How to provide picture frames for your digital photos

By Vishnu K. Mahmud

JAKARTA (JP): I remember a scene from a movie I saw long ago: An old lady, Lorraine McFly, was looking out of her window at a beautiful landscape. However, there was a strange white line at the bottom of the windowpane. Lorraine tried to eliminate the offending streak but failed. She gave up, walked to the window and raised the screen; the beautiful outdoor background was just a picture, part of the Scenery Channel. That segment of Back to the Future Part 2 gave us a glimpse of our future: digital picture frames.

In the past, taking pictures was a costly hobby. Photographers must consider film, developing and printing expenses. You developed and printed entire rolls, regardless of whether the picture was "perfect" or not. Nowadays, with digital cameras, you can shoot as many pictures as you want, erasing the bad ones and printing only your masterpieces. You can even e-mail your photos to loved ones overseas. Usually, in order to view or display your digital pictures, you need a computer or a TV -- not anymore.

There are quite a few digital picture frames on the market today. The Photo Wallet (www.videochip.com) is a small photo display unit (4 inch diagonal display) that presents pictures at 320 x 240 resolution (24 bit color). You can view pictures manually using the forward or back buttons or the "slide show" feature that advances each frame automatically.

This extremely portable unit uses rechargeable lithium batteries that last for three hours of continuous picture viewing. The Photo Wallet uses Compact Flash memory cards (not included) that are used in many digital cameras. However, the memory cards are the only method of input as there is no direct connection to a computer to transfer photos. An additional Compact Flash reader/writer is necessary to transfer pictures from a PC to the memory card. Otherwise, you can just pop the Compact Flash out of your digital camera and plug it straight into the Photo Wallet. The Photo Wallet is ideal for traveling and retails for about US$350.

The Digi-Frame DF-560 (www.digi-frame.com) is a 5.6 inch Digital Picture frame that accepts three types of input: the Compact Flash, Fuji's Smart Media flash memory cards and a direct connection with a PC via serial cable. This unit looks like a more traditional picture frame with three interchangeable snap-on decorative frames. The Digi-Frame uses an active matrix TFT LCD screen similar to those used on laptop computers. The large, bright color display is capable of displaying thousands of colors and the contrast of the unit is user-adjustable.

It will automatically swivel the picture so it always appears the right side up when you rotate the frame. Not only does the unit have the slide show feature but you can also add transition effects (such as wipe, fade, mosaic and dissolve), special effects, time between changes, and more. The unit only accepts JPEG picture files that can be of any size up to the limit of the memory. The suggested retail price of the Digi-Frame is $599.

The Smart Picture Frame from Kodak (www.storybox.com) has only enough memory to store up to 36 pictures. However, the unit has a built-in Internet-ready modem that connects to Kodak's StoryBox Network allowing Smart Picture Frame owners to share pictures with each other, receive information channels from various Web content providers, and order Kodak-quality reprints right from the frame with just the touch of a button.

All owners must register their frames (first six months is free) to the StoryBox website which gives them personal homepage space, information channels and manages their Smart Picture Frame content. The picture frame also has the option to upload pictures from Compact Flash memory cards. However, you cannot connect the frame to your computer, since you manage your photos over the Internet. The suggested retail price of The Smart Picture Frame is $349. Subscription plans are extra and are definitely a long distance call from Indonesia.

The Ceiva (www.ceiva.com) is another Internet enabled picture frame. The unit has the largest screen (5 by 7 inches) but can only display photos horizontally. The idea of the Ceiva is to give the picture frame to parents or grandparents and manage the content of the frame over the Internet. Pictures of birthdays and anniversaries can be downloaded over the net so the photos can be viewed as quickly as possible. You can also download works of art from Ceiva's own gallery.

The unit can also receive news updates, lottery scores and weather sent straight to the picture frame. The setup and online software is very user-friendly. However, like the Smart Picture Frame, the service is U.S. oriented since the phone call by the Ceiva is a toll call from Indonesia. The modem is the only way to add pictures to this unit and subscription to the Ceiva network is a must. The unit retails for $249.

Sony's CyberFrame PHD-A55 (www.sony.com) is at the top end of the digital picture frame market. It utilizes a large 5.5 inch active matrix display that also displays small MPEG (Motion Picture Expert Group) movies in addition to pictures. Transferring files using Sony's own Memory Stick (not included) is a snap: just pop out the stick out of the camera, slide out the control panel and drop the stick in the slot provided.

However, like the Photo Wallet, that is the only way of entering photos into the unit. You may need a Memory Stick Reader (about $120 extra) to transfer digital pictures from the PC to the Memory Stick (about $100 for 64 megabytes!). Still, the quality of the pictures is excellent and the user-interface on the frame is surprisingly easy. You can also show a small digital clock and date display on the bottom part of the image area. There is even a small speaker to listen to the movies. The only drawback is its price; at $999.95.

Buying

You can purchase these items over the web or wait a few months since I am sure they will pop up in Mangga Dua or your favorite shopping malls soon. As with other electronics and computer items, the passage of time will always lower the price. If you are content with powering up your computer to view your pictures then these picture frames are probably not what you want for Christmas. However, it does save you the hassle of logging in, waiting, opening, and closing applications on your computer.

In the end, these digital picture frames offer us another way of communicating. The StoryBox and Ceiva provide us a way of sharing memories without the need of time consuming faxing or mailing photos. These frames are small consumer products that will someday be a part of every household. Digital photos are everlasting; they do not fade with time nor bend or crease. They will never disappear, unless you erase them. No need to go and develop photos at the drug store anymore. The power and control of photography is now truly in our hands. (vmahmud@yahoo.com)