Customer Reviews

Aluratek 7-Inch Digital Photo Frame with 256MB (Black)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Check the specs...most photo frames are less than 400 pixel resolution. Even the good ones are only 640x480. This one is 800x600...mandatory for today's high-megapixel digital camera. Why take a photo just to throw out 90% of the data when you view it?

And many of those 640x480 (and even the worse frames) are still pushing $100. Crazy.

This one looks great AND has all the bells and whistles. Plays audio and movies, and comes with a remote control.

Do your research...you won't find a better one.

This photo frame's picture quality is awsome. Crystal clear and the colors are fresh and dynamic.

It also comes packed with features, unlike cheap versions from other companies.

The frame is not cheap, but well worth the money.

When I ordered this item over a month ago I chose it because of the specs amazon published (800x600 image... mysteriously disappeared from the tech descp.) and the several reviews that described the great image quality when compared to similar frames. After using the product for one day I feel the image quality is really not that good, only slightly better than the display on the back of my camera. The first thing I want to do when I see my pictures on this frame is search for the resolution adjustment that unfortunatly doesn't exist. I have to stand over 4 feet away to not see a jagged pixelated image. I was not able to find the 800x600 spec anywhere on the package nor on amazon's website nor anywhere on the internet. Did they switch screen components on this product suddenly and adjust the literature? I find it hard to beilieve the same reviews I read on amazon are based on the product that was delievered to me. I would have given it a 3/5 stars if I didn't feel that I was decieved as it is not a horrible product, just not any better than most of the digital frames out there. Also the menu interface is pretty bad too and the aspect ration won't fit the typical 3x5 picture, its more like 3x6 but that seems pretty typical.

I researched frames for a full month before I went ahead and bought this one, based solely on the fact that it was good value for money. In general, I felt disappointed when I first saw the frame in action, but as I have used it more, it feels better.

Here are the main points:

1. First of all, this is a widescreen frame at 16:9 and not 4:3. No description mentions this in any form.

2. And then the confusion with the resolution. Too many reviews give too many resolutions and most of them are wrong. I created many photos with increasing resolutions to see which is the perfect fit and the correct resolution of the frame is 820x460. Nothing more and nothing less.

3. The Remote control sucks big time. Does not work most of the time, and when it does, it often sends multiple clicks.

4. The menu system is awfull, but then many frames other then Philips and Kodak seem to have very similar, awkward menus that take time getting used to.

5. Play around with the brightness and contrast setting and you get a better picture than from the factory settings. The quality of the screen and the pictures are good, not spectacular. In fact, reasonable given that the frame costs so less.

6. The on/off timer works great. Set the time to switch on/off the frame and it does that well. I have set it to work from 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm, typically the time Im home or guests are in. Saves energy and LCD life.

7. The photos do not play randomly. They are always in the sequence that you copied them in. But the change effects can be set to randomize.

8. There is a cool freeware programme called "Framesize" that I found after a lot of trial and error and this allows you to quickly pick which 16:9 segment of the photo you need and it resizes that for the exact resolution you need and save them in batches. Works fantastically for 16:9 frames. Try it.

All in all, Im reasonable happy with the frame and intend to use it. But next time, I will surely get a 4:3 screen so that there is no need to juggle and resize pictures.

This is a great product. The only feedback I would offer the manufacturer is an upgrade on the remote control. It is an essential part of the product, and could use a makeover. otherwise, the pictures are beautiful, the sound is just right, and the price is great!! Also, many of the photos I had loaded on my first try were actually older, non-digital pics scanned onto my Mac and then downloaded onto the frame. They look fantastic on this frame!! Great job!!!

I purchased this frame about two months ago and wanted to share my experience with my fellow consumers.

Pros: The frame is very stylish and sits well on my cubicle at work. I particularly like the fact that I can program the frame to turn on and off at my start and leave time. No sense in having it run when I'm not there right. Remember everyone should try to conserve energy!

My coworkers and I are very surprised by the quality of the Aluratek frame vs. one of my other coworkers who said she paid more money than I did. Her pictures get distorted (stretched) where mine do not. They seem very crisp and vibrant. There is a nice image adjust feature built in but the default looks really good! Mine also has 256MB memory built in where hers does not. This holds for me about 200 picture (I have a 6.1MP Camera). I also have about 20 MP3 songs loaded that I play during my slideshows. This is a great feature. I guess this also plays video's but I haven't tried it yet.

Cons: I keep forgetting where I put the remote. Why couldn't there be a place to store the remote on the back of the frame? What I did was put a little pc of velcro on the back of the remote and frame. Voila, no more misplacing the remote!

OVERALL I would highly recommend this product. It really is good quality and easy to use.

I first purchased Aluratek's 10.5" Black frame from Ritz buy box cuz it was a little cheaper. It worked great and it was very easy to use. The resolution was excellent and I love the built in 256mb which holds over 100 family photos. I just hit the slide show mode and it plays music I saved in the background.

Recently, I decided to buy the 7" for a Xmas gift but ended up keeping it for myself because it sits really well at my office. Most 7" frames in the market do not come with any memory and there are lots of cheap acrylic styles. This size seems to be the entry level for most manufactures and quite honestly the resolution is all the same because they're all analog.

I think some people fail to read the manual to understand that Aluratek's frame allows you to adjust the pictures' brightness with the remote. Furthermore, if you want to display bright and colorful pictures on the frame...you need to take good vibrant pictures too. Pefect example, I had family members give me numerous pictures of their kids to load onto my frame but they displayed horribly because they were low resolution or bad, dark pictures. You'll have this problem regardless of the frame if you're trying to view bad pictures.

Comparing features to features versus other 7" frames, this is one of the best deals.

I guess after reading other reviews of this product, I expected a little more. Resolution was just ok. Getting around the menus is also a little cumbersome. I wish now that I had spent a little more money and got a larger frame with better resolution.

First, the remote seems to not work at all. But even if it did, you do not want this frame for two reasons. It does not play the slideshow randomly (it only plays in the order the photos are loaded). But the kicker is this: there are three speeds for playing the slideshow. The fastest changes the picture every second, medium changes every three seconds, and the slowest changes every six seconds. What were they thinking? All three speeds are so fast that it'll drive you completely insane. Even at every six seconds the pictures change so rapidly that you barely get a glimpse of the image and then its gone. Do not buy this. Get one that plays randomly and allows the pictures to remain for at least a full minute, maybe even five minutes. Our other one allows for a minute, five minutes, even a half hour or hour. Trust me, after you've had one of these for a while, you won't want the images constantly changing. It's annoying and it's a distraction.

I researched a very long time trying to find a digital frame that would do all the things I wanted without costing me an arm and leg. This frame looks really nice and classy. It cannot be mounted to the wall but can be put up on its stand. Frame itself seems sturdy wood/plastic and plastic stand can be rotated for vertical or horizontal viewing. I cannot remark about the video or music capabilities as I am not using this frame for anything but pictures.

Pros:

Nice display area.
Very easy set up.
Compact and easy remote.
Can load A LOT of pictures if jpeg is saved at smallest file size.
Brightness/Contrast/Color can be adjusted.
Can play many kinds of memory cards.
Can be set up to turn off and on with timer.
Picture transitions has several settings.
Slideshow changes has 3 settings for how long a picture will be displayed.
Comes with USB cable to download pictures from PC computer.
Easy load and removal of pictures.
I called the company with a few questions and the tech was very helpful and accommodating.

Cons:

Display/picture can't be seen well at all angles. You really have to view it dead on to see the picture at its best.
Picture order can't be changed. Whatever the file name is is how the frame will play it. The manual has a section "Adjust Order or Pictures in Slideshow", but this does NOT mean changing the order of play for the physical pictures. It refers to the transition of the pictures while displaying.
Does not have an on/off button on the frame. Must be powered off by the remote or unplugged.
Has 256k internal memory on board. Media storage/playback is one or the other, not combined, so pictures will not play from internal memory AND a flash drive or memory card at the same time.
The instruction manual is a little vague.
Clock shows in set up that it can be set for 12 or 24 hour, but can only really be set as 24 for some reason.

Out of the box I'm having a problem with the power on of the frame. The screen sometimes boots up blurry and I have to turn it off and on again a few times before the screen shows clear. Overall I am happy with the frame. I wish the display/pictures could be viewed from more angles and that the pictures could be organized and played in a different sequence. I would recommend this product though.