What's your take on digital picture frames?

[WhichFrame]

Digital picture frames have become increasingly popular over the last year, and it has been said that they will replace traditional picture frames.

What is your opinion? Would you trade in the majority of your traditional frames for digital ones? What would it take for you to do so besides price?

I would love to hear your feedback.

[SmartWombat]

They'd have to be 24" WXGA and cost under £20 to replace prints.
If I want a digital photo display, then my desktop PC will do just fine
I can't see anything less than 1900x1200 working for me.

It's a crossover with TV, as the latest flat panels also have WiFi and built-in web browser which can access your house LAN and display your photos.

BUT if you're energy conscious, nothing beats a print in a frame for power consumption !

[Photo-John]

BUT if you're energy conscious, nothing beats a print in a frame for power consumption !

Good point, Paul!

Whether or not I personally think digital picture frames are a compelling product, they are growing in popularity. And for office desks, kitchen counters, etc., I think they seem like a pretty neat way to show a whole bunch of photos. I bought my mom one for Mother's Day this year because I know she'll enjoy it. I agree that they can't really compete with gallery-quality prints. At least not for people who care about real print quality. But for a lot of people, quantity will always be more important than quality. And for those people, digital picture frames are probably a lot more interesting than a single framed photo - even if it is a hand-printed, archival black-and-white silver print.

[fx101]

For a ton of consumers, like Photo-John said, the ability to display tons of different pictures will win them over. For the purists, or anybody who actually enjoys the shear brilliance of a proper lightjet print, cibachrome, or hand-made silver gelatin print, they are going to be quite disappointed. Not to mention that unless they're OLED, you're not going to see any deep blacks.

[Frog]

I think they're good for the audience they're aimed at. Moms and dads and grandparents so they can have a revolving show of their kids.
For people that want to admire a photograph for what it is, they're just a doo-dad.

[dumpy]

For people that want to admire a photograph for what it is, they're just a doo-dad.

And an expensive one at that...

Prints will never die, I have given framed prints as gifts in the past, I do not see myself giving a digital frame loaded with my photos as a gift. Or worse, just giving the file to load on a pre-existing frame.

Now if you could make a color calibrated/calibratable frame (that could auto calibrate on a schedule and has an ambient light sensor), that has the picture quality of a high quality monitor and enough storage capacity for large files. Then you may have a print substitute for the "enthusiast" market, but it would be prohibitively expensive.

[Medley]

And an expensive one at that...

Depends on your perspective, I suppose. As a marketing tool, I find them to be some of the best, and most cost-effective slide-show solutions out there. Even though I now own a laptop, continuing to use the digital frame allows me to use the computer for the business end of things without interrupting the slideshow.

- Joe U.

[Alison]

I agree with alot of people here about giving them as gifts to Mums, Dads and Grandparents. I've been thinking about getting one for my MIL for sometime now.
I think they are a fantastic idea especially if you are a minimilist with 16 grandchildren lol.
There's just no room for that amount of prints on the wall unless you own a mansion haha.

I find it hard hanging my 8 kids pictures in my living room.
I have had to make do with 2 frames containing 4 7x5's each! I wish I had the room to display 8 canvases but I don't!

Something else that digi frames are good for is choices. I have alot of favourites so I can display more of them.

And before you all ask, no, I don't have a digi frame lol.
I use my computer.
If I worked in an office at a desk though, I would definitely have one! I love looking at my kids, especially in pictures, they're alot quieter that way lol.

[Anbesol]

Yes like everyone else said, for the laymen it is a decent product, but for tech savvy people and photographers I think the quality will be disappointing. The quality of the screens has not gotten so far yet though, and I think only works well for certain types of photo's where small detail and ultra bright and dark tones are not key - landscape and macro shots for example may lose much of their glimmer in these frames. For portraits however, I think they do alright. As a photographer, I wont be getting one personally anytime soon, but the progress they are making may pique my interest somewhere down the road. They really have come a tremendous way in terms of quality even just in the past 2 years.

[dumpy]

Depends on your perspective, I suppose. As a marketing tool, I find them to be some of the best, and most cost-effective slide-show solutions out there. Even though I now own a laptop, continuing to use the digital frame allows me to use the computer for the business end of things without interrupting the slideshow.

- Joe U.

That's an interesting use, that really makes a lot of sense. Portable and certainly cheaper than an additional laptop or digital signage.