Are Sony digital frames good for big families?
Sony is a big name in the world of TVs, smartphones, and household electronics – but are Sony digital frames any good? You’ll often find that a digital frame that works well for an individual can’t live up to the needs of a big family. From multi-frame control, remote control functionality, Wi-Fi capability, cloud storage, and more, frames for big families need to be more capable than ever before.
Sony digital frames don’t fit the bill very well. Their lack of Wi-Fi connectivity and cloud support leaves you wanting more from the frame’s feature set and capability. You don’t have access to Wi-Fi-related features like web radio & music, viewing the weather, syncing photos from social media photo albums, and more. This drastically reduces the versatility of the Sony digital frame and severely limits how you can send and receive photos.
With no cloud support or compatibility, pulling and receiving photos from multiple sources isn’t possible. You need to load photos to a USB/SD card and insert it directly into the frame. If you want everyone in the family to have access to the same photos, you’d need to make sure they all have a USB/SD card with the same photos – or you have to send the same photos to every family member manually. This can be a massive time sink and isn’t very user-friendly.
Now, with many top digital frames having Wi-Fi and cloud support (such as the Pix-Star frame), you can send photos to multiple frames at the same time through the mobile app or web interface, and even link entire photo albums from social media accounts and photo-sharing platforms.
In 2021 and beyond, non-Wi-Fi frames like the Sony digital frames are finding it increasingly difficult to compete and find their place on the market. They might be an average choice for an individual that lives in an isolated area with no Wi-Fi – but even then – frames like the Pix-Star (and others) have extensive offline features and USB/SD support.
How does Sony digital frame work?
Sony digital frames are not Wi-Fi compatible. This means that the only way to send photos to the frame is by inserting a USB/SD card that is loaded with photos into the frame’s relevant ports. You can then display the photos directly off the USB/SD card, or copy them over to the frame’s internal storage. It’s worth noting that internal storage space on Sony digital frame is very small and won’t hold that many photos – meaning you’d likely need to leave the USB/SD card plugged in 24/7 to view photos.
Sony digital frames come in various sizes ranging from 7-inches up to 10.2-inches for their biggest model. The frames work by reading the USB/SD card or local storage and starting slideshows of all the photos. You can choose to view single images or make slideshows with full albums. Note that you don’t have much control over the play order of slideshows – they’ll always play in the same order. You have some control over stylistic elements of slideshows like speed and transition effect.
In summary, Sony digital frame works much like any non-Wi-Fi frame. They don’t have any Wi-Fi or cloud-related features and work through a combination of USB/SD cards and internal storage. For their basic functions, they work relatively well and the price point of the 7,8, and 9-inch models is more or less fair – though the 10-inch frame might be a little overpriced.
How does the Sony digital frame compare to the Pix-Star frame?
Pix-Star’s frame is both Wi-Fi and cloud-capable – giving it an inherent boost in versatility and functionality over the Sony digital frame. You get features unique to Wi-Fi and cloud-capable frames like the ability to remotely control a connected frame through the web interface, a fluid, and easy-to-use mobile app, an email-in function for sending pictures, and a web album (photo albums on social media and photo-sharing platforms) support.
Pix-Star’s frame comes in a 10-inch size and a larger 15-inch frame. They have high-resolution 1024×768 pixel displays and a versatile 4:3 aspect ratio. A broad viewing angle and adjustable brightness make it a great fit for any room size and lighting level. Multimedia support makes the Pix-Star extremely versatile and offers a personal way to keep in touch with your loved ones.
Cloud compatibility means that all your photos are kept safely stored in the cloud – and can be easily managed through the web interface. This makes organizing your grandparents’ frames or ensuring that everyone in the family has all the latest photos easier than ever before. Pix-Star’s frames can also work offline thanks to their 8GB internal storage and USB/SD card compatibility. You get plenty of slideshow customizations and control over play order, style, and speed – you can even set the frame to show new photos exclusively or more frequently than older photos.
Both in terms of build durability and the user experience, the Pix-Star beats the Sony digital frame – though this is expected considering that Pix-Star’s frame is one of the best on the market. It offers a premium user experience and builds quality you’re just not going to get from a budget to a mid-range option like the Sony digital frame.
Can the Sony digital frame play video and audio?
Sony digital frames do not support multimedia playback. This means that you can’t play videos or audio. There are no inbuilt speakers and the Sony digital frame is designed to only show still images along with a handful of transition effects during slideshows.
Can the Sony digital frame connect to Wi-Fi?
Sony digital frames are not Wi-Fi or cloud compatible. This means they cannot connect to any form of Wi-Fi or mobile network. This was a common feature for frames from several years ago, but quite out of date for modern frames.
When you consider that you can get full Wi-Fi and cloud compatibility from frames like the Pix-Star without a drastic price increase, it’s hard to justify buying a non-Wi-Fi frame in 2021 and beyond. The boost in versatility and functionality you get from a Wi-Fi and cloud compatibility frame is well worth the higher price – and these frames quickly become an important part of family life and how you connect with your loved ones.
