What are the best modern digital picture frames for families?
The best modern digital picture frame for the money at the moment is Pix-Star’s 10-inch frame. You get free-for-life cloud storage, access to a mobile app & web interface, versatile slideshows, premium build quality, a 4:3 display, and the ability to send/receive photos, videos, and audio messages from anywhere in the world – in just a few short moments.
Pix-Star’s digital photo frames are easy to interconnect, they make sharing special moments & memories with your loved ones quick & intuitive, and offer extensive offline functionality. Pix-Star’s frames can be mounted on the wall in either orientation and can be remotely controlled from anywhere in the room – and from anywhere in the world via the web dashboard. You can have almost the same level of control as you would using the frame in person.
These 10-inch frames are cheaper than most other premium frames, yet they don’t charge any recurring or hidden fees. Pix-Star’s frames are capable, versatile, great for families & grandparents, and offer reliable & durable real-world performance. Bulk discounts are available and all of Pix-Star’s frames are on discount right now at the Pix-Star Shop!
Can modern digital picture frames play videos and display professional photos?
Pix-Star’s modern digital picture frames can play videos, include them in slideshows, play them muted, and even group them into custom slideshows. Videos clips need to meet the 2-minute length restriction (which is more than almost all other digital frames on the market).
Send videos to your Pix-Star frames using either the Pix-Star Snap (by selecting the videos from your phone’s gallery) or via USB/SD card. A wide range of formats are supported by the frames. Videos are automatically saved to the frame’s internal storage and backed up to the cloud (unless they’re played via Pix-Star’s plug-and-play feature from a connected USB/SD card).
Pix-Star’s frames are great for displaying professional photos due to their 4:3 aspect ratio, bright display, and manually adjustable brightness & color settings. 4:3 aspect ratios are arguably the best for digital frames as they perfectly match the photos most smartphones take and do the best job of any digital frames’ aspect ratios at matching the 3:2 ratio that most full-frame DSLRs shoot in.
Pix-Star offers versatile slideshows that give you almost total control over the play order & frequency at which photos are displayed (which is a common pain point for many competing digital frames). You can easily create highly personalized, custom slideshows via the media gallery – or remotely control & start them from anywhere in the world – the perfect feature for home galleries and busy artists/photographers.
Can modern digital picture frames be remotely controlled?
Remote-control functionality is a key feature of many of the best modern digital picture frames. Pix-Star’s digital frames arguably offer the most comprehensive and intuitive remote-control feature. It’s a great way to make sharing & viewing photos for the whole family effortless and smooth.
In most cases, digital frames are remote-controlled via their web dashboard, though some use mobile apps. It’s also worth noting that some digital frames at the top will lock their remote-control feature behind a paywall by restricting access to the web interface to those who have paid for the premium subscription.
With Pix-Star’s digital frames, you can remote-control & manage up to 25 connected Pix-Star frames via the web dashboard. You can bulk control several frames at the same time, or you individually manage the desired frames. Pix-Star’s remote-control function lets you adjust the frames’ settings, start & manage slideshows, make changes to cloud (and local) storage, link web albums, update firmware, and much more.
Pix-Star’s remote-control feature is excellent for families and you can control who sees what, when, and how – no matter where you are in the world. All you need is Wi-Fi and an online & connected Pix-Star frame. Frames can be added to the web interface intuitively and all you need is their unique serial number (only required the first time you add the frame to a group or account).
Do modern digital picture frames offer Wi-Fi & cloud storage?
Many high-end modern digital picture frames offer extensive Wi-Fi & cloud functionality – though the extent to which they perform varies wildly. For example, Aura frames offer Wi-Fi connectivity, but you have to rely on the company servers to access all of your photos & view them on the frame. Nixplay’s frames offer cloud storage, but you need to pay an annual subscription fee to expand and use their cloud services. Pix-Star’s frames, on the other hand, offer full Wi-Fi connectivity and free-for-life cloud storage (along with free access to their mobile app & web dashboard).
Most cheap to mid-range digital frames don’t offer any Wi-Fi connectivity. As such, they don’t have other enabled features like cloud storage, weather forecasts, web music & radio, etc. If you want to send photos to your frames wirelessly, or want a digital frame(s) that caters to families & elderly users, we strongly recommend you stick to the premium modern digital picture frames like the Pix-Star and other top options!
Do modern digital picture frames run on batteries?
Very few modern digital picture frames run on batteries. While this may seem like an odd path to follow, it’s for good reasons. Battery-operated digital picture frames aren’t nearly as versatile as standard-powered digital frames. They can’t pack the same features due to their limited battery lives, which often cost more, and battery life tends to taper off later into the frame’s life. They often lack essential features like Wi-Fi & cloud capabilities, have smaller displays, and only last for 2 to 4 or 5-hours at the most.
Battery-operated digital picture frames do still exist but are very rare in the higher end of the market (which is the only range we recommend you shop from). You have a very limited selection to choose from, they aren’t very alluring, and you’re less likely to get good value for money with them.
This isn’t to say that battery-powered frames are useless, they’re just very niche. Their main advantage is their portability (which sadly is often let down by poor battery performance and limited feature sets). Unfortunately, this advantage is overshadowed by several issues such as small display size, limited slideshow controls, no way to send photos wirelessly, lack of remote-control functionality, no cloud storage, etc. The list goes on, making battery-operated digital frames less than an idea for the modern home & family!
