Philips 7-Inch Digital Photo Frame (Clear & Black)

I'm familiar with this type of product having used a couple of others from other manufacturers in the past.

Having read some of the reviews, I will say I'm very computer-savvy, and didn't run into some of the problems others have mentioned.

The picture quality was nice; not terrific, but I'll get back to that in a moment.

There's plenty of on-board memory. According to Windows Explorer, about 8 megs. The key to using that judiciously is to size your pictures before storing them to memory, using photo software like Photoshop Elements or better, as if you were prepping them for the web. The native screen resolution is 720X480, so I sized all my pics to stay within those parameters, and I typically ended up with a file size of somewhere around 40 80 kb, and you can stick 1 or 2 hundred on this device at that file size. Further, they'll fit the screen without distortion from the frame firmware trying to adjust your pics to the display. Additionally, you won't eat up all the memory trying to store full 2-Meg Jpegs -4 of those and your memory's full -that really won't look any better here than they would on your computer display looking at a web page. Save those for prints.

The downside to this is that picture quality suffers a bit because of the smaller file size, and because this is an LCD display there's also some artifacting in shadow areas (a fact of life with LCDs). But let's face it: you're not going to use this device for professional presentations. This is so you or your Mom can see all those cool pictures you have.

Now, the biggest drawback to this is the TERRIBLE user interface. This thing isn't at all intuitive as far as operating it. There's a row of tiny buttons on the top behind the frame, and it's always pretty much guesswork as to what switch makes the device perform which action. The written instructions are totally useless in trying to figure this out. Trial and error is the only method available, for all intents and purposes.

I had no trouble copying in pictures from a folder on my Desktop using Windows Explorer (I operate in an XP environment, so I can't speak to Vista. I hate Vista). I used Edit > Select All > Copy then just pasted them into the folder on the device. They all copied in perfectly.

So, a middle of the road grade based on my experience with other brands, which seem to be easier to operate.

(Incidentally, for those who have problems deleting the sample pics that came already loaded. In Windows Explorer, I had absolutely no problem deleting all the sample photos in the folder.)

This is my first digital photo frame, even tho I've looked at them and thought they would be neat to have. I love the black and clear frame and the frame stand is classy. The whole frame looks elegant.

It took me a while to figure out the setup and how to work the controls to get where I wanted. It has settings for brightness, language, alarm clock, time and date, and auto on/off. After I got it set up I put a 1gb SD card in my PC and installed photos on it and then put the SD card into the photo frame (it also takes other types of memory cards). Fortunately all my photos are JPG and that's the format that's used. As soon as I inserted the SD card the photo slide show started; it was so cool! I ended up changing the brightness to mid way because some of the photos looked too bright. Smaller photos are framed in a letterbox and they look good to me.

I'm excited to show off our photos on Thanksgiving and Christmas when the family is here! :-)

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Strange as it seems, I often find myself pricing digital photo frames when at local big-box retailers. They seem like such a great gift idea, but I'm hard pressed to spend $130+ to display my photos.

This frame, while in the $90 range, is certainly more affordable, but not quite the performance-for-bargain I was hoping for.

Though I have one digital frame at home (a Westinghouse), I was keen for a second to put on display downstairs.

For argument's sake, let's say I'm the type of person who doesn't like to read directions. That being said, I fidgeted with the frame's interface for about five minutes before I figured out how to move through all the menus, change the clock, delete the 'Philips' photos and set my photos to a slide-show mode. It was a little awkward, but not unbelievably difficult.

What I like most:

~The frame's actual design. It's very sleek looking and compact, which is a huge improvement on some of the bulkier frames out there (like my Westinghouse).

~Also, I'd have to say this frame's SmartPower feature is its one stand out feature as I'm a conscientious power user and like that this frame will only turn on during the time when someone is around to see it.

What I liked least:

~I am disappointed that the resolution isn't as crisp as my other frame, nor are the colors as vivid. This despite Philips Imagen promise for automatic photo enhancement.

In general, this frame's very basic in that ALL it does is display and play through photos, as compare to other frames out there that have additional fancy options such as video and music.

Overall, this may be on the pricey side if you simply want to have a few of your favorite digital photos cycling through when guests come over. However if you're looking for a little more in a frame you might find Philips' design and power saving feature all the extras you want.

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The Philips 6.5 digital photo frame is a great mid-level photo frame. The frame itself (I have the clear version) is attractive and does not look cheap it looks very stylish. It is of average size and would be nice for the office or a desk at home; I would not use as a wall-mounted frame.

I was able to organize some pictures onto an SDHC card and install that into the Philips. I find this method easier than connecting the frame to the computer. If you do not own a computer, you can still use this frame by inserting a memory card from your camera directly into the frame. If you do own a computer, the benefit of hooking up to the computer is you can adjust the orientations (portrait/landscape) of some photos the digital frame may display wrong. You can also take advantage of the onboard memory of 16 MB.

The LCD screen resolution (800x480) is excellent especially considering the price point. The viewing angle is very good. I was impressed with the automatic slideshow transitions that are added. You can also view your images as thumbnails or use it as a clock. Another great feature is the timer functionality, so you can program the device to power on and display photos during certain timeframes.

So why is this mid-level? Some of the newer digital frames have internal speakers and allow playback of videos that you may have recorded, or MP3 songs. The additional features of some frames are great but may not justify the higher price for a lot of consumers. The Philips is a nice, middle-of-the-road and well-priced digital picture frame with an excellent LCD screen. I definitely recommend it for the average consumer who will be happy with the basic functions. I've given only four stars because I would have liked to see a remote control included to supplement the control buttons on the back of the frame.

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I have to say I love this frame. The quality of the display is excellent. I didn't expect my pictures to look so good! I had purchased a digital frame last year from a different manufacturer and I ended up returning it because the pictures looked distorted and the color was not that great. This frame really suprised me with the quality of the pictures and the vibrant colors that it displays.

I love taking pictures with my digital camera but I am not so good about getting them printed in a timely manner. This solves my problem because I can just snap some shots and then insert the memory card into the frame and enjoy my pictures instantly! It is also great because I can bring up old pictures that I haven't seen in a while and put them on display. There are so many possibilities!

This would make an excellent gift for a grandparent you can either download photos or insert a memory card. I recommend giving the frame to a grandparent and then sending updated memory cards every so often for new pictures! It would also be great to put up on your desk at work so you can always have something new to look at.

The set up is so quick and easy you don't really even need the directions (although if you do, they are very detailed). Great buy, can't go wrong with this one!