll need it. Since my brother is a techno-crat, I knew I couldn’t go wrong with the 64mb of memory.

Another great feature is that this frame displays photos (as stills or a slide show), and it can also show video and play MP3 music clips. How could my brother not love that!

There are also two frames included in this package. One of the frames is of black wood (a nice deep matte black color). The other frame is clear acrylic. Both frames are attractive. I liked the idea of being able to change the look of this photo frame. Plus, having the two frames would enable this digital photo display to blend in with different decor. The frame also comes with a stand (that pulls away from the back of the frame like a traditional photo frame) so that the frame can stand on a flat surface. The frame can also be hung on the wall, though it does not come with hardware.

The box also said that no PC was required. Photos can be directly transferred from a digital camera or memory card to the photo frame. Or using a USB cord, the files can be transferred from a PC to the digital frame’s memory. This offered a lot of flexibility.

And if those reasons to buy this frame weren’t enough ... a remote control is included. The remote operates the slide show speed, videos, volume, etc. The frame also comes loaded with a few photo images for demo purposes.


Our Experiences

I couldn’t wait for my brother to open this package! He is an avid photographer of family vacations and events, the varied household menagerie of animals, and his saltwater reef aquarium. He has a digital camera that uses an SD memory card, too. So I knew he could instantly transfer the photos from the SD card into the memory of the digital photo frame.

I wasn’t disappointed. My brother’s grin covered his face when he opened the package. It didn’t take long for him to unpack the frame and the “bits and pieces” that came with it. The black frame came attached to the digital photo unit. Without either the black or acrylic frame, the digital photo screen is bordered by a wide band of silver. With the frame in place, the silver resembles inset mat board. It’s a beautiful effect.

We both agreed that the black frame was the better of the two choices. The black frame offered great contrast to the photographs. As my brother says, “The black frame makes the photos ‘pop’.” One of the first lessons I learned in quilting was any color set against black will make that color more noticeable. One thing I didn’t know was that the black frame comes with a piece of glass that sits atop the digital display. It’s like a traditional picture frame, except that two “thumb screws” on the back hold the black frame to the digital unit.

The clear acrylic frame is nice, too. It is thick and has rounded corners. However, the clear acrylic doesn’t offer much contrast for the photos. The photos almost appear a bit faded when surrounded by the clear frame. Also, the Compact Flash card my brother is using is visible through the clear acrylic (the memory card is inserted into the side of the frame). Also, to attach the acrylic frame, the memory card and adapter have to be removed. The frame slides into place from the back, and snaps into position. Once it is firmly seated, then the memory card and adapter can be reattached.

It is simple to view digital photos using this frame. The photos can be transferred a few different ways. 1) Use a USB cable to transfer the photos from the camera into the frame, 2) Insert a memory card into the frame and transfer the contents into the frame’s digital memory, 3) Transfer files from the computer to the frame using a USB cable. When the USB cable is used from the computer to the frame, the frame appears as a removable hard drive on the computer.

The frame can be used as a card reader through the side memory card slots. Using Windows Explorer, three removable drives appear when the frame is connected to the computer. Two of the drives are for the two multi-purpose drive slots, and the third drive is for the internal memory of the picture frame. Inserting a Compact Flash card into the frame, we were able to transfer the pictures from the Compact Flash card to the computer.

We were pleased to discover that subdirectories can be created on the root drive of the frame's internal memory using a computer. Now instead of all the different types of files being mixed together in the root directory, the files can be inserted into folders. We created different folders titled: photo, video and music. The frame has no problem displaying the images and playing music at the same time even with the files stored in these different folders.

Flash Drives (also known as thumb drives) can also be used with this frame. There is a slot in the top of the frame marked “USB Host” that will accept the Flash Drive. By default, the memory card or Flash Drive inserted into the picture frame will override the internal memory (the picture frame will ignore its internal memory and read the memory card). The digital photo frame will search all available folders on the Flash Drive or memory card for compatible formats and play those files. For example, if you have the frame set for photos, the frame will search for photo images. If you have the frame set for videos, it will search for videos on the memory devices. When viewing thumbnails, if the frame detects an image it cannot read, it will say the image file is not supported and therefore you can’t access it.

We had a Compact Flash card (16 mb) with some photos on it and wanted to see what the photos were (how quickly we forget!). The digital frame automatically read the photos from the card inserted into the slot in the frame and started showing a slide show of the images. Through the menu options, the frame will also display thumbnail images of the photos so that a single image can be selected as a still picture to view in the frame.

We prefer a slide show to display the images. The digital frame randomly selects photos to appear on the screen. As the images fade from one to the next, they pixilate apart to reform the next image. I immediately noticed that not all the images on the card were appearing in the randomized showing. After watching the images recycle several times, we turned the frame off (via the on/off slide switch on the back), and turned it back on again. This time the digital photos displayed included some of those not seen the first time. Also the slide show speed can be set at 3, 5, 10, 30 or 60 seconds.

One important fact about this digital photo frame is that you pretty much have to view the images straight-on and not at an angle. Even standing a bit to the side of the frame, I could not see the images as well as I would have liked.

The images are very clear and look great. Of course, the image quality depends on how well the photographer does at snapping the picture and the resolution of the picture. One memory card of images viewed on the photo frame came from a 3.1 megapixel digital camera. These particular images were from a visit to a local farm and from around the house. The landscape images were gorgeous, and the photos of barnyard animals and the interior of a log cabin came out very well. The photographs of people were excellent, too. Two images of so-so quality included two different photos of cats. (But I find taking photographs of cats difficult at the best of times!)

There are options that allow one to copy, delete rotate and zoom images. One can use these features to copy images from the memory card into the frame’s internal memory. And the delete feature will delete files from the frame’s internal memory (but not from the memory card). If vertical images are displayed on the screen, the photo frame will place vertical black bars along either side of the image to fill the screen area.

We also play AVI music videos on the frame. The videos were fluent, no choppiness or jumping. The singers’ lips were in sync with the songs. Also the video will loop and automatically start over again. Several videos can be played continuously just like a slide show.

Play MP3s separate or while pictures are displayed. The music sound quality is acceptable, similar to a pair of inexpensive PC speakers. The sound is not tinny or fuzzy, which is good. If music is loaded, it will automatically play on the frame during slide shows. The only way to not hear the music is turn the volume completely down. There is no on/off music feature.

As an experiment, we hooked an MP3 player to the digital frame using the USB Host slot at the top of the frame. But the frame would not read the MP3 files off the MP3 player.

The picture frame has controls along the top to scroll through the photos or music. Whatever name the music files are given when saved is how they will appear on the menu in the music selection area on the frame. There is also a dial to control photo brightness atop the frame. Just so you know, the remote control has more functionality than the buttons along the top of the frame. You can only control the volume through the remote control. As the volume is being adjusted a bar appears at the bottom left corner of the frame. The bar turns blue as the volume is adjusted, and if the volume is turned all the way down an M appears to indicate the volume is muted. The bar will automatically disappear after the volume control is not used.

There is a choice of modes and menus: photos, music, video, or files. When in Photo mode, the screen shows a thumbnail of the images. Six thumbnail photos are shown on the screen at a time. If there are more than six images, multiple pages are available for viewing. The literature states that up to 100 photos can be saved into the internal memory. This amount will definitely vary depending upon the size and resolution of the photo and file. Also, if both photo, video and music files are stored in the internal memory, that reduces the number of photographs the memory will hold. This frame supports pictures up to 12 megapixels.

If selecting the File mode, it will display the file name on the left side of the picture frame (showing five file names at a time). On the right side of the screen other information includes: thumbnail of the image, image size in bytes, the date that the image was taken. Music files display the file name, the length in minutes and seconds. The information is easy to read on the screen.

Another consideration to this frame is where to place it. My brother has it sitting on a desk. This works well because the AC adapter cord plugs into the side of the frame and runs to a wall outlet. If this frame were hung on a wall, then the black AC cord would be dangling down the wall. Not a great look for those who are interior design minded.

I discovered another interesting thing about this frame. On the bottom is a small threaded hole. We examined it and decided that the hole is probably to mount the frame on a tripod. Strange ... but I suppose if one wanted to use several of these frames as a digital presentation around a room, then mounting them on tripods would make a good display.

I have a feeling this remote control will be easy to lose. It is one of the smallest remote controls I have ever held. It measures about 1 3/4" wide x 2" high. The remote is easy to use and the writing is very visible on the buttons. The center of the remote has an enter button (that operates the play/pause function) with arrows pointing north, south, east and west (for scrolling through images or files). Above this are two buttons: on left one marked “exit”, and on the right one marked “setup”. At the bottom of the remote, at the left, is a rectangular button that operates the slide show and zoom. A similar rectangular button at the right controls the volume. Between the two rectangles is a circular button that can rotate images on the screen. Straight line of sight is required for the remote to work. The remote will not communicate with the frame if it is not directly pointed at the frame.


Purchasing

I bought this digital photo frame at Linen-n-Things for $129.99 and had a 20% discount that lowered the price.


Summary

This Pandigital Photo Frame was an excellent purchase. It certainly has made my brother happy. As long as you don’t mind spending the money, then this might be just the techno-gadget for you!

I hope you have found this review useful.

Enjoy the day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com


Specifications

Screen Dimension: 5.6 inches
Resolution: 320 x 234
Brightness: 350 cd/m2
Contrast: 150:1
Video Functions: Video Play
Audio Output: 1 x 1W
Audio File Formats: MP3
Video File Formats: MPEG1, MPEG4, Motion JPEG AVI
Photo File Format: JPEG
Memory Card Format: SD, MMC, CF, MS, XD
Usage Options: Manual, Remote Control or Auto Play
Power Supply: AC 100-240V DC9V
Operating Temperature: -5C to 50C
Connection: USB


Please read my other reviews:

Canon PowerShot A400 Digital Camera

Concord Eye-Q Digital Camera

SanDisk ImageMate 12-in-1 Card Reader with Docking Station

Logitech Harmony Universal Remote Control

Westinghouse 19" Widescreen LCD Television

Acer 19" Widescreen LCD Monitor

Toshiba Satellite Notebook Computer

Antec Notebook Cooler – to prolong computer life

Logitech V200 Cordless Notebook Mouse

Logitech MX400 Laser Mouse

Logitech MouseMan Dual Optical Mouse

Logitech S510 Cordless Keyboard and Mouse


Copyright 2006 Dawn L. Stewart

Recommended: Yes