What are the best digital wall frames at the moment?
Pix-Star’s frames are likely the best digital wall frames available on today’s market. While there are a lot of important features to look at, Pix-Star’s frames seem to focus on what matters most – ease of use, versatility, and real-world functionality. These frames come with free-for-life cloud storage, extensive Wi-Fi capabilities and related features, the Pix-Star Snap mobile app, a web dashboard, and much more.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of Pix-Star’s frames is their versatile and robust feature set. You can send & receive photos from anywhere in the world. Sending photos can be done by email, or mobile app, importing albums from social media & photo-sharing accounts, USB/SD card, and more.
One of our favorite features on Pix-Star’s digital wall frames is the remote-control function. Here you can manage up to 25 connected Pix-Star frames from a single user account via the web dashboard. It’s an excellent feature for families as you can change each frame’s settings, remotely start & control slideshows, update the frame’s software, manage local & cloud storage, and much more. You have almost the same level of control over the frame as you would use it in person.
Pix-Star’s mobile app (Pix-Star Snap) is one of the best mobile apps at the moment. You can send pictures, videos, and audio messages to several frames at the same time. You can send up to 250 photos at the same time and can add frames to the app just by their email address. Photos sent via the mobile app are automatically backed up to the cloud and can be accessed offline as they’re saved to the frame’s internal storage.
You’ll find that your Pix-Star frame’s web dashboard is an essential part of what makes these frames so versatile. Here you can remotely control all your Pix-Star frames, manage cloud storage, and more. Perhaps one of the more unique features is Pix-Star’s web album feature. It lets you link photos from almost a dozen social media and photo-sharing platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Google Photos, Flickr, Google Drive, Dropbox, and more.
Web albums are saved to your Pix-Star frame’s internal storage and can be viewed in slideshows even when the frame isn’t connected to the internet. Pix-Star’s web albums can be automated to sync photos to all linked frames as soon as you add them to the album. This makes sharing photos with everyone in the family quick and effortless. They can be managed remotely and you can start slideshows remotely from specific web albums.
How to send pictures to digital wall frames?
Premium digital wall frames can usually receive photos from several different methods. Cheaper and mid-range frames are often a lot more limited – though there are some exceptions. The most common and most accessible method is by USB/SD card. Simply load the desired photos to a compatible USB/SD card and insert them into the frame. In many cases, you can play a slideshow directly off the USB/SD card – though you may have to copy the contents to internal storage at times.
Sending photos to your digital wall frame by email is another common feature. It’s not as common as the USB/SD card method but is found more among mid to high-end frames. Pix-Star invented and pioneered the idea of a digital wall frame with a dedicated email address. Using this method, you can send multiple photos to several frames at the same time. Your frame needs to be connected to Wi-Fi to receive them. Some frames like the Pix-Star can even be set to automatically display newly received photo-mail in slideshows on the display.
Perhaps the most capable and versatile method is through the supported mobile app. Note that very few digital wall frames come with a mobile app – it’s something that’s almost exclusively found among premium frames like the Pix-Star. Mobile apps are excellent as we almost always have our phones with us, so you’re less likely to miss an important moment. Apps like the Pix-Star Snap let you send videos and audio messages too. You can also select entire photo collections and folders from your phone’s gallery to several frames at the same time.
How to set up digital wall frames?
When you’re looking for a digital wall frame, check that they support a standard VESA mount and/or dedicated hanging holes. These offer the most secure and least damaging wall mount. If the frame doesn’t come with a built-in wall-mounting setup, it can be a big job to mount them on the wall.
You’ll often need to create a custom frame or make a cutout on your wall. The good news is that most premium digital wall frames like the Pix-Star support a standard VESA mount and come with hanging holes built-in. There’s also an attachable stand that lets you rest the frame on a flat surface securely.
Another important consideration is orientation. Some premium digital wall frames like the Pix-Star let you mount the frame in either landscape or portrait mode without much trouble. You need to decide which orientation is best for your specific setup – though you can change it around relatively easily in the future.
Try to make sure the digital wall frame is away from direct sunlight and over hot/humid/wet areas. It’s not advisable to mount these frames in a small kitchen or a bathroom. They’re best suited to larger or higher-traffic rooms like master bedrooms, living/dining rooms, etc.
Can digital wall frames be remotely controlled?
Most digital wall frames that have a built-in mounting system come with a way to remotely control the frame. Some frames let you do this using the handheld remote control; whereas other frames like the Pix-Star let you remotely control the frame via the web dashboard from your computer. This is less common, but lets you adjust the frame’s settings and start slideshows from anywhere in the world.
Can digital wall frames play videos?
Video playback & support isn’t a universally offered feature – but it’s a great one to have. Most premium digital wall frames let you play short video clips, with Pix-Star’s frames letting you play 2-minute clips (this is longer than what almost all other digital wall frames support).
Videos need to be in a compatible format and within the size or length limitation to play on the frame. Note that some frames like the Nixplay or Skylight charge extra fees to unlock features like cloud storage (or expand it), use of the mobile app, video support & playback, etc. Frames like the Pix-Star offer these features for free and deliver them fully unlocked & ready to use.
