Digital Foci Picture Porter Elite 80GB Picture Viewer

by Digital Foci

Product Details

user manual [986kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 3.1 x 1.1 inches ; 3.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000I6RLVC
• Item model number: PPE-360
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #20 in Camera & Photo > Accessories > Digital Photo Viewers
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

Picture Porter Elite - 3.6" Portable Digital Photo Viewer - Store, view, and share digital photos anywhere you go. *Ultimate Digital Camera Companion: Copy photos directly from memory cards and keep snapping away. Picture Porter Elite supports all popular memory cards directly: CF, MD, MMC, SD/HC Card, MS, MS PRO, and xD. Simply insert the memory card from your digital camera into Picture Porter Elite and download images into its built-in hard drive. *Fast copy speed ? Copies 1 full 1GB CF card in under 5 minutes. Files copied from memory cards are kept in their original file name and format. *Portable Photo Album: Carry your collection of digital photos with you and view them anywhere on the bright 3.6 color LCD screen. You can rotate, zoom, pan, view EXIF information & histogram of your images (including RAW image content). *Music and Video Player: Store and enjoy your favorite music files (MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV) and video files (MEPG1, MPEG4, WMV9, MJPEG) whenever you want. *Video recorder: Record videos from TV, VCR, digital video camera with scheduled recording function into MPEG-4 format. *PictBridge compatible: Print photos directly to any PictBridge compliant printer without a computer. *Bi-directional memory card data transfer: Copy directly from memory card to Picture Porter Elite and vice versa. **Portable Hard Drive with High-speed Computer Connection: USB 2.0 connection supports fast uploads and downloads to and from your computer. *Other features ? TV output, FM radio, built-in speaker, and built-in mic for audio recording. *Long-lasting Rechargeable Battery: User-removable Lithium-Ion battery lets you enjoy up to 4 hours of continuous video and 12 hours of continuous music. Package includes Picture Porter Elite, rechargeable Li-Ion battery, AC power adapter, USB cable, video/audio cables for A/V output, Audio/video bus cable for RCA A/V input, remote control, earphones, protective carrying case, wrist strap, User's Guide, and Quick Start Guide.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's better than lugging a laptop; but ..., September 10, 2008

By 

J. Mason (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Digital Foci Picture Porter Elite 80GB Picture Viewer (Electronics)

Although I own a laptop, I wanted something smaller and more portable for downloading pictures from my digital camera card when I'm traveling. That was my #1 reason for wanting a portable media player.

I read a lot of reviews for the Digital Foci Picture Porter Elite and Epson P-5000 before deciding which one to buy. My assessment was that the Epson was actually somewhat better (at almost twice the price); but the Picture Porter was also a very good choice. My budget being what it is, I bought the 80Gb Picture Porter Elite from Amazon. With their free shipping, Amazon had the best price I could find on the Internet.

For my purposes, I stand by my decision to purchase the Picture Porter Elite. On the other hand, I am neutral as to whether on not I would recommend this item to a friend. That would really depend on how my friend intended to use it.

Below is a list of things I consider to be pros/cons of the Picture Porter Elite.

Accessories:

(Pro) All of the cables you need for computer hook-up, television hook-up, audio/video copying, etc. are included. The unit also comes with a small remote control unit. The carrying case (also included; and actual leather, I think) is well made and has both a belt clip and carrying strap.

(Con) The main unit is also used as the battery charger, which ties up the device while you recharge the battery. (Note: An external battery charger and spare battery is available if you want to spend the extra money.)

Operating System, Control Buttons & Functions:

(Pro) Downloading pictures from a memory card is quick and easy. Just pop in a memory card and the backup menu appears automatically. Choose the desired backup option, press "ok" with the joystick button, and the backup begins.

(Con) The joystick button -- used to navigate, select a function, rotate photos, etc. -- is so tiny and overly sensitive that I find myself constantly choosing the wrong function with it. Just as a side note, I'm a female with relatively small hands. I imagine it would be much worse for a man with larger hands. (Pro/Work-Around) You can choose to use the remote control instead on the onboard joystick.

(Con) The operating system does not have built-in move or copy functions. To perform these operations, you have to cut/copy the item and then paste it in the new location. This is a slow and painful process! Also, the operating system does not have a built-in function for creating a new folder. (Pro/Work-Around) You can connect the Picture Porter to a desktop or laptop computer (via the supplied USB cable). The computer will see the Picture Porter as a removable hard drive. You can then use Windows Explorer to perform file and folder management functions, defrag the built in disk, etc.

(Con) When viewing "portrait mode" photos, the picture porter DOES NOT automatically rotate the picture for you. (Workaround) You can use the joystick or remote control to rotate the picture manually.


Screen/Speakers:

(Pro) The screen resolution and image quality are very good ... even when zooming in on a photo.

(Con) The screen is smaller than I expected. The specs say 3.6"; but mind you, that is the diagonal screen measurement. The actual screen is just under 3" wide. Unless you have the eyesight of a hawk, the screen is really too small for watching videos/movies.

(Con) The sound quality from the tiny built in speaker's is awful. For decent sound, you have to use the earphones (included) or external speaker (not included).

(Con) The earphones act as an antenna for the radio; so you can't listen to the radio without using them.

Other Comments:

Size & portable are relative. This unit is by far preferable to lugging around a laptop; but it is not a tiny, fit in your jeans pocket, device. In its case, the unit measures 5" wide x 3" tall x 1.75" deep and weighs just a fraction over 1 pound.

Don't be fooled by all the "extra features" this media player has. Aside from the ability to download directly from a memory card, and the massive storage capacity, most (if not all) of the features of this unit are available on a much smaller and less expensive MP3 player. There is no way I would it carry this unit with me on a daily basis ... e.g. as my "brag book" for showing off pictures of my grandkids, or to listen to my MP3 music files. It's just too bulky for that! And, as I mentioned earlier, the screen is really too small to be a serious video/movie viewer.

All things considered, if I had it to do over again, I'd buy the 40Gb model instead of the 80Gb. I bought the 80Gb model in anticipation of using it as my photo "brag book" and music player; but as I mentioned above, it's really too bulky for that.

I have tried to be honest and objective in my review of this product and I hope this helps you in making a decision whether or not to buy it.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed for storing photos, etc., February 8, 2007

By 

B. Littleton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digital Foci Picture Porter Elite 80GB Picture Viewer (Electronics)

We are taking an Alaskan vacation this summer and I wanted something to store photos from my digital camera. The Picture Porter seemed the best choice! It can take cards from my Nikon D70, plus the card from my Nikon Coolpix. In addition, I can videotape movies to watch on the plane on our way to Fairbanks. I hooked up the Picture Porter to my portable DVD player and using the supplied cables, I copied a 2+ hour movie right into Picture Porter. It compressed the file into an mpeg4 file of only 860mg! It has great clarity and sound. And once we arrive, I can simply delete the movie file so I have additional space for photos!

The Picture Porter is a bit bulky, but seems substantial enough not to crack like some smaller units (Ipods, etc) if I happen to drop it. The screen is large enough to view a movie on an airplane, and show photos to others.

I know there are other features I haven't even used it, like the FM radio and game feature (a bit like Tetris), but for what I needed, it's perfect!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Product, Excellent customer service, March 16, 2007

By 

Pat J "Dedicated online shopper" (Phoenix, Az USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Digital Foci Picture Porter Elite 80GB Picture Viewer (Electronics)

I am using all of the features and find them all quite intuitive and just as advertised. When I initially received the PMP, the joystick was broken. I emailed the company, quickly received a response with return instructions. I sent it back, received 2 phone calls (actual live people!!) letting me know the status of the repairs, and received the unit back asap. It was a flawless example of great customer service. So I know the product is exactly what I expected and the company has great customer service...