Be Excellent To Each Other

It's my lovely nan's birthday coming up. She doesn't want anything for her birthday, just like every year, but of course I want to get her a gift. One thing she really likes is photographs - her walls are full of them, and that's the problem. Get her a nice frame and put a picture of you gurning in it and she'll love it, and she'll leave you with the job of finding that one 10" square piece of bare wall, probably at knee level, to hang it in. So, what she could do with is a small space that can display LOADS of pictures, and ta-da, someone has gone and invented digital picture frames.

The thing is, I have seen them in boxes and on the internet, but never in real life - I have never seen one working, and whilst I was looking at a couple I stumbled upon in Boots this morning, the pixel ratio seems, to me who has not seen one in action, very low.

I was wondering if anyone here had ever seen one, or indeed owned one, and what they are like. And if anyone had any particular experience of them, if they could recommend one? I don't know if my budget will buy one as I have about £60, or could stretch to about £80 if it meant getting something that would be noticeably better. The only other thing, apart from quality, that I would look for is that it could take and SD card, rather than a memory stick or CF card (or as well as, anyway).

We've got one. It's about 6 inches across.

I'm not going to recommend it to you, becaue it's much of a muchness, but I will say not to get too hung up on the resolution. Remember, the ones you were looking at in Boots, you were probably one foot away from. In your (or your nan's) house, you'll likely be on the other side of the room most of the time, rather than sat cradling it in your lap.

Oh, no, that's what I meant Ross - I only saw them in the box - I have never seen one (of any brand) actually working. My Nan will almost certainly have it on the little table that is nearby her favourite armchair, as I doubt she'd see anything from across the room (she has good eyesight, but not at any distance, you see )

In general (your nan may be an exception here) please don't buy these, they're an environmental nightmare. It's like leaving another PC monitor or TV on 24/7 that you look at maybe once every couple of days.

Do bear in mind your nan will be playing the electricity bill for the sodding thing too.

Unless you spend decent money they look shit and tacky. And of course they use electricity all the time they are on.

A small one for a desk is probably best, but to hang one on the wall? To get something of a decent size and quality you'll need to spend a few bob.

Also ignoring my other concerns, if it's on the wall won't it need a huge mains wire running down said wall?

Oh aye, they're pretty cool things, but they'll not be around in a few years (maybe even sooner) time. It's just a fad I reckon.

And please don't call me Ross.

My friends call me Russell.

I see them as the logical progression to those horrible pictures that light up and animate that you see being sold in shopping centres.*

Who buys them? Why? Has anyone on here bought one? If so the Kilroy programme would like to hear from you......


* I don't know what they are called.

@ Chinny - One of my clients has a couple of those in her living room, they look as tacky as they are in my opinion.

@ Mimi - have you thought about getting something that she can change the pictures around on? You used to be able to get cubes or a sort of photo rolladex thingy?

I have a similar Grandmother who, when moving to a smaller house, had to re-house any number of her near-infinite framed photos. She was given just such a digital photo frame, and it now sits on her sideboard cycling through the memories much to the approval of all concerned.

The resolution is perfectly fine (though I couldn't tell you what it is) as we weren't dealing with the A1 best photography in the first place.

Recommended. Though keep in mind, it's unlikely to be Gran who's uploading new images or sorting out the one of your great-grandparents that is amusingly upside down.

Mr Russ: I am sorry, tha was just a typo, but I do often get people's names wrong when I have oly read them 9as opposed to hearing them) I do not mean to cause offence, but there were recently a couple of people on here whose names I seem to have mis-spelled for years and never ever noticed I was doing it. I know it must be irksome, but it was a genuine mistake (and just a typo on this occasion, I believe (well, I hope) I usually get your name correct.

To the people saying about them being on the wall, I said that I wanted to get her one for the little table next to her, so one for the desk would probably be best, and it certainly wouldn't be on all of the time as she goes out a lot of the time and would turn it off then and at night, as she does wit everything. She has a TV but has stopped watching it the past few months, she says, because her hearing has become so bad that even with the induction loop she cannot make out speech, and she cannot read subtitles due to them being too fast and small for her eyes to see at that distance, and I thought the frame might be a nice alternative to her television, just something to look at once in a while, so I wouldn't feel too bad about the environment as it's an alternative, rather than just another 'thing', and it's not like she has a computer or any other power hungry devices (apart from her kettle, the tea-loving way that all Nans are.

As for it being a fad? Nah, that doesn't bother me at all - it's not something that I would want myself, but I think it is something that she would enjoy, and she certainly wouldn't care if it was in fashion or not But I thought it would be a nice way to put a new pictures on of the whole extended family once in a while because as long as I have my laptop I can put any new pictures onto the SD card for her, which I would enjoy doing for her Marcus J, because, as you say, she'd not do it herself (she doesn't have a digital camera, for a start, but she does have loads of visitors, such as my uncle, who often take down laptops to show her photos from their travels. i also have a scanner and would like to scan in some of her older photos to put on as I know there are some she'd liek to display of all of her sisters that she just doesn't have room in the house for.

But, as I say, it was just an idea for a gift, and opinion seems to be very mixed, so I am not so sure now. one of those occasions where more information leads to more confusion on my part.

I'd say that if you have family who are happy to help her out with it and upload the occasional new photo - then they're almost perfect circumstances for getting one...

GJ: My nan does have a couple of old photo cubes, actually, but they are just full of pictures of a five year old me behind the wheel of a bright orange skoda, wearing a chinese hat and a knitted swimsuit. I don't think that she'd ever change the pictures if I did get her more cubes, they'd remain static, like the ones she has, but I do appreciate the suggestion. Also, with everyone taking digital images these days, no-one ever seems to get any prints, which is why I wanted something with a digital output, so I could also put on the pictures that people email me so she'd have some nice up-to-date pictures, too

Televisions?

Mimi, I put a winky in so you'd know I was joking about my name, but thanks for being so apologetic about getting it wrong!

It sounds like your nan will know what she's doign with regards to turning the fram off when she goes out and that, and other people can stick photos on it willy nilly for her if she wants, so she'd probably be well happy with a gift like this. When i said it was a fad, I meant in the same way as iPod docks are a fad... there's hundreds of different types, but nobody seems really sure why they need one. You've exaplined some ace reasons as to why your nan would like one.

If her eyesight is failing as much as you say it is, then it's probably wise to look at getting as large a size as possible. eg. maybe 8 or 10 inches across? You can set most of the stuff up yourself for her, like which folders on the memory card to access, how long the transitions should be etc.

I can't remember if you still get ones which store photos on the internal memory. Otherwise you can either leave a memory card plugged in, or stream them wirelessly from another computer. I suspect you won't be streaming them wirelessly. Bang another fiver on the cost for a 2gb card.

Hi Mr Russ and everyone else, thanks for the advice!

No, she won't be streaming them wirelessly, so I factored in the use of an SD card. I ended up going out and having a look at a few and ended up choosing a Kodak one that is 9" and 800 pixels across (which was the highest resolution I could find) and which I can set to come on at certain times of day and turn off at night, but the settings remain when it is turned off so she can just use the great big on/off button on the back when not in use - it seemed to be the easiest one for her to use.

The picture quality is actually much better than I imagined, and I have put a few photos on for a test, ad it seems to work really well. Most importantly, I think my nan will love it, I am looking forward to taking her the gift.

I gave a similar 8" photo frame, same resolution as yours, as a gift last Christmas to a relative. It's been well received and I was quietly impressed with it as a unit. Those people who are being skeptical of digital photo frames have a point -- I personally wouldn't use one, I'm sure, and putting things like music playback on them smacks of terrible gadetitis -- but I think your Nan will really enjoy it Mimi. They do make a lot of sense for some folks. I too was pleasantly surprised by the picture quality on this one (a Jessops branded model), as some of the ones I've seen in shops are very ropey. I think you have to pay more, up into the £50+ range, to get one that doesn't look like ass.

I did spend more than I initially said I would (£90) but it's my Nan, and she deserves it, so it is not money I begrudge.

You can have music playback via MP3, but that is something my Nan never needs to know... I cannot imagine how annoying it would be to have Pavarotti on a loop, which would be what my Nan would choose....

I don't think it is something that I would choose to have, but I kind of know my Nan will really like it.

I've got three of these frames in my living room, each showing different eras of my life. First comes the baby era, then the teen era, and then the present. People say it's a nice touch.

Imposter Grim... alert!

Danger, Danger BETEO Robinson!

Post count 1 and only two dots indeed.

SCIENTIST INDEED.

I AM HE

Oh, sorry God. I mean Grim... I mean Grim....

RESPONSE PROCESSING

PROCESSING

PROCESSING

RESULT: HILARIOUS

*boggle*

Say 'Hi' to you nana for me, and I hope she's well. Also, tell her that I think she's awesomeness itself, and can she be my nan as well.

Ta.

My mate has one, and it looks cool. Often a talking point when people are around, and you can turn it off and on whenever you want to.

But you don't. Otherwise it largely becomes pointless, you might as well stick an SD card in your actual DVD player or 360 when you want to see photos on that basis.

She is well (apart from a ear infection which means she can't wear her hearing aid and so has just been bellowing 'YES DEAAAARRR!' down the phone at me). Today is her birthday as well, so boo to the ear infection, but hurrah to Nan.

She does not yet have her gift as I won't be going to London until Thursday, so shhhhhhhhh... 'tis a secret (I am banking on the un-likelihood of her becoming a BETEO forum member in the next four days...)

I have set her frame to switch on in the morning and off in the evening (when the soaps come on...) But the frame does have a very large and easy on/off switch, so no fiddling around with little switches - it does seem well designed for someone like my Nan.

I shall find one of those pictures when I am home (knitted swimsuit and chinese hat...) If not I shall pilfers on of my nan's thousands of identicle snaps.

Sounds good, to be honest, I might get one for some reason soon.



Err, thanks. I think.

Not really. Having a small pictureframe on a shelf that (say) cycles through pictures of the people attending a party is very different from turning on a DVD player or other thingy and using the TV to play pictures. For one, it's far less intrusive, and for another the TV may well be used for something else at the time.

It can be a nice touch if used wisely. I wouldn't advocate having one turned on all the time though, obviously.

Hmmm... I found these on my online album

hat:


knitted swimsuit: (it is pink and has two blue seahorses on the front, and two on the back of the little matching bolero jacket


Actually - neither of those photos is of me - they are both of my mother. Nan obviously didn't believe in throwing things out...

I was identical to my mother in all but the fact that I was in colour:

Those photos are most excellent.

Also, I lvoe the word 'Bolero' even though I can never recall it when I need to. I just say "Shrunken Cardi"

My Nan has one hand but was a wedding dress seamstress. My great aunt Nellie was the most prolific knitter you can care to imagine. They made every shred of clothes that my mother, then myself ever wore. Which is why we both look like idiots, and I look like a fairy...

So wait - Ravel's Bolero was actually an ode to his taste in knitwear?

There is a major charm in old photographs, though.

You don't half look like your relatives, mind.

I can only see one of those pics

I uploaded them to Flickr instead and changed the links, so you should be able to see them, now. They were in my photobox album and though I did set it to public I must have doe something wrong.

These were the kind of photos that I wanted to put in the frame, see? I have scanned in hundreds of my Nan's old pictures of her family and my ancestors and though I have had them printed out for her she gets them out every now and again and has a flick through - shows visitors, and she has put a couple up in little frames there is nowhere for her to just 'see' them, easily. I hope that she'll just enjoy having pictures of some fond memories cycling by. There is also a little remote control so she can manually scan through them in case she has a visitor she wants to show some pictures to

Mimi, are you absolutely sure that's your mother in the strictest sense rather than there having been some kind of Dolly the sheep style cloning?

Yeah, I know, spooky, huh? My Nan always wrote the date on the back of photos, but there are a couple she forgot to do this with that we've never really known who there are of, made even harder by the fact that we had the same clothes...

My hair is generally fairer than hers and I have different eyes - we look particularly alike in those photos because we are both squinting, which makes our eyes and expressions look exactly the same.

I am a few years younger here, but generally my eyes point upwards at the outer corners, but my mother's look sad as they point down.



It's depressing that I still have the same haircut now.

You were so cute!

And your mum obv!

I'm struggling for gift ideas* for our second wedding anniversary and thought about these photo frames, then remembered this topic. So, um, where is a good place to look for these things? I'd like to actually see one, but can buy from internets too.

*We've been together for ages before that, feels like I've used up all of my good ideas.

I repeat my utter hatred of these things from earlier in the thread.

Except in very specific cases like Mimi eventually described, obv.

Yes I know, I saw that in your posts in this thread. I'm not asking for your approval though, just wamted to hear experiences and opinions, then I'll make up my own mind

Ok, my experience is that they're almost universally shit looking and my opinion is they're an environmental and energy bill nightmare.

They're the electronics equivalent of buying a Humvee to drive round Kensington.

Who are you to say what people should and shouldn't use electricity for?

If it gives someone pleasure why should they need to justify it in those terms? A 7inch LCD photo frame uses hardly fuck all power, probably less in a week than a few hours play on a 360. Humvee indeed, fucking get off your high horse.

How much energy and resources do you think it takes to print out and create an album full of photographs?

Who pissed in your chips?

He asked for an opinion, why the meltdown?

You won't stare at said photo frame for several hours in a week, probably glance at it once after the first 2 weeks. You don't have to print out a whole album, you use something (hey, how about that 360) to look at them when you actually want to look at photos and instead maybe print one out once to actually go in a frame if you want that.

Not really a complete meltdown just slight annoyance at being accused of idiocy on the level of driving a Humvee on the roads for buying my parents something they enjoy that uses 4 Watts of power for the eight hours a day it is actually set to be on.

edit: and probably some anger that has transferred from another forum where I was told that I was wrong to call the BNP a bunch of nazi scumbags. So sorry a bit there Dudley.

Hmm, well let me rephrase it a bit. Any objections over the principles or whatever are noted.

- Has anyone got one of these thingies? Care to recommend a model you or someone else particularly like?

We ended up getting a Philips one for my parents. It was a bit dearer but after looking at others it was the only one that didn't feel like complete tat and also didn't have a design that made it look like it fell off the set of Star Trek the Next Generation.

You're not wrong to say it, and while I'd never vote for them, I would fiercely defend their right to exist as a policitical party. What fucks me off so much about the mindless 'Anti-BNP' movement is the choking lack of realisation that trying to suppress a group of people you don't agree with is the precise opposite of the democrasy they purport to righteously uphold. It's idiotic in the extreme.