How to Choose a Digital Picture Frame

To say that digital picture frames come in all shapes and sizes is only scratching the surface. There are about as many types of digital photo frames and differences between them as there are automobiles or breakfast cereals. To decide what custom digital picture frame to get for yourself or your business - whether for personal or promotional use (or both), consider the following factors:

• Size:  By size, we mean specifically, the size of the LCD display screen. How large do you want your photos to appear? Digital photo frames come in sizes as small as will fit on a keychain and as large as a computer monitor (13", 15", even 17"). The size, incidentally, refers to the diagonal measurement from one corner of the display screen to its opposite corner (such as the upper left to the lower right). Unless you're specifically looking to attach a digital photo frame to a keychain, though, 8" can be considered a minimum screen size suitable for displaying most photos. Also, digital pictures frames with screen sizes of 7" and smaller are usually analog (and therefore offer lower contrast ratios and brightness levels than their digital counterparts), whereas screen sizes above that number are digital.
  
  
• Shape/Aspect Ratio:  As with a television, the aspect ratio of a digital photo frame indicates the ratio of width to height. An aspect ratio of 4:3 matches that of the pictures taken by most still digital cameras, though some are 3:2. For an aspect ratio that resembles more a widescreen digital TV set, you'll want 16:9.
  
  
• Contrast Ratio:  This determines how sharp and vivid the pictures can be displayed. Extremely low contrast ratios lead to photos looking washed out. The highest of contrast ratios display pictures so sharp and clear it seems you could almost crawl inside them. Contrast ratios of 300:1 are decent, while 400:1 is considered superior.
  
  
• Resolution:  This is the other key factor that determines the clarity of the images being displayed in a custom digital picture frame. The higher the resolution, the more pixels per square inch, the clearer the images. An excellent resolution for a quality digital photo frame is 800x600.
  
  
• Brightness:  The brighter the screen, the better, provided you aren't sacrificing contrast ratio for brightness.
  
  
• File Types Supported:  Not all digital photo frames support all types of picture/photo files. The most common file types include: JPEG, GIF, TIFF, and BMP.
  
  
• Additional Media Supported:  Many custom digital photo frames don't only support pictures and photos, but audio and video as well.  
  
  
• Connectivity:  A USB port seems to be a bare minimum for adequate connectivity to most Macs and PCs, though you may also be interested in digital picture frames enabled for Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi file transfer.
  
  
• Expandability:  If you want to allow for the possibility of including more pictures in a digital photo frame than the built-in memory permits, then custom digital photo frames with an expandable memory card slot is what you need. Of course, different digital picture frames support different types of memory cards (many supporting more than one). Make sure the digital photo frames you buy support the types of memory cards you use: MMC, SD, miniSD, MS, MS Pro, MS Duo, MS Pro Duo, CF, CM, MD, XD, etc.
  
  
• Other Features:  One feature many people enjoy is the ability to display multiple photos in a Slide Show format, transitioning smoothly from picture to picture at specified intervals. And digital photo frames that play MP3s and have Slide Show capabilities allow users to program musical background to their cycling images.  Another useful feature is remote control over the digital picture frame, allowing users to remotely change what images (music, videos, etc.) come up when. Still another great feature is the option to choose whether to display pictures in "portrait" or "landscape" mode.
  
  
• Style:  Lastly, you'll want to find the style of frame that suits you best. Do you want a wide, oak frame, for example, or a narrow metal frame? Do you prefer Lucite or metal, plain or colored, etc.?