While the interface is not at all slick, we found it easy enough to find our images (JPEG only) and video files (AVI only) on the various memory cards we inserted (the frame accepts SM/SD/MS/MMC/xD and CF cards). A couple of caveats: If you've shot high resolution photos (read: 4 megapixels or higher), the frame takes longer to load each photo as file sizes increase, though this becomes less of an issue if you're interested in leaving the frame in slideshow mode, which inserts delays between "slides" anyway. More importantly, we had trouble getting AVI video clips shot with a Canon digital camera to playback on the frame. However, an AVI short film we downloaded from the Internet played fine--sans sound.
Beyond that slideshow mode, the frame offers a few other basic features, including the ability to delete, rotate, and zoom-in on photos in the display, as well adjust brightness, contrast, and color saturation settings. As for image quality, it was slightly better than what we expected, but even with its alleged 800-by-600 pixel resolution, it simply didn't offer the sharpness and detail that a more pricey frame such as the Philips Digital Photo Display 7FF1 does. That said, the image is passable, and it does help to view photos when standing a few feet back from the frame.
In the end, the Royal PF80 Digital Picture Album can't escape its budget-buy roots or make us say it's a great deal--even though you can get it for a little more than $100 online. The potential is here for something more intriguing, but to get to the next level, Royal really needed to add sound. Combine audio, the frame's ability to playback AVI files (certain ones anyway), and the included remote, and you'd have a mini movie display as well as a photo viewer. So it goes. At least Royal's given of a glimpse of what the future holds for the nascent digital-frame category.
- See more CNET content tagged:
- frame,
- digital photo frame,
- display,
- digital photograph,
- AVI
Where to buy
Royal PF80 Digital Picture Album:
$79.70 - $84.69
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$84.69 | Yes |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$79.70 | Yes |
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