Entered CNET Catalog: 10/31/2008
SKU: 0842651002862
Manufacturer: Hannspree, Inc.
Manufacturer description
The Hannspree XV-S SD7021 7" digital photo frame features a minimalist mirror surface front frame available in Polished Black and Pure White that radiates a sense of individual style wherever it may be. The built-in auto rotate sensor automatically re-orients photos depending on the direction of the photo frame, while the perfect 16:9 aspect ratio, 500:1 high contrast, support for multiple memory card formats, calendar and clock display offers all the different functions you need to re-experience those special moments. The exclusive ICK (Intelligent Control Key) interface wizard is a on-screen display at the touch of any button that shows where all the buttons on the back are located which makes the digital photo frame a cinch to use and makes fumbling around behind the device a thing of the past.Product summary
The good: Simple interface; fast photo processing; good price-to-performance ratio.
The bad: Limited memory card and file format support; only 8MB of internal memory; middling display quality.
The bottom line: It may be no-frills, but Hannspree's SD7021 7-inch digital photo frame is a bit better than its budget price would indicate.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 12/15/2008
It seems odd that a category such as digital photo frames would have an entry level, but that's just what Hannspree's SD7021 7-inch digital photo frame is. You won't find a remote control, fancy slide show options, multimedia playback, changeable faceplates, Wi-Fi, or even an abundance of internal storage for photos. What you get instead is a rock-bottom sub-$40 price tag, a good-looking display and faceplate, and a modest feature set that does just enough.
With its stand attached, the SD7021 is just 2.5 inches deep--a pretty small footprint (it is wall mountable as well). The faceplate itself--a simple, glossy, black plastic frame that will work in almost any environment--is 9.1 inches wide by 5.4 inches high. The display is wide screen--7 inches diagonally--which means standard aspect-ratio photos will require cropping, either manually by you or automatically by the frame. The frame can be used in either portrait or landscape orientations; just stand up the frame and photos will automatically rotate appropriately.
On one side, there's a power switch, and on the other side are a three-in-one memory card reader (SD/SDHC, MMC, MemoryStick/MemoryStick Pro) and a full-size USB port. The SD7021 has only 8MB of internal memory. While it does an admirable job compressing images copied to memory, the quality noticeably degrades. You're better off investing $5-$10 in a dedicated SD card for the frame. Or you can pop in a USB thumbdrive, though it will stick out from the side of the display if you don't use a USB extension cable. Only JPEGs and BMPs are supported; you won't find any video or MP3 playback here.
A row of seven control buttons lines the top. Although they are labeled, the frame's menus and options are actually easier to navigate while looking at the screen, thanks to a navigation bar that drops down when you push the buttons. The SD7021's basic feature set leaves menus uncluttered with options. A Home screen lets you pick a source--internal, memory card, or flash drive--after which you can either view the stored photos; select and copy them to the internal memory; bring up a calendar view; or change setup settings for slide shows, the integrated calendar, or the frame.
Slide show options include a smattering of transition effects, slide interval (from 5 seconds to 3 minutes), and the capability to add a small, onscreen clock. You can view the calendar side by side with your photos or a clock. Text isn't very pleasing to look at, but if you're using this on your office desk, it's a nice option. The frame's system menu features adjustments for brightness, contrast, and saturation, as well as timed Auto Power preferences.
To say I had low expectations from a sub-$40 display would be an understatement; for that price, if you can recognize people and locations in the photos, you're doing pretty well. Photos look OK, if you're not too picky. However, if you are, you'll notice that blacks and highlights are clipped, there's little in the way of midtones, and colors are oversaturated and occasionally off. Because it's low resolution for the size (480x234-pixels) you'll also see a lot of jaggies along diagonals. On the other hand, it performs surprisingly well. Transitions are, for the most part, smooth and transferring photos to internal memory is reasonably fast. (But again, I recommend viewing from a memory card or USB drive for the best picture and performance.) The display gets fairly bright, too.
Hannspree includes a one-year warranty for parts and labor--far more than the 90 days most manufacturers offer. The company also offers toll-free phone and e-mail support weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT.
The Hannspree SD7021 7-inch digital photo frame is a good option for anyone just looking for a cheap way to quickly and easily display digital photos without a computer. It's not perfect and doesn't do much beyond show photos, but it's definitely better than its budget price would indicate.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1out of 1 user reviews
Good low-cost digital frame
Pros: Cheap, uses USB memory sticks, fairly easy to operate, pictures are bright.
Cons: Manual is poor. Apparently no additional online support. A little picky about image creation, low resolution (standard for this price range)
Aspect ratio is 16x9 (1.78:1), supposedly it has 480x234 pixels (2.05:1), but pictures at that size had black bands on top and bottom. Elsewhere in documentation it says 720x408 (also 1.78:1). I didn't count pixels in the frame, but pictures at 720x408 worked best, maybe it's really 480x270. This is closer to standard landscape picture size, so I view it as a bonus.
You can choose the amount of time each picture is displayed, and the transition style. You can set the clock and apparently display it over the picture if you want (I didn't). But the clock settings don't survive turning it off and on, so unless it's on 24x7, this is more hassle than it's worth (did I miss a battery somewhere?). For standard startup, you need to press the farthest right button twice for the slideshow to start.
Good item for a grandparent or casual display, but not for a videophile (they still require more $). I remember seeing a digital picture frame on Star Trek:NG (Captain Pickard's quarters) and thinking "That's cool...everybody should have one of those someday..."
