Digital Picture Frames

April 28, 2005 10:19 AM

What's your verdict on digital picture frames? I have been largely unimpressed until I came across this -- a steep investment but tempting nonetheless for a photophile like me. Right now, I'm loving the slide show screensaver on my PC but it still sits there in the office, apart from the mainstream of the house. I have more than 10,000 images and it would be nice to display them dynamically in a classy setting. Tiny table top frames just don't seem to cut it. Would I be throwing too much at this? What works for you?
posted by terrier319 to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

Hmmm.... I do like it, but given the cost, I find I'm thinking less of getting it (or something similar) and thinking more of how I could pull off something similar for equal/fewer dollars with a 19" or even a 21" LCD, a glued-on wooden frame, and a long, hidden monitor cable. That being said, I'm sure there's a dozen little details I'm overlooking that would both drive the price up and drive me crazy.

But from a very knee-jerk standpoint, $500 seems like the sweet-spot cut-off for something like this.
posted by jalexei at 11:16 AM on April 28, 2005

Yikes - these things are all way too expensive.

How about a TiVO connected to a small TV. Use the Home Media Option to share the photos from your PC or Mac. You can get a TiVO for around a $100 with rebates, but you will need to pay a monthly fee (but you will with the picture services, too).
posted by cptnrandy at 12:21 PM on April 28, 2005

They have no competitors in their niche, and the price reflects that. But it also means no other options.

I suppose you could homebrew something by dismantling an 17" LCD (which is around $250), but you still need something to drive it (like a Mac mini), and it would require some woodworking skills to look good.
posted by smackfu at 12:36 PM on April 28, 2005

You want this, or this or this right? A DIY approach will probably get you in at slightly cheaper, but more cost in time...
posted by plinth at 1:46 PM on April 28, 2005

Similar to plinth's second link, I recall someone turned an old laptop into a picture frame. You can get older laptops for pretty cheap off of eBay
posted by PurplePorpoise at 2:43 PM on April 28, 2005

Oh, here's a link.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 2:48 PM on April 28, 2005

An old laptop into a digital picture frame, what an awesome idea! Here is another link.
posted by LarryC at 3:03 PM on April 28, 2005

I built one out of a Powerbook G3. It runs Mac OS X.2, and via my home wireless network, downloads a random, scaled image from my Gallery installation every few minutes.

It took me a couple of days to build. The frame and matte were bought at the local craft store, and the box it live in was built out of 1/8" MDF glued together with liquid nails.

It will lean horizontally or vertically at the appropriate angle propped on the frame edge and the box's back.

Via Applescript and Speakable items, I can tell the frame to reload, or I can request portrait or landscape photos.

I haven't had a chance to put in mercury switches to cause the orientation of the pictures to be automatic, but that would be a fairly simple hack.
posted by tomierna at 7:06 PM on April 28, 2005

Oh, here's some pictures of partial progress:
Front
Back
Box
posted by tomierna at 7:09 PM on April 28, 2005