Is the Pix-Star’s digital photo frame video any good?
Pix-Star’s digital photo frame video support is excellent compared to what most other digital frames offer – even in the premium digital frame range. That being said, it’s worth noting that digital photo frames weren’t designed to focus on video playback and support – but aim to make sharing and viewing photos with your loved ones as effortless and smooth as possible. Video playback and support is simply a bonus feature offered by a handful of the top digital photo frames on the market.
Pix-Star’s digital photo frame lets you play video clips with a maximum length of no more than 2-minutes. This is the only restriction on video support, and while it might not seem like much at first glance, it’s more than almost all other digital photo frames offer. For example, Nixplay frame only lets you play 15-second video clips – though you can pay a subscription fee to unlock video support for clips up to 1-minute (only). Skylight frames have similar restrictions and subscriptions and paywalls.
Pix-Star’s digital photo frame video support comes free. There are no hidden costs and no recurring monthly/annual subscription fees. You can use the mobile app to send videos via the mobile app or by USB/SD card, but we’ll explore this in a moment.
In summary, Pix-Star’s 4:3 aspect ratio, Wi-Fi connectivity, free-for-life cloud storage, and features, and lenient video support give it the edge over the competition. You get excellent value for money and features that outdo most competitors (even with their subscription packages) – and without charging any hidden or recurring fees. It’s a great frame for the family and specifically caters to elderly users!
What should I look for in a digital photo frame for videos?
Since most digital photo frames have video restrictions and limits, you should find a frame that loosens these limits. For example, if you want to send quick video updates while on holiday, a mobile app that lets you send quick videos is essential. If you want to send slightly longer video clips and messages, you need a digital photo frame that lets you play video clips longer than one minute.
Pix-Star’s 10 & 15-inch digital photo frames are an excellent place to start and offer tons of features and functions to make video playback even more immersive. A 4:3 aspect ratio display naturally matches most photos and videos taken on our smartphones and point-and-shoot cameras. This means that videos don’t need to be boxed in by ugly black pillar bars, and there won’t be any distortion or cropping.
Cloud storage is essential if you want to remotely manage all the photos and videos from connected digital photo frames. With Pix-Star, you can easily edit and manage all connected frames’ storage through the web interface from anywhere in the world. You can even remotely control the frames to start slideshows, create new folders & albums, adjust settings, and much more!
Can all digital photo frames play videos?
Not all digital photo frames support video playback. It’s usually limited to a couple of the top digital photo frames like the Pix-Star, Nixplay, and Skylight frames. That being said, most of these frames (Nixplay & Skylight) require you to upgrade and pay a subscription fee to unlock video playback, extend maximum limits, and send videos through the mobile app. Pix-Star’s digital photo frame is one of the few that offer extensive video features for free.
Most budget and mid-range digital photo frames cannot play videos. This is usually a choice made by the manufacturer due to low-resolution display, limited internal storage, slow frame rates, and compatibility issues (among other technical issues).
How to easily send videos to a Pix-Star digital photo frame?
Pix-Star is known for being one of the easiest digital photo frames to send photos, videos, and audio notes to – from anywhere in the world. This is due mainly to its extensive Wi-Fi capabilities, and in part due to features like cloud storage and a smooth user interface.
The easiest way to send video to the Pix-Star digital photo frame is via the mobile app. The app is called the “Pix-Star Snap” mobile app. It’s compatible across both iOS and Android and can be used on tablets and smartphones. Pix-Star Snap lets you send multiple videos and photos to several frames at the same time. All you need is the receiving Pix-Star frame’s unique assigned email address and you can send media from anywhere in the world.
Through the Pix-Star Snap mobile app, you can even send entire folders and collections from your phone’s gallery – and by extension – the phone’s storage. Videos don’t take long to appear on the frame where they can be viewed and included in slideshows.
The other way to send videos to the Pix-Star digital photo frame is by USB/SD card. Load the videos to the USB/SD card and insert them into the Pix-Star frame’s relevant ports. You can then copy the videos across to the frame’s internal storage and view them offline. Here’s an in-depth guide on how to send photos and videos to the Pix-Star digital photo frame by USB/SD card.
Can I include videos in a digital photo frame’s slideshow?
This isn’t a universally offered feature and varies wildly between brands and digital photo frame models. The vast majority of digital photo frames don’t let you include videos in slideshows. It’s mainly due to photos and videos being stored in very different locations on the frame’s internal storage.
With frames like the Pix-Star, you can include videos into slideshows via slideshow settings. This can be done from the main settings menu or the mini-settings menu that accessible without having to leave the slideshow. Under the “Video-mail options” you can set the Pix-Star frame to include videos into slideshows. You can then choose if you want the videos to play with sound or to be muted when included in slideshows. Note that the whole video clip will play, so you don’t need to worry about them being cut off early.
