Iomega 31308 FotoShow Digital Image Center

by Iomega

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000056L2Q
• Item model number: 31308
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 12, 2000

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Iomega FotoShow Digital Image Center displays digital photos in JPEG format on a TV so that you can edit, organize, enhance, and share digital photos without the need of a personal computer. FotoShow fits snugly in an entertainment center, or on top of a TV on its supplied stand. It comes with a remote control so you can relax while you create.

Quickly copy your digital camera memory cards onto inexpensive Zip 250 MB or 100 MB disks, then keep on shooting. You can also connect FotoShow to the USB port on your PC or Mac and use it as a 250 MB Zip drive to store and back up all types of files and applications. FotoShow uses 250 MB or 100 MB Zip disks and accepts CompactFlash, SmartMedia, and IBM Microdrive digital camera memory cards.

Iomega provides a one-year warranty on parts and labor for the FotoShow Digital Image Center.

From the Manufacturer

The Iomega FotoShow digital image center lets you easily organize, edit and view digital images from the comfort of your own couch. Fotoshow can increase the bragging rights of parents everywhere by letting them show their digital photos, from the first steps to the first date, on a television. The FotoShow digital image center can give you the flexibility and quality of digital imaging without the cost and complexity of a computer.

When connected to the television, the FotoShow digital image center creates a portable digital photo album by functioning as a photo viewer, editor, organizer and storage device. Built-in PictureIQ technology also gives you the convenience of cropping, rotating, and removing red eye from your images right from your own television set with the included remote control.

When connected to a personal computer, the FotoShow digital image center functions as a Zip 250 MB USB drive, enabling users to transfer photos from the hard drive, scanned pictures, pictures attached to personal e-mails, or those downloaded from the Internet.

The FotoShow digital image center can also be used to impress clients. Presentations can be saved onto Zip 250 MB disks and then viewed on any television set, eliminating the cost of laptops and projectors. Zip 250 MB disks can also be used at tradeshows to display images for prospective customers. You can also use it as a Zip 250 MB USB drive.

For Use on a TV (no computer required). One of the following Video-in connections required:

• Composite (RCA) (cable included)
• S-Video (cable sold separately)
• RF (coaxial) (adapter sold separately)

Note: Iomega FotoShow is compatible with the U.S. NTSC video standard only, which is the standard for all televisions sold in the U.S. FotoShow is not supported for use with non-U.S. television standards, such as the European PAL or SECAM.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Versatile equipment!, March 15, 2001

By 

Higher Ed Technologist (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iomega 31308 FotoShow Digital Image Center (Personal Computers)

I purchased the Iomega Fotoshow when I purchased a new PC. I knew I wanted to get a digital camera eventually, but I wanted a ZIP drive immediately. At first, I used this exclusively as a ZIP drive attached to my PC and it worked like a charm. No better or worse than other ZIP drives I have owned, so it is certainly not worth the price if that is all you intend to use it for.

When I purchased my digial camera, the Fotoshow's extra features proved to be very useful. I just pop my compactflash card and a ZIP disk into the Fotoshow and press one button to copy my photos onto the ZIP disk. Piece of cake! I can see this being a really handy tool if you go on vacation and want to dump your photos onto a disk and don't have access to a PC. The fotoshow is not that tiny, but smaller than a laptop or desktop computer would be to carry with you when you travel. And, at 100 or 250 MB disks, you don't need many disks to tore your images.

Another great feature of the Fotoshow is the ability to connect the it to a television (through a coaxial or RCA connection, cables included). Using this feature, you can selectively copy the contents of your memory card onto a Zip disk, perform some basic touch-ups on the photos (like removing red-eye and cropping), or you can give a slide show presentation through your television! All this through a small remote control! What is also nice is that you can give a slide show presentation of images on your ZIP disk as well. So, your presentation can be from images generated anywhere, no just your digital camera. Very, very cool!

I do have some complaints about the Fotoshow that prevent me from giving it a 5 star rating. 1) If it is plugged into a PC and you are using it as a ZIP drive, you cannot read or copy from your memory card. Only if your computer is off or the Fotoshow is disconnected can you copy images to a ZIP disk. No big deal, really. 2) Also, a feature I would REALLY like would be to have the ability to give a slide presentation on a COMPUTER screen directly from a memory card, but alas you can only view a slide show through a television.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I am pleased with it--Recommended, June 9, 2001

By 

M. Broderick "mikebinok" (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Iomega 31308 FotoShow Digital Image Center (Personal Computers)

If you travel with a digital camera, I recommend the FotoShow. You can use 100 or 250 MegaByte zip disks to store your photos on the road. This will free up your expensive flashcards or MicroDrives for more pictures! You can also hook it to a television to review your photos, though I find that you need to either go through a VCR or else use a a converter kit (available at consumer electronics stores) to hook up to most televisions. Despite this, I find my FotoShow useful on the road for storing of photographs from a recent trip. If you are like me, and inflict photos of your travels on the few remaining friends you haven't alienated with this practice, the FotoShow is a good way to do it. I find the "zoom" feature is particularly useful when doing this, you can zoom in on selected parts of the image. You also have the ability to do some modest photo editing (rotating, redeye removal, lightening/darkening) with just the FotoShow and a television. Finally, you can hook it to your computer and use it as a conventional zip drive. I do have a few quibbles that keep me from giving FotoShow five stars--You need a small converter to hook into most televisions directly. I had a bit of trouble copying photos at first, till I figured out a couple of tricks. And I dread losing the remote control, since none of the imaging controls are duplicated on the device itself! To my knowledge, FotoShow will not work on non-US televisions, though you can use it to back up pictures anywhere, even without a television. Finally, (though this isn't really a fault of the device) Zip Disks are a bit pricey. According to the manual, FotoShow works best with 250 MegaByte Zip Disks, use of 100s will make disk access slower.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good hardware, so-so firmware, June 18, 2001

By 

RJ - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iomega 31308 FotoShow Digital Image Center (Personal Computers)

As someone who shoots a lot of digital images and edits and organizes them in various software programs (Photoshop, Image Expert, etc.) I bought the Fotoshow primarily as a means to display pre-edited slideshows on tv screens to friends and associates. Technically, the machine works great: Great quality images, smooth transitions, easy to use. My quibbles: The unit's firmware has a default setting to display photos according to the file date. This means slideshows you have meticulously edited and arranged on a PC program will come out extremely scrambled on the ZIP slideshow. The ONLY way to change the order is to go through and click and drag them around on the TV screen with the remote control -- unbearably cumbersome compared to click and drag on a screen. The only other workaround for this is to resave all your image files on the computer, so they share the same file date, at which point they're displayed in order of file name. If you work with lots of images, this can take a long time, and it's a major hassle. Also: When you place images on a ZIP disk and load them up for the first time, the Fotoshow must imprint each with its video encoding. This takes about 5 seconds per photo -- which can leave you staring at a "please wait" screen for an hour or more if you have a slideshow with several hundred fotos. Only happens the first time you view each pic, but a major hassle. Overall: A firmware/software update giving users some flexibility -- and especially the ability to organize images through the PC, before plugging into the tv -- would make this an absolutely ideal device.