A high-resolution digital photo frame might be just what your home or room needs to come to life. We show you what to look for in these frames. You’ll also find out if it’s worth sacrificing other features to go for a higher resolution display. We’ll also cover topics like touchscreen, Wi-Fi & cloud capabilities, and more! Let’s get started.
What is the best high-resolution digital photo frame for the money?
When it comes to digital photo frames, there’s a lot more to consider than just the resolution of the display. There’s so much more that goes into making a great digital photo frame. A lot of that is made up of the features and functions it offers – but just how much are you willing to sacrifice for that razor-sharp picture.
There’s always a give and take with a digital photo frame. This is done to stay competitive and not price the frame out of the market. After all, there is only so much money that people are willing to pay for a digital photo frame. While you can find 2-4K displays on digital photo frames, they’re going to cost you around $1,000. This is a significant chunk of cash – and these frames are usually outdone in terms of ease of use and versatility by frames that cost under $200.
Pix-Star’s digital photo frame uses a 1024×768 display to bring you a sharp, clear, and color-accurate digital photo frame. The 4:3 aspect ratio avoids cropping and distorting photos – meaning you don’t need to worry about those ugly black pillar bars surrounding your photos. 4:3 isn’t very common among the top digital photo frame, which is unfortunate as they perfectly match most of the photos taken on our smartphones and point-and-shoot cameras.
Pix-Star’s digital frame lets you send photos to the frame from anywhere in the world with the mobile app and web interface. Alternatively, you can email your photos to the frame’s unique address as attachments.
One of the most useful features is Pix-Star’s web album support. You can link your frame to selected pictures on your favorite social media and photo-sharing sites like Dropbox, Google Photos, Facebook, Instagram, and more. It’s a great way to keep everybody in the family up to date with the latest photos and make sharing effortless.
While the Pix-Star’s display isn’t the highest resolution on the market, the versatile aspect ratio and sharp picture with adjustable brightness and color settings enhance immersion and give you a premium viewing experience.
What should I look for in a high-resolution digital photo frame?
Make sure you choose a digital photo frame with a resolution of at least 800×600. This ensures the picture is clear enough to avoid being pixelated. For digital frames larger than 12-inches, aim for at least 1024×768 pixel displays.
Aspect ratio is another key consideration. 16:9 displays are arguably the most common – but come with several issues. They don’t match most of the photos taken on smartphones and cameras. Since most of us take pictures with either a phone or a simple point-and-shoot digital camera, 16:9 displays will crop, zoom, distort, or surround your photos with unsightly black pillar bars. This ruins the viewing experience and breaks immersion. The best aspect ratio is 4:3 as it matches the ratio of most phones and point-and-shoot cameras.
Other features like manual control over the brightness and color settings of the frame can help you customize the look and style to suit different rooms and moods. You should have at least 250cd/m2 of brightness to make sure the frame is easy to view in brightly lit rooms and living rooms.
Go for a display with a matte finish to avoid harsh reflections and poor viewing angles. You should avoid touchscreens as the fingerprints build up quickly and ruin the viewing experience. Touchscreens increase the cost of the frame and reduce the overall durability and longevity – especially on displays larger than 8-inches.
Should I buy a high-resolution digital photo frame with a touchscreen?
Touchscreens on digital photo frames should be avoided because fingerprints are a bigger issue than you’d think. The oil from your fingers builds upon the display over time (even with aggressive cleaning) and gradually affects the viewing experience.
This is even worse on matte-finish displays as the oil builds up even quicker and is harder to clean. Glossy finishes are equally bad in that they reflect light and make it hard to view the display. There isn’t a middle ground trade-off.
When you consider the reduced durability and longevity of touchscreen displays, it’s hard to justify spending more. They’re complicated for most elderly users and have too many issues to be practical. Unless you are dead set on a touchscreen, you’ll get much better value from a non-touch frame like Pix-Star’s top-selling 10-inch digital photo frame.
Can a high-resolution digital photo frame play video?
Most premium digital photo frames with high-resolution displays can play video – though it’s not a universally offered feature. Additionally, many frames like the Skylight frame and Nixplay frame charge recurring subscription fees to unlock and extend video playback support (and using the mobile app to send videos to the frame).
With Pix-Star’s digital frame, you can play video clips with a max length of 2-minutes (compared to 15-seconds with Nixplay). You can send videos using the Pix-Star Snap mobile app and by USB/SD card. Videos are supported in multiple formats and automatically backed up to your free-for-life and unlimited cloud storage. Pix-Star lets you include videos in slideshows with or without audio.
Can I display high-resolution photos on a digital photo frame?
You shouldn’t send photos to your digital frame that have a higher resolution than your frame’s native resolution. For example, if you sent a 1920×1080 picture to a frame that has an 800×600 display, it will scale the image down to match the frame’s display. This means you end up using a lot more storage space as larger resolution images take up more space – but don’t benefit from the higher resolution.
You should also avoid sending photos with lower resolutions than your frame’s native resolution. On top of this, try to match your frame’s native aspect ratio to make sure it uses the full screen and doesn’t get boxed in or distorted.
