A digital photo frame (also called a digital media frame) is a
picture frame that displays
digital photos without the need of a computer or printer. The introduction of digital photo frames predates tablet computers, which can serve the same purpose in some situations; however, digital photo frames are generally designed specifically for the stationary, aesthetic display of photographs and therefore usually provide a nicer-looking frame and a power system designed for continuous use.
Digital photo frames come in a variety of different
shapes and sizes with a range of features. Some may even play videos as well as display photographs. Owners can choose a digital photo frame that utilizes a WiFi connection or not, comes with cloud storage, and/or USB and SD card hub.
History
The first generation of digital photo frames were introduced in the 1990s and included screens with the ability to accept memory cards directly from digital cameras. Widespread adoption of digital cameras in the 1990s left consumers with thousands of digital photos without a viable way to view them. Commercially available digital photo frames started to appear shortly after the introduction of digital photos but did not find market adoption until the mid 2000s when the number of digital photos exploded with the integration of digital cameras into cell phones. First generation frames enjoyed widespread market adoption. The market peaked in 2009 at over $1B worldwide, but the introduction of Apple's iPad started the market's slow decline. First generation frames are still sold today at prices under $100.
The second generation of digital photo frames included connectivity to the Internet. In 1999 with the Ceiva introduced a digital photo frame with dialup connectivity.
By 2010 Nixplay and PixStar started to popularize digital frames with wifi connections, allowing consumers to upload photos from the web and connect to cloud based photo sharing and storage sites from Flickr, Picasa, Google Photos, Instagram and Facebook.
By 2016, the third generation of digital photo frames began to appear with companies like PhotoSpring, Aura and Joy. These frames employed tablet platforms to build photo frame features on top of. This allowed the use of touchscreen and battery technology for frames from PhotoSpring and Joy, and camera technology from Aura and Joy.
Features
Digital photo frames range in size from tiny keychain-sized units to large wall-mounted frames spanning several feet. The most common sizes range from to . Some digital photo frames can only display
JPEG
JPEG ( , short for Joint Photographic Experts Group and sometimes retroactively referred to as JPEG 1) is a commonly used method of lossy compression for digital images, particularly for those images produced by digital photography. The degr ...
pictures. Most digital photo frames display the photos as a
slideshow and usually with an adjustable time interval. They may also be able to send photos to a
printer, or have hybrid features. Examples are the Sony S-Frame F800, that has an integrated printer on its back, or the Epson PictureMate Show.
Digital photo frames typically allow the display of pictures directly from a camera's
memory card, and may provide internal memory storage. Some allow users to upload pictures to the frame's memory via a
USB connection, or wirelessly via
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...
technology. Others include support for wireless (
802.11) connections or use cellular technology to transfer and share files. Some frames allow photos to be shared from a frame to another.
Certain frames provide specific application support such as loading images over the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
from
RSS feeds,
photo sharing
A photograph (also known as a photo, or more generically referred to as an ''image'' or ''picture'') is an image created by light falling on a photosensitivity, photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor. Th ...
sites such as
Flickr,
Picasa and from
e-mail
Electronic mail (usually shortened to email; alternatively hyphenated e-mail) is a method of transmitting and receiving Digital media, digital messages using electronics, electronic devices over a computer network. It was conceived in the ...
.
Built-in speakers are common for playing video content with sound, and many frames also feature remote controls. Battery-operated units are also available for portable use.
Aspect ratio
The
aspect ratio
The aspect ratio of a geometry, geometric shape is the ratio of its sizes in different dimensions. For example, the aspect ratio of a rectangle is the ratio of its longer side to its shorter side—the ratio of width to height, when the rectangl ...
of the frames can vary. Common aspect ratios include: 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. (Sometimes 16:9 frames are actually 15:9)
Depending on the model and features, images which do not exactly fit the aspect ratio of the frame may be
cropped, stretched, or shrunk to fit. This could result in, respectively, images that are missing content, distorted, or which have blank space around them. This can be avoided by buying a frame with an aspect ratio that exactly matches the camera, or editing photos to the target aspect ratio before transferring them to the frame.
Security issues
In February 2008, a number of digital photo frames, such as the Insignia brand digital frames manufactured in China, were found to be carrying a
Trojan horse
In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer, Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending ...
dubbed
Mocmex on their internal data storage.
Instagram allow third party app users to connect to their Instagram photo content using
OAuth to display photo content and authenticate without the app storing login credentials. Digital photo frame apps are using this secure login protocol to eliminate security issues linked to storing login credentials.
See also
*
Internet radio device
An Internet radio device, also called network music player is a hardware device that is capable of receiving and playing streaming media, streamed media from either Internet radio stations or a home network.
Background
Streaming media became main ...
*
Media phone
*
Photo sharing
A photograph (also known as a photo, or more generically referred to as an ''image'' or ''picture'') is an image created by light falling on a photosensitivity, photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor. Th ...
References
{{Reflist
Digital photography
Digital imaging
Picture framing