Pros: cool piece of technology, works well, under 100 bucks
Cons: photo quality appears average
The Bottom Line: Overall I have enjoyed this digital frame and have received many "oohs" and "ahhs" for under 100 dollars. Besides I have experienced no difficulties with regular use.
elmoebeesn's Full Review: Westinghouse Electric DPF-0561 Digital Picture Fra...
I have been enthused with digital photography for many years and throughout that time I had long hoped to find a cool and technologically advanced way to display some of my more impressive small digital photos. About 2 years and a half ago I discovered the digital frame and thought it very cool but too expensive because, at that time, these devices were well over 300 dollars at most stores and I figured they would inevitably come down in cost as most technology does. About 3 months back, while walking through my local electronics outlet, I noticed one of these nifty gadgets from Westinghouse for the low price of $ 99.99 on sale and decided it was time to take the plunge and decide for myself if I was truly as impressed by this technology as I had thought I might be. Thus far, I’m glad I took the chance and purchased the Westinghouse DPF-0561 for my personal home-office display.
Upon opening the box and quickly giving the instructions a once over I was excited and ready to go. Importantly, the instructions are simple to comprehend and anyone with a digital camera and some knowledge of photography/computers will be able to start right away. These types of frames use an LCD display to present the images. This frame from Westinghouse has a 5.6 inch screen with a television aspect ratio of 4:3 and 320 x 234 pixel resolution. This resolution is nothing special, but for $99.99 it is fair enough in my estimation. Besides, if its size or excellent quality you need, there are other more sizable options available to the consumer from Westinghouse (I saw 2 larger ones in the store) and better quality (higher resolution), options in stores from Phillips, amongst a few other manufacturers, albeit at a higher price. As I only needed an entry-level model of this size, I cannot complain. Further, due to the small size of the frame, it is difficult to pick up any problems I might have with resolution as the shots are small even to the discerning eye. All told, with regard to picture quality I feel satisfied and think I get my moneys worth with this device. While not ultra crisp and brilliant, most shots are clear and colorful enough and are easily viewable at all angles, similar to an LCD television.
I have been displaying photos on the desk in my office for about 3 months and have received several compliments, mainly due to the perceived “coolness” of this apparatus moreso than the actual beauty or size of the images. To display images, the user will simply use their card reader to upload photos to the device. Thus far I have not had any difficulties with this, everything has worked as planned and all my pictures have been displayed as I would like them to be. Further, I have been able to easily interchange the images I have been displaying without incident. The user may choose to communicate to the frame via USB 1.1, which again strikes me as entry level for this type of device, but at 99 bucks I will not complain. This model contains 8MB internal memory and this Westinghouse gadget also supports CompactFlash, MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital, and Memory Stick. The Pictures can be rotated and shown in a slideshow mode which is different and has drawn a few more compliments.
One extra swell feature that this model boats is the ability to playback an AVI movie. While extremely small and somewhat lacking in movie quality, it is a cool feature that has worked as advertised in the 3 or so viewings I have played. Again, while not spectacular, the mode works well and has not offered any problems.
The frame is available in black, aluminum and mahogany. Thus far I have mainly used the black as it seems to match up well with my office furniture, but all 3 faceplates are easily usable and would look nice in the décor of the users’ choice. This is certainly a nice feature for the person not only concerned with the perceived “coolness” of their technical gadgetry as well as the look and feel of their home/office. The warranty is six months materials and workmanship from the original date of purchase which I feel to be fair. As is usually the case, I was offered a more expensive extended warranty which I chose not to go with. Thus far, I have had no problems in this regard and have not needed the benefit of this warranty.
Overall, I have been impressed with this device. It has offered me no difficulty and has worked well in all modes of operation. I feel the price I paid was worth display quality I receive and I do know that there are higher-quality and larger models out there if I so had chosen. For my purposes though, this device has made me happy and even gotten me a few compliments which is more than I ever expected.
Technical specifications from the Company are outlined below:
Display Specifications
Screen Size 5.6" Diagonal
Memory Support Functions
Memory Card Support CF I,II / MS / SD / MMC / XD
File Format Support JPEG, AVI Motion-JPEG
Features:
Slide Show Mode
AVI Motion JPEG Player
Internal Memory 8 MB Flash
Physical Specifications
6.4" x 4.2" x 1.1"
0.9 lbs
Connectors
USB 1.1
Frame Colors
Mahogany, Brushed Aluminum and Black
Warranty
Westinghouse Digital Electronics warrants their LCD Digital photo frames against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of six (6) months from the original date of purchase.
Bulit-in 8 MB Flash Memory Input Format: CF I,II / MD / MS / MS Pro / MS Duo / MS Pro Duo / SD / MMC / XD File Format Capabilities: JPEG, AVI Motion J...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.