Are Nix digital picture frames good enough for 2021 and beyond?
Nix digital picture frames might seem like great value for money choices on paper – especially when you look at their price point. It’s often said that you get what you pay for and that’s certainly the case here. Nix digital picture frames have several issues that take a lot away from their initial appeal and paper value.
Nix frames are part of the Nixplay brand umbrella. Nixplay digital frames are the premium frame brand, whereas Nix frames are the mid-range frames. The main reason they fall into the mid-range is due to their lack of Wi-Fi connectivity. This is a major concern for modern homes as this missing feature makes Nix’s frames feel extremely outdated.
Premium digital frames like the Pix-Star can send and receive photos from anywhere in the world and just a few short moments. You can use features like mobile apps, web dashboards, email, and much more. These simply aren’t possible on Nix digital photo frames due to the lack of Wi-Fi and cloud connectivity.
You also have to consider the display aspect ratio of Nix digital frames. Their 16:10 aspect ratio is arguably one of the worst aspect ratios possible on a digital frame. Since most of our smartphones capture in 4:3, Nix’s displays will surround almost every photo and video with black bars. Alternatively, they’ll be distorted, zoomed, or cropped. This makes the display seem a lot smaller and doesn’t make good use of the available screen real estate.
The lack of Wi-Fi connectivity means that you can only load photos via a USB/SD card. This might be okay for a single user but isn’t practical & functional enough for families, elderly users, or even tech-savvy users. You’ll find it very limited and will end up missing out on special moments as you have to wait until you’re directly in front of the frame to send pictures to it.
While these digital picture frames aren’t terrible frames, they don’t have what it takes to cater to the needs of modern homes and families. Missing Wi-Fi & cloud functionality makes these frames feel ancient – despite having decent displays and build quality. These are also some long-term durability issues with problems showing up after a couple of months (photos & videos not showing, dead pixels on the display, etc.).
How do Nix digital picture frames compare with Pix-Star’s frames?
Pix-Star’s digital photo frames are one of today’s best digital frames. They’re packed with useful and practical features enabled by Wi-Fi connectivity and cloud capabilities. Pix-Star’s frames use a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is far superior to the 16:10 display of Nix’s frames.
Pix-Star’s frames can send & receive photos from anywhere in the world in just a few moments. You can use the Pix-Star Snap mobile app to send up to 250 photos to several frames at the same time, along with videos & audio messages. Pix-Star’s frames can play videos in slideshows and you can set them to play muted.
While Nix’s digital frames claim unlimited video playback, this is severely dampened by the 16:10 aspect ratio. Videos (when they work) are boxed into the center of the display by big pillar bars above, below, and to its sides – making the display and video appear much smaller than they could be. This is also true for the photos being displayed in slideshows.
Pix-Star’s digital cloud frames offer free-for-life cloud storage and automatic backups. You can create, control, and manage up to 25 connected Pix-Star frames from a single user account. Here you can start slideshows, manage storage, update firmware, adjust settings, and much more – from anywhere in the world. This remote-control function is the perfect feature for families & elderly users – making sure nobody you care about misses an important moment or memory.
Pix-Star’s other features include weather forecasts, 8GB of internal storage, web album support (the ability to sync photo albums from social media & photo-sharing sites), web music & radio, audio support, the ability to connect external speakers/headphones, and much more. These premium frames offer excellent value for money and no recurring fees (unlike Nixplay & Skylight digital photo frames).
Can Nix digital picture frames be controlled remotely?
Nix digital picture frames can’t connect to Wi-Fi, meaning that there is no way to connect to them remotely. This is a key requirement for features like remote control functionality as it relies on connecting to the frame via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth from a mobile app or web dashboard.
That being said, if you’re in the same room, you can use the handheld remote controller to adjust some of the settings and browse through slideshows – though this is extremely common among mid-range and premium digital frames. Here’s a great guide on how to remote control a digital picture frame from anywhere in the world!
How to send photos and videos to Nix digital picture frames?
The only way to send photos to Nix digital picture frames is by USB/SD card. You need to make sure the photos are in a supported format and match the frame’s odd 16:10 aspect ratio to avoid any viewing issues. Sending videos is a little more complex. Nix’s digital frames only support videos that are 720p and that match the frame’s native frame rate.
Additionally, only .mp4 videos are accepted by the frame. If you own an iPhone and want to take videos to load onto this frame, bear in mind that it won’t accept .mov files. You’ll convert them, adjust the frame rate, and scale down the resolution before they can be played on Nix’s frames.
Can Nix digital picture frames play video & audio?
Nix digital picture frames can play videos and audio files – but only if they meet strict criteria. Videos need to be in .mp4 format and have a resolution of 720p. You should also only try to load videos with a 16:10 aspect ratio to avoid them being surrounded by black bars.
While Nix doesn’t place any length limitations on videos, you should avoid sending videos longer than 30-minutes. This also helps to save space on the frame’s limited local storage. Audio recorded with videos can be played, though the sound quality is comparatively poor (muffled and quiet).
