What are the best 15-inch large digital frames for families?
The Pix-Star 15-inch large digital frames are one of the most versatile choices available today. While the selection of larger digital frames isn’t quite as broad as the 8-inch or 10-inch size categories, there are still quite a few options to choose from. Pix-Star’s large digital frames stand out thanks to their robust feature set, 4:3 aspect ratios, easy-to-navigate menus, free-for-life cloud storage, and much more.
The Pix-Star frame is very easy to send photos, videos, and audio messages to – no matter where you are in the world. The photo-mail option lets you send pictures from any device directly to your Pix-Star frames’ dedicated email address. The receiving frames can even be set to automatically display newly received photos within the current slideshow – making sure you don’t miss important updates.
Pix-Star’s mobile app (called the Pix-Star Snap) is very simple and capable. The interface is very easy to use – even for elderly users. This app lets you send up to 250 photos to multiple Pix-Star frames at the same time. It’s the perfect choice for busy families, those that are spread out all over the country/world, or those with elderly users that want to get involved in the sharing. You can also send videos & audio messages directly to your frames.
A unique feature of Pix-Star’s large 15-inch digital frames is their web album feature. This feature lets you link & sync selected photo albums directly from your computer, or almost a dozen social media & photo-sharing sites (Facebook, Google Photos & Drive, Instagram, etc.). They’re saved to internal storage and can be viewed without a Wi-Fi connection.
Unlike other top digital frames like the Aura frame, Pix-Star’s frames can work without being connected to Wi-Fi. Where Aura frames need a constant connection to the cloud servers, Pix-Star’s frames can run off their internal storage or a connected USB/SD card. This means you can always view slideshows and are never more than a few moments from your favorite memories.
Pix-Star’s large 15-inch digital frames are priced very competitively – coming in just below many competing frames (while offering more in terms of features & functions). Their build quality is excellent and they can be mounted in almost any room (either on the wall or rested on a flat surface). There are no extra recurring costs or hidden fees and all the frame’s features are free to use – unlike competing frames like the Nixplay or Skylight.
How to send photos & other media to large digital frames?
The most convenient way to send photos & other media to a large digital frame is by mobile app. Since we almost always have our phones with us, this method is intuitive and responsive. With mobile apps like the Pix-Star Snap, you can send up to 250 photos at the same time – and can also send videos & audio messages to multiple frames. You can select photos & other media from your phone’s gallery or capture them directly inside the app. Alternatively, you can send entire folders & collections for quick bulk sharing.
With cheaper digital frames, USB/SD cards offer the only way to send photos to the frame. While this is a feature that’s offered by more premium frames too, it’s usually one of their many methods for sharing. Some digital frames have a plug-and-play feature, letting you play slideshows off inserted USB/SD cards without having to copy their content to the frame’s internal storage first.
Photo-mail lets you send photos to your frame’s unique email address from anywhere in the world. It’s a concept that was created by Pix-Star and they arguably do the best job at offering this feature. Note that the mobile app usually uses the frame’s email address to receive the sent photos.
Finally, web albums are the least common, but probably the most capable of the bunch. You can select and link photo albums from different social media, online storage, and photo-sharing sites directly to your connected frames. These web albums can then be viewed on the frame in slideshow – and can be remotely started with some digital frames like the Pix-Star. Web albums can be automatically updated when new photos are added – making sharing photos with your loved ones effortless and hand-off on their part.
What to look for in a large digital frame’s display?
Try to get a large digital frame with a 4:3 aspect ratio as it perfectly matches most of the photos taken on modern smartphones. While 16:9 displays are arguably better for video playback, digital picture frames don’t focus on video. 16:9 displays often run into issues with photos being cropped, distorted, or boxed into the center of the screen by black pillar bars.
Another essential tip is to avoid large digital frames with touchscreens. Similar sized panels with the same resolution will be quite a lot cheaper than the touch-panel version. The result is that you get worse value for money and poorer durability & longevity. They’re more prone to wear and tear – and you’ll constantly need to clean off the fingerprint buildup. This becomes a serious issue with matte finish touch screen displays as the oil and dirt from your fingers are difficult to safely clean off.
Can large digital frames stream movies?
Digital frames cannot stream movies, TV shows, or access sites like YouTube or Netflix. These frames are designed to display your favorite & most precious memories in slideshows, not to replace your TV, tablet, or computer. They cater to different need sets such as making sharing photos effortless, replacing frames photos with a lot of extra functionality, and so on.
How many photos can large digital frames hold at once?
A large digital frame with 8GB of internal storage can hold around 30,000 photos depending on their size, format, and resolution. This is why it’s important to scale down photos to match the native resolution of your digital frames – or you’re just wasting storage space. That being said, digital frames like the Pix-Star are ever likely to run out of storage space as they also support USB/SD cards without having a maximum size limit.
