Customer Reviews

CEIVA 3 Digital Photo Receiver

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

We've bought a total of seven Ceiva units for relatives and ourselves since they were first introduced. Before buying a Ceiva III you might want to consider some of the things we've learned.

1. These things do break, so you'd be well advised to buy extended warranty coverage - add $20.

2. The subscriptions are relatively expensive ($100/year) and have tended to get more expensive over time - in an era during which everything network-related has gotten cheaper.

3. Ceiva insists on downloading renewal notices to receivers nearing the expiration date of a subscription. As other reviewers have noted, that's very annoying both to the people using these things and to those of us who pay for the products and services. I don't see where Ceiva mentions this practice either on their web site or in the Terms and Conditions, but there's nothing you can do other than complain (I have many times, to no avail).

4. Ceiva's sales reps will tell you that existing, unexpired subscription plans can be transferred to new units (I verified this on three separate occasions), but in fact Ceiva will make you buy new subscriptions first.

5. Ceiva has never offered upgrade plans for older units. As an existing customer you'll actually pay more to upgrade an older receiver in mid-subscription than will a new customer.

The bottom line is that it's difficult to recommend this product to new customers on either a value basis or for customer care. Good idea, bad execution. Pity.

It took us a while to get this puppy set up, but once it was done, it works really nice!

Here's the background. We purchased an older Ceiva 2 frame for my parents. They have loved it. We always wanted to get one for my in-laws, but they didn't have a local access number. However, the Ceive 3 frame can use a broadband adapter, so decided to take the plunge.

The first unit shipped was the wrong one, a Ceiva 2. The next unit was indeed a Ceiva 3. However, it had some strange behavior that is not talked about in the manual, nor on Ceiva's support web site. In particular, when we tried to connect, the screen would "jitter" (the customer service rep called this "fuzzing"), and the unit would appear to lock up.

I had thought that the unit was defective. However, it turns out what the unit was trying to do was upgrade its software. Apparently, this process can take a while. After 25 minutes on the phone with Ceiva customer service, we get the issue straightened out. The unit now works like a charm -- it's wonderful that it can get photos every hour via broadband, instead of having to dial in just once a day (overnight).

I give this product just 4 stars instead of 5 stars because it should be made cleared that the "fuzzing" we saw was a normal functioning, and that we should have waited it out, instead of having to talk to customer service. Once you get it going, though, it's a great little device!

One tip, although you can't do wireless access right now right off the bat, there are "wireless bridges" that let a wired device, like the Ceiva frame, be turned into a wireless device. One such bridge is the D-Link DWL-810+. We are going to try to use this with the Ceiva frame!

EDIT/UPDATE: I just tried it out with the bridge mentioned above, and it works like a champ! So now, we have a wireless broadband Ceiva!

I have been using Ceiva for the last three years and found it to be an ok service for me, good to my parents who use it.
During the three years, I have uploaded hundreds of photos to their service but now I am thinking of switching to a more affordable platform with better functionality (see URL: http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/avcards/7edc/)

HOWEVER...
Please be warry that termination of your Ceiva service means that all your digitial photo files will be deleted. Ceiva offers no way for you to retrieve your digital photos back to your PC nor offers a CD back-up service. Read the fine print before you decide to make your purchase (see below)

EFFECT OF TERMINATION from Ceiva T&Cs at http://www.ceiva.com/home/hp/terms_conditions.jsp)
Upon termination, your license to use the Software and the Service automatically terminates, and Provider will delete all data, files, or other information stored in your account. In the event of termination, monthly service fees and any prepaid charges will not be refunded or prorated.

My sisters and brothers bought this for our 83-year old father. It's a great concept: Share photos from anyone in the family, from anywhere in the world, and without the need for a computer connection. He really loves it, and the fact that each morning there are new pictures, electronic greeting cards from all of us, local weather, and other "channels" like "This Day In History" from The History Channel and CNN News. The setup is very easy, and picture quality good enough. He has something to look forward to each day and that in itself is priceless. But be warned of a few drawbacks:

The subscription is really what makes this thing work, and runs about $100 per year.

The pictures are saved on the Ceiva site but, as another reviewer noted, they will be lost when and if the subscription ends.

The reciever freezes every once in a while, sometimes for days. Troubleshooting doesn't help - I called tech support on a few occasions and they said it was due to high user volume. And although it is supposed to only dial in overnight, it has periodically attempted to dial in throughout the day causing my parents' phone to be busy for the duration.

You can order prints and photo gifts, however Ceiva works with just one photo outfit. Cost is 22 cents/ per 3x5 print; steep by comparison with other photo companies. And that doesn't include shipping.

The usability of the website could be better. Incoming photos are in a queue. If you want to change the order of incoming photos, there is only one option: Move to front. A better plan would be to have the ability to place photos in queue wherever you want them.

Overall, I do think it is a great concept and gift, especially to help grown children stay in touch with their parents and grandparents. I would buy it again. However, I would hope the Ceiva execs periodically read these reviews and make changes based on feedback by myself and others like me. They have the power to turn what is a good gift idea with several drawbacks into a truly extraordinary product.

I bought one of these for my grandmother for Christmas so she could be sent baby pictures, family pictures etc. without a computer. Fantastic - she has absolutely loved it. (We had to set it up for her - that was not necessarily intuitive and took longer than you'd expect.)

But now it's only February, and the thing is broken - frozen on one picture for days. (And no, it's not locked. We've tried everything.) Customer service operates under limited hours and has impossible wait times; they're not available at all on weekends and they have not responded to my emails.

I can't believe the people giving such low ratings to this product. Especially when they are complaining about the service cost after they purchased it - they should have researched that a little more.

I purchased one for my grandmother this Christmas. I opened it up at home and downloaded beginning photos and then changed over the dial in number to her local number. After opening it at Christmas she took it home, plugged it in the phone line (double outlet adapter included for her to plug back in her old phone) and she was up and running.

I could tell the next morning she did it right because you can see on the website that your photos downloaded the night before that you had sent.

There is a nice program you can download from their website called Photo Sender. It is a nice little program that when clicked opens up your photo directory and you can then quickly pick the pictures you want to send (as well as crop and add text to your photos). Then hit the send button and you are done - it will upload your photo's and you don't even have to go to the website.

My parents and one of my cousins has already sent her pictures as well - I had clicked the invite a friend and it sent them an email on how to sign up and access her frame.

Sure I would never buy one of these for myself - I would want one that I can stick a CF card in (I actually have a Roku PhotoBridge connected to my plasma that makes a much better picture viewer).

This is what it is meant to be - a way to share your photos with non-technical parents or grandparents who have no other way to see your digital photos. Luckily my grandmother is not in a nursing home or anything - but for someone who can't get around this would be a wonderful view on the outside world.

I gave the product 4 stars because it is not the highest quality screen. The viewing angle isn't the best and it does not display the most vibrant colors. However, it is about right for the $100 range cost. I would expect $250-$300 frames would be much more vibrant.

I can live with the service cost - I think it is excessive but if it keeps this company in business and my grandmother happy I'll gladly part with $100 a year.

I would give this FIVE stars, but ONLY FOR CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.

Don't buy it for your own home! It is PERFECT if you have a lonely, elderly relative who shies away from computers & email but likes to see photos of her grandchildren. That's where it shines. This enhances your contact with a loved one if you can't be there daily. Otherwise, FORGET IT. Great for a senior care or hospital patient (unless they have an incompatible phone system.)

Recognize that you'll be paying $10 per month "forever" or else you lose the ability to change the 30 photos. You'll have to take digital photos and upload fresh ones frequently--or else this will be pointless.

They break, so you'll need an extended warrantee. Mine lasted just over a year, and the replacement seems to have a slight contrast problem on the left side--frustrating but not quite bad enough to return again.

I believe the other reviewers who had problems, but my experience has been very positive. They've treated me very well in 2006, and the product did exactly what was needed. A bit of a 'crap shoot.'

I recommend setting the interval between photos to the maximum, 2 hours. I'd set it to 48 hours if I could. Set it too fast, and after half a day they will think, "I've already seen that slide show. I'm done with this contraption." You want them to think of it like a static photo on the wall that is changed daily--then its a miracle.

For most people, DON'T buy this. But for that lonely, isolated, elderly person of suitable temperment, it might be a "gift from heaven."

In a nutshell, this Ceiva 3 picture frame and service is saved from getting 1 star, because conceptually, the service it provides is great. I am shocked that the company has been around so long and still has the feel of a start up, with product quality issues, customer service issues, and web interface issues.

My first Ceiva 3 receiver came with a screen defect. This was a gift, so it was a good thing I checked to make sure it worked, otherwise my gift recipient would have to deal with all the issues that I had to deal with to get a new one shipped and working again. The only saving grace was that customer service hold times were typically short.

Once you get your receiver working, it's pretty straightforward to pull photos from your collection, and upload them. Yay.

Regretfully, once you start accumulating photos on their site, their web interface for managing your photos and receivers is pretty marginal. It is not very intuitive to navigate, and there isn't something as simple as a "back" button, so you have to constantly cycle around in circles when you want to do things (i.e. always having to click back on "My Photos" and start over in the root directory). There is also no way that I have seen where you can control the ORDER of the slideshow that gets uploaded! That seems like pretty fundamental functionality for what this is, a digital slideshow viewer!

As far as picture quality goes, again, marginal. If you are expecting the quality you see on your computer monitor, you will be gravely disappointed. Even at the highest allowable picture size and quality settings, I was disappointed. I don't know if this is a function of the photos they are uploading, or if it is a fundamental flaw in the LCD quality they use. I know my photos aren't the issue because they were taken with a Canon 10D and typically look great.

Lastly, I was also very disappointed in the off-axis viewing of the Ceiva LCD. You pretty much have to be staring right at the photo frame to get good contrast in your pictures. If you go just a bit to the left, to the right, or up or down, you lose contrast and brightness drastically. This is TERRIBLE for a picture frame that is constantly being viewed from multiple angles!

It's a shame that Ceiva pretty much has a monopoly on the digital photo receiver service industry. I think they could benefit from a little competition to keep them honest in providing better value to their customers. Perhaps that's why their year subscriptions are so expensive ($100), their business model must assume that the customer doesn't see the value and leaves after a year.

I purchased a ceiva 3 picture frame and a wireless adapter. The wireless adapter said that all you need is wireless internet. It never mentioned that for set up you need an analog phone and software version 309. I paid about $100 subscription fee and tried to set it up. I could not select the wireless option. I called the customer service and was told I needed an analog phone. I asked where that requirement was and was told it was not listed but it is necessary. I informed the rep that I had no phone and was then informed to use a fax line. Again I pointed out that I did not have an analog phone line. She was of no help.
I went to a friend's house with the phone and followed the website directions. It did not work. Again I had to call customer service. They instructed me what to do and I followed their directions. Again it did not work. I called again and was informed there was a glitch in the picture frame. I obtained directions on how to fix it. I went to a friends again and uploaded the necessary software. I returned home and followed the website instructions. Again they have not worked. This company makes no effort to help and have no customer service hours. They are terrible and I would stay away from them.

At 85 years young, my Dad is not interested in fiddling with new technology, it just has to work or he's not interested. The Ceiva 3 as advertised in a magazine seemed ideal. Further homework, research, and reading Amazon's reviews suggested a cautious approach . . . Here is what I learned.

The Ceiva 3 Limited Warranty of 360 days only applies if you buy from the Ceiva Store or other retail outlet (I was told by Ceiva Customer Care (2/14/06) that E-Bay auction purchases do not count as a retail outlet, as Ceiva can not verify the product's quality from second and third party owners).* Add $20.00 for one year warranty.

The Ceiva 3 Digital Photo Frame contains an internal software driver that is specific to the Ceiva Broadband adapter. I tested two non-Ceiva USB to Ethernet Adapters to no avail.

The same concept applies to USB Wireless Adapters, which would have been an easy, elegant, and inexpensive wireless solution for us consumers, but perhaps not so easy for Ceiva's software programmers. Without the proper software driver on board or native to the Ceiva 3 Digital Photo Frame, a USB Wireless Adapter is worthless . . . the Ceiva 3 does not know the USB Wireless Adapter is plugged into the Ceiva 3's "C-Port" (standard USB 1.1 port), and there is no simple way to load the USB Wireless Adapter's driver on to the Ceiva 3. Ceiva Customer Care reports that a USB Wireless solution is in the works, but currently does not support wireless operation.

A Ceiva 3 review that mentioned a D-Link DWL-810+ wireless solution was inspirational. However, a Belkin Wireless G - Travel Router, used in the Adapter mode was my solution for testing out the wireless approach (there's also a Router mode, and an Access Point mode that will come in handy while on the road after all this experimenting is done). This PC based (no Mac setup Utility on the install CD), Belkin Travel Router fits in the palm of your hand, comes with an AC Power Supply, a USB Power Adapter Cord, and its own case.

Before integrating the Belkin Travel Router with the Ceiva 3, I intentionally made sure the device worked properly in the Adapter Mode with my wife's IBM ThinkPad, and my Mac PowerBook G4 Titanium. As our home is already wireless and WEP (Wireless Encryption Protocol) protected, this required configuring the Belkin Travel Router with our LAN (Local Area Network) wireless hex equivalent password (13 two-character pairs of numbers and letters . . . 26 numbers and letters all strung together, that was created when our LAN was first created). And also the Belkin Travel Router's MAC (Media Access Control) Address was added to my Belkin 4-Port Cable/DSL Gateway Router's MAC Address security filter.

After attaching the Ceiva Broadband Adapter to the Ceiva 3's USB Port, I used an ordinary Ethernet cable to my Belkin 4-Port Cable/DSL Router to make sure the Ceiva 3 was properly working according to Ceiva's broadband startup directions (found using Google and these search terms "ceiva nf broadband"). This step also enabled me to acquire the Ceiva 3's MAC Address needed for my Belkin 4-Port Cable/DSL Gateway Router's MAC Address security filter.

With the Ceiva 3 properly working using Ethernet cabling directly to the Belkin 4-Port Cable/DSL Gateway Router, and the Belkin Travel Router properly working independently in Adapter Mode, the conversion to a wireless Ceiva 3 involved removing the Ethernet cable from the Belkin 4-Port Cable/DSL Gateway Router and reconnecting to the Belkin Travel Router (30 inch cable comes with the Belkin Travel Router). However, I did have to power down and then restart the Belkin 4-Port Cable/DSL Gateway Router, then the Belkin Travel Router, and finally the Ceiva 3.

The Ceiva 3 gets fours stars out of five because the Ceiva website needs improvement. It is way too cluttered and a pain to navigate. It works if you are patient or aren't afraid of exploring and experimenting, but for those challenged by programming a VCR or DVD player . . . the Ceiva website is an awful nightmare. And as integral as the website is to the Ceiva Digital Photo Frame product line, it seems odd why more resources are not devoted to making the Ceiva website a great experience. The concept is terrific, and the Ceiva 3 Digital Photo Frame has met my expections, but Ceiva Logic is needlessly leaving themselves open for entrepreneurial competition.

Extra tips: A 4-Port USB 1.1 Hub plugged into the Ceiva 3's USB port, allowed the use of the Belkin Travel Router's USB Power Adapter Cord, and the Ceiva Broadband Adapter. This means you only have the Ceiva 3's power cord to plug in to AC power.

CeivaMobile™ allows you to E-Mail digital photos as attachments, directly to your Ceiva 3 or to your online Ceiva photo albums. This is fast, easy, and it's free.

iPhoto for the Mac, allows you to E-Mail digital photos, and easily converts your digital pictures to the 640 x 480 format, all within the iPhoto application. iPhoto also has an "Export" feature under the drop-down "File" menu that allows you to convert your pictures to 640 x 480.

*Update - in a subsequent follow-up call to Ceiva Customer Care, I learned that Ceiva Logic's warranty policy on eBay purchases is still being formulated, and that Ceiva will be contacting me.

System Information:
IBM ThinkPad - 1.3 GHz, 512 MB RAM, Windows XP Pro w/SP2
Mac PowerBook G4 Titanium - 800 Mhz, 768MB SDRAM, OS X v10.4.3
Verizon DSL service
Belkin 4-Port Cable/DSL Router; Model F5D5231-4
Apple AirPort Snow - wireless access points
Belkin Wireless G Travel Router; Model F5D7233
Vakoss 4-Port USB Hub; Model TC-102-NS
Ceiva Broadband Adapter