How do Sony digital frames work?
Sony digital frames have a big brand name to live up to. Sony is known for its extensive product ranges, modern technology, and stunning displays – but that doesn’t them an automatic pass in the digital frame market. As we’ve seen time and time again, an established brand name doesn’t always transfer to high-quality digital photo frames (Polaroid digital frames for example).
Sony’s digital frames are rather basic frames that don’t have modern features like Wi-Fi, cloud storage, mobile apps, etc. This immediately makes the frames feel like they’re from a bygone era and they’ll come across as very limiting.
The main selling point of Sony digital frames is the display panel. It offers a relatively high-resolution viewing experience when compared to the industry standard – though this is reflected in the frame’s price. As we’ve discussed in the past, using high-resolution displays on digital frames significantly increases their costs – and that cost needs to be offset elsewhere to keep the frame from being priced out of the market. In this case, sacrifices have been made to the Sony digital frames features & supported functions.
You don’t get Wi-Fi or cloud storage. You can’t send photos to the frame remotely or wirelessly. You’re limited to loading photos by USB/SD card only. Additionally, the 16:10 aspect ratio of the display ruins much of the benefits gained from having a high-resolution display. Almost all of the photos sent from smartphones and cameras will need to be cropped and zoomed in (most of them are in 4:3). If you don’t manually edit all of these photos before sending, they’ll be distorted, cropped, zoomed, or boxed-in by ugly black pillar bars.
There’s no way to link these frames together in multi-frame control groups and no way to control them remotely. When you combine this with severely limited internal storage space (enough for just 200 photos), you get a frame that feels 10-years too late. Sony digital frames cost more than premium frames like the Pix-Star (one of the most versatile frames on the market). They’re one of the most expensive frames yet they only offer a fraction of the features & functions you’d expect from a digital frame at this price point.
How do Sony digital frames compare with top frames like the Pix-Star?
Pix-Star’s digital frames are one of the top digital frames on today’s market. Pix-Star’s frames are available in a 10-inch digital frame and a larger 15-inch digital frame. They are known for their attention to detail and robust feature sets. With features like free-for-life cloud storage, the Pix-Star Snap mobile app, web albums support, video & audio playback, and plenty of secondary features – Pix-Star’s frames quickly become an extremely versatile addition to your home & family.
Wi-Fi connectivity is key for any frames that are designed for the modern home & family. Pix-Star’s digital frames make excellent use of Wi-Fi & cloud functionality to let you send photos, videos, and audio messages to several Pix-Star frames at the same time – no matter where you are in the world.
Send up to 250 photos to several frames at the same time via the Pix-Star Snap mobile app. Link several photo albums from social media & photo-sharing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google Photos, etc. These are known as web albums and they’re linked & synced directly to your Pix-Star frame’s internal storage. All of your photos & other media are available offline and can be viewed in highly customizable slideshows.
Pix-Star’s frames can hold up to 30,000 of your photos on just the frame’s internal storage. They also support connecting a USB/SD card (with no size limits) to virtually expand the number of photos your frame can hold. All of your photos are automatically backed up to the frame’s free-for-life cloud storage that’s remotely manageable.
Finally, Pix-Star’s web dashboard is extremely versatile. It’s where you can link & import external photo albums to all your Pix-Star frames. You can manage & control up to 25 connected Pix-Star frames from a single user account. Here you’re able to adjust the frames’ settings, start & manage slideshows, make changes to local & cloud storage, update the frames’ firmware, and much more.
In summary, for less money, Pix-Star’s digital frames do a whole lot more than Sony digital frames – in almost every single area that matters. You don’t need to pay any extra fees and you’ll get significantly better value for money with Pix-Star’s frames – and something your home & family will treasure for a long time.
Do I get cloud storage with Sony digital frames?
Sony digital frames cannot connect to Wi-Fi and as such, they don’t have access to features like cloud storage. Most premium digital frames (many of them cost less than the Sony digital frame) offer cloud storage – though some of them charge optional annual subscriptions to unlock cloud storage & a handful of other features. Sony digital frames can only hold photos on their internal storage or view photos from a connected USB/SD card.
Can Sony digital frames play video & audio?
Sony’s digital frames can’t play videos or audio files. These frames are only designed to play around 200 of your favorite photos in slideshows. There are no inbuilt speakers and the frame can’t connect to external speakers/headphones. This is quite disappointing considering that competing frames like the Pix-Star (that are also cheaper) offer extensive video & audio support. You can play 2-minute video clips and audio can be played through either the inbuilt speakers or connected speakers/headphones.
Do Sony digital frames have a mobile app?
Sony digital frames don’t offer a supported mobile app or any way to send photos to the frame remotely. You can only send pictures to the frame by USB/SD card – and you have to copy them to the frame’s internal storage before they can be included in slideshows. If you want a digital frame with a mobile app that lets you send photos wirelessly, Pix-Star’s frames are an excellent choice.
The Pix-Star Snap mobile app lets you send up to 250 photos to multiple frames at the same time. You can send video & audio messages to – and anybody in the family can use the app without needing to create an account. You only need the receiving frame’s unique email address to start sending photos. If you’re worried about privacy, you can blacklist specific senders to prevent them from sending photos to your Pix-Star frames.
