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Digital picture frames can be a nice way to display your photos. They look more or less like a traditional picture frame, but use LCD technology to display your digital images. Many of them have memory card slots, which allows them to cycle through a very large number of your images, creating a continuous slideshow. Although there are a variety of models, not all of them are available in Canada, so I created this page to help Canadian shoppers.
Some frames have additional capabilities, such as playing short movies you may have recorded with your camera, including sound.
Note that there are many, many different types of memory card, so you will have to check the compatibility. However, memory cards are fairly inexpensive. Some device models support USB, in which case you provide your own USB memory card reader.
As of August 2006, digital picture frames are in the Can$250-300 range.
In addition to dedicated digital picture frames, there are many other image display options for your digital photos. Since most DVDs can display JPEG images from CD now, you can use a portable DVD player, which is sometimes cheaper than a picture frame. Of course, a regular DVD player can also be used to display photos in the same way on your TV. As well, some TVs and monitors have built-in memory card slots for this purpose. Also, a laptop can be used as a photo display station, and last but not least, of course any computer connected to a display device provides the option to slideshow your digital images.
You may want to resize your photos for display on the frames, as most of them have much lower resolution than a standard digital camera. This will enable you to fit many more images on a memory card.
You may not recognize many vendor names. Caveat Emptor.
These models selected specifically for availability in Canada. Prices are in Canadian dollars. Screen size measurements usually refer to diagonal measurement.
| Name | Size | Resolution | Price (Can$) | Storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centrios Digital Picture Frame | 5.6" | ? | $200 | Compatible memory cards include Secure Digital Card (SD), MultiMedia Card (MMC), Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Microdrive, & Compact Flash (CF). | From The Source (formerly Radio Shack Canada). You can instantly play MP3 music with the integrated speakers. Instantly play MPEG-I files stored on supported memory cards and MPEG-II files stored on Compact Flash Card (CF). Remote control. See reviews section below. |
| Westinghouse Digital Photo Frame DPF-0561 | 5.6" | 320x234 | approx Can$225 from J&R | Memory slot supporting CF I/II, Memory Stick, SD/MMC and XD memory cards. 8MB of internal flash memory. Can download using USB. | US$150. Might have customs fees. |
| Tao Spectare 89200-SHA | 5.6" | 960x324 | was $250 | memory card slot, 32 MB internal | Discontinued? Used to be available from Best Buy Canada and FutureShop Canada. Play your own background music through built-in stereo speakers. File Formats: JPEG, WAV, AVI. Remote control. USB. |
| Pacific Digital MemoryFrame 5x7 | 5" x 7" | 320x240 | was $297 from TigerDirect.ca | internal 16 MB RAM & 8MB Flash memory | "This item is no longer available" as of December 2005. Not recommended. See more advanced PV1 version below. USB interface but only to download into internal memory. |
| Pacific Digital MemoryFrame PV1 Personal Media Player | 5" x 7" (5.6" display) | 320 x 234 | $290 from Henry's (search for pacific digital), approx Can $250+ from Hammacher Schlemmer | memory card slot | A newer and more advanced frame than the "classic" MemoryFrame 5x7 above. Video playback: MPEG-4 SP with MP3 stereo sound, Resolutions up to 640x480 @30 fps, supports XviD. MP3 playback: Stereo MP3 decoding @ 16-320 kb/s CBR & VBR. Photo viewer: JPEG & BMP files. US$200 from Hammacher Schlemmer, might have customs fees. |
| Vialta VistaFrame | 6.8" | 384x234 | $290 from VideoPhoneCanada | SD, Memory Stick, SmartMedia, and MultiMediaCard. CompactFlash (Type I only). + internal | |
| Philips Digital Photo Display 7FF1AW/37 | 7" (3.6x5.4") | 720x480 | approx Can $375 from The Sharper Image | Memory slot supporting Secure Digital, Multimedia Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Compact Flash type I. 12MB internal. USB. | US$250. Might have customs fees. Rechargeable battery. |
| Westinghouse Digital Photo Frame DPF-0801 | 8" | 640x480 | approx Can$375 from J&R | Memory slot supporting CF I/II, Memory Stick, SD/MMC and XD memory cards. 8 MB of internal memory. Can download using USB. | US$250. Might have customs fees. |
| Digital Foci Image Moments Digital Picture Frame | 8" | 640x480 | approx Can $450 | memory card slot: CF I/II, Microdrive, SmartMedia, MMC, SD Card, Memory Stick, MS PRO, (miniSD, MS Duo, xD with adapter) | US$300. Might have customs fees. Remote control. Video: MPEG1, MPEG2, MJPEG. Music: MP3. Just released October 2005. |
| Pacific Digital Memory Frame 8x10 MF810S | 8" x 10" (10.4" display) | 800x600 | was $600 from Henry's (search for pacific digital - no longer available?) | internal memory only "stores 32-80 photos" | USB interface but only to download into internal memory. |
| PhotoVu PV1750 Digital Picture Frame | 17" | 1280x960 | approx Can$1275 | USB, WiFi | US$850. Might have customs fees. Use a WiFi or Ethernet network connection without additional hardware. Build-to-order, approximately 7-10 business days to ship. |
| PhotoVu PV1945 Digital Picture Frame | 19" | 1280x960 | approx Can$1500 | USB, WiFi | US$1000. Might have customs fees. Use a WiFi or Ethernet network connection without additional hardware. Build-to-order, approximately 7-10 business days to ship. |
| PhotoVu PV1955 Digital Picture Frame | 19" | 1280x960 | approx Can$1800 | USB, WiFi | US$1200. Might have customs fees. Brighter, higher contrast, wider viewing angle than PV1945. Use a WiFi or Ethernet network connection without additional hardware. Build-to-order, approximately 7-10 business days to ship. |
Last updated 2006-08-19. US to Canadian conversion at 1.5 C$ per US$.
You can try the TigerDirect.ca Digital Picture Frames category.
It may also be possible to order digital picture frames from these US online stores:
we do ship items to Canada. ... I will warn you that the shipping costs might be quite high due to customs costs and other federal fees.
Please feel free to contact me if you know of other models available in Canada, or other vendors.
These digital picture frame models may not be available in Canada. Prices are in US dollars.
| Name | Size | Resolution | Price (US$) | Storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceiva 3 | 5" x 7" | 640x480 | U$130 + $10/month | internal, 30 photos | Requires subscription. Based around local dial-up access, although new model supports "broadband" (Ethernet Internet). The help says it supports "select areas of Canada", although with direct Internet support now I don't see why it wouldn't work anywhere. |
| Westinghouse Digital Photo Frame DPF-0701 | 7" | U$200 | Memory slot supporting CF I/II, Memory Stick, SD/MMC and XD memory cards. 16 MB of internal memory. Can download using USB. |
I don't know of any vendors who sell these in Canada, or international vendors that will ship these to Canada.
| Name | Size | Resolution | Storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVtech Digital Picture Frames | various models | they do not ship to Canada | ||
| EDGE Digital Picture Frame | 5.6" | ? | Memory slot: SD Memory Cards, MultiMedia (MMC) Cards, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, IBM Microdrive, and Type I/II CompactFlash Cards | At this time we are not shipping outside the United States.Earphone jack, stereo speakers, S-Video (NTSC/PAL). Music: MP3. Video: Motion JPEG (AVI), MPEG-I, MPEG-II. |
| Name | Size | Resolution | Storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kodak Smart Picture Frame | 5 1/8" x 3 3/4" | 640x480 | Compact Flash (CF-I or CF-II) + internal | discontinued, see below for more info |
| Sony CyberFrame | discontinued. See 1999 article Sony's $900 picture frame. | |||
| Kensington Digital Photo Album | discontinued | |||
| Polaroid Digital Photo Frame | discontinued |
The frame I have is the Kodak Smart Picture Frame, non-networked version. It has a wood frame and 640x480 display. The internal 8 MB storage can hold up to 36 pictures, and you can add an additional Compact Flash I or II (CF-I or CF-II) card. It even works with the IBM Microdrive. Very nifty.
I got my Kodak Smart Picture Frames from CompGeeks.com some years ago. They ship internationally, but they may be permanently out of stock (the frame has been discontinued). You used to be able to find some US online stores that carried the KSPF using CNet Shopping but now there are none listed. Amazon.com used have the KSPF - now you might be able to find used ones there. Note that they do not ship electronics to Canada at this time. You should also be able to find a KSPF on eBay. It doesn't matter if it's the subscription version, it can be changed to a regular KSPF with a free firmware upgrade. There is some information on the upgrade in a DPreview thread.
My procedure to get files onto the KSPF was to use IrfanView to resize the images to 640x480, and then use the Kodak Smart Picture software to fix the thumbnails, following the instructions in a DPreview forum posting. I used the Windows version of KSP software, but there is also a Mac version.
There is a bunch of software listed on the Kodak EasyShare software page. I don't know if this software has the same capability to fix the thumbnails for the KSPF.
You can find a nice history of the KSPF, and probably an easier tool (I haven't tried it yet) on the page for Oscar's Thumb-Maker.
About the Centrios frame, John Burget wrote me an email on January 3, 2006:
Photos are extremely high contrast, and the contrast adjustment has little effect. ...
there is nothing that can be done about the extreme redness in the photos.
If you're skilled and/or ambitious, you can build your own out of e.g. an old laptop. See Laptop to Digital Picture Frame: Homemade Hack Resources for more info.
Also see Bringing the family photos into the kitchen: One man's quest to build the perfect digital picture frame from MSNBC October 31, 2005.
Portable DVD players can be cheaper than digital picture frames, but with many more capabilities in addition to being able to display still images. There are also devices called "media players", and various combinations of the two.
| Name | Size | Resolution | Price (Can$) | Storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centrios 3-in-1 Multimedia Player | $230 | DVD, memory slot, USB | From The Source (formerly Radio Shack Canada). Looks like a picture frame. DVD, DivX, JPEG, PhotoCD, music CD. Remote control. | ||
| Centrios Personal Media Player, 7" | 7" | $200 | DVD, memory slot, USB | From The Source (formerly Radio Shack Canada). DVD, DivX®, MP3/CD, DVD-R/+R, DVD-RW, VCD, SVCD and JPEG formats. Powered by an SC/DC adapter or battery. Includes battery, A/V cable and remote control. |
There are many other stores in Canada that sell portable DVD players, I am not going to list them all. If the device does not have a memory slot, you need to make sure it can play slideshows of JPEG images from CDs (and preferably DVDs as well). Also check whether it will read CDs and DVDs that you burn yourself. As of November 2005, prices are currently in the Can$150 - $350 range.
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