Are Micca digital picture frames worth it in 2021?
Micca digital picture frames are budget-friendly frames with very limited functionality and features. These frames aren’t made to compete for the top spot – but rather to cater to the ever-shrinking budget digital frame market. This is seen through their lack of Wi-Fi connectivity, very low price point, no cloud storage, and missing features like mobile apps and web interfaces.
Micca digital frames are only suitable for the individual user in an average house – and even then, they’re severely limited. These frames are especially limiting when compared to what premium and even mid-range frames can do. You can only send and receive photos by USB/SD card. There isn’t much internal storage space to hold photos and you don’t have much control over how photos are displays.
The screen is small and low-resolution – something that immediately jumps out at you the first time using the frame. This is off for 2021 as we’re so used to the higher resolution displays from smartphones, TVs, and laptops that we’re put off by these low-res displays. The lack of features makes this frame feel like it’s from 10-years in the past.
Micca digital frames aren’t the easiest frames to use – despite their simple set of functions & features. The user interface feels outdated and clunky, especially when compared to what premium frames are offering. Elderly users will struggle to control and manage slideshows, menus aren’t very intuitive, and loading photos can be touch and go at times.
We almost always recommend you go for a more premium digital photo frame as the massive boost in versatility and features is always worth it. There are great options in the premium range that cater to families & elderly users without sacrificing functionality for the individual user. Below, we take a look at the Pix-Star frame – one of the most versatile of the premium digital photo frames.
Are Pix-Star frames better than Micca digital picture frames for families?
Pix-Star’s frames are some of the best frames for families and elderly users in 2021. They have a robust feature set that makes sharing photos, videos, and audio messages quick and easy. Pix-Star’s frames come with a mobile app & web interface that lets you send pictures at any moment – from anywhere in the world. They’re great frames to have around the home and that pulls the family together.
Even for the individual user, Pix-Star’s frames have plenty of features. The web album function lets you link your frame to selected social media and photo-sharing platforms. You can choose photo albums to sync and display on your Pix-Star frame. They can even be set to automatically update whenever new photos are added to the linked album. Other popular features include web radio & music, playing video clips, viewing weather reports (mixed into slideshows), playing brain games, and more.
Pix-Star frames come with a mobile app that lets you send up to 250 photos to several frames at the same time. You can add frames to the app (this only needs to be done once) by their unique @mypixstar.com email address. From then on, you simply need to select the frame(s) from the list when sending photos. The mobile app lets you send video clips & audio messages to your loved ones’ frames too. Learn how to play videos on your Pix-Star digital photo frame here!
These are all features far above and beyond what Micca digital picture frames are capable of. Without Wi-Fi and cloud connectivity, they simply can’t offer the same versatility & features for families and elderly users. Pix-Star’s frames can even be remotely controlled from anywhere in the world via the web interface. Here you can remotely start slideshows, change the frame’s settings, update firmware, manage local & cloud storage, and much more. You can control up to 25 connected Pix-Star frames from a single user account via the web dashboard.
How to send photos to Micca digital picture frames?
The only way to send photos to Micca digital picture frames is by USB/SD card. The 5-1 card reader accepts only a couple of supported file formats, so stick to JPEG where possible. You should also try to match the aspect ratio of the frame’s display to avoid cropping, distortion, or photos being boxed into the center of the screen.
If you’re sending pictures from your smartphones, make sure they match the aspect ratio of the frame. Most smartphones capture 4:3 pictures, so you’d need to crop them to match the frame’s 16:9 ratio first. This can be quite time-consuming as you also need to copy the photos from your phone to a USB/SD card and then finally transfer them to the frame. If your smartphone has an SD card, you can copy the files to the SD card first, then insert the card into the frame’s port. Make sure the card isn’t bigger than 32GB to avoid compatibility issues.
With frames like the Pix-Star, you can send photos straight from your phone to several frames at the same time – directly through the mobile app (Pix-Star Snap). You can see how much time and effort is saved. You don’t need to be next to the frame in person and can send pictures, video, and audio messages no matter where you are in the world.
Can I listen to the radio on Micca digital picture frames?
Micca digital photo frames can play videos and audio files. The frame’s inbuilt speakers let you play audio files over slideshows, though videos can’t be included in slideshows. That being said, there is no radio feature. Only premium frames like the Pix-Star have a web radio & music function. Note that with Pix-Star’s frames, you can even listen to radio stations over slideshows (and can include videos in slideshows too).
Can Micca digital picture frames show PDF files?
Micca digital frames cannot display PDF files. This isn’t a feature that’s offered even among premium digital frames. Digital frames are designed to display your favorite memories, photos & videos for all the family to see. That being said, you can take a screenshot of a certificate or a PDF page and send it to the frame to be displayed as a photo.
