Customer Reviews

Kodak Easyshare M820 8-Inch Digital Frame

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

This frame is one of the better ones that can show pics and video at the same time. The frame controls took a little getting used to but, found it better than the tiny remote on other frames. I did a firmware update (the frame's operating software)which i think improved the icons making it easier to understand for the non-techie types. One disappointment was there was no mini-usb cable included in the package, when most other companies include it in theirs; it's just the frame, power adapter, and software. A slight peeve with most digital frames; is the new frames are coming out in the widescreen format (16:9 ratio/ 800 by 480 resolution like this frame) and not fullscreen format (4:3 ratio/ 800 by 600 resolution) which most pics are in anyway. So, with this frame your getting an 8 inch screen but, it displays like a 7 inch screen pic and i apologize for my ranting and raving.

Sidenote : From the Kodak website, their coming out with OLED frames; kinda like LCD but, with more vibrant colours like plasma. Samsung frames are another consideration but, stiffer price tag.

Issues and My Solutions:
1)After trying different brands; like all digital frames this issue of not recognizing formats it supposed to be able to play has come-up regularly. My original pics and videos worked fine but, when i altered them using Adobe and keeping the same format, the frame didn't seem to recognized them anymore. *revised: There is a little oddity with pics you can alter size, resolution, rotate and enhance but, this must be done on the computer before you download it on any flash memory device.* In video on this frame; altered it with Adobe but, using free software(from tucows website)to make sure it's at 640 by 480 resolution with minor degradation in the video so, solved both problems.
2)I was trying to put wedding pics in chronological and songs in play order but, it didn't matter how i renamed them using #s or A-Z even when i set the frame to play A-Z. It wouldn't play in that order but, when i renamed them on the computer then downloaded it into a SD card, it worked. yep-pee

Addendum: My big conclusion about this frame and it might work on others as well is when doing any form of editing from pics to video, do it on your computer before downloading it onto any flash memory device. Don't even try to edit within any flash memory device cause you will run into these problems.
CONSIDERATION NOTICE: There is new version of the kodak m820 model with decor frame(same price or cheaper); saw this recently in a store which i think improved the exterior look of the frame.

As usual, after searching for products and checking all possible reviews, finally decided to buy this Kodak M820 attributed to the balance of price and performance.

After opening the box, peel off screen protector, plug in and power it on. While enjoying its introduction show, I download >400 pictures from my picture folder (that I took now and then by Sony W7, Nikon L4, Panasonic LZ7, and Kodak very early digital camera) into a SD card (with some MP3 music files too). It seems that all pictures and motion file taken by those camera are all been play very well with good picture resolution and clear sound. The picture is very bright and the sound is loud enough to be heard in all corner of a 20 x 20 living room.

So far, this frame has done what it supposed to do: showing pictures with some blending of music as bonus. The 800 x 480 resolution is so far the best on the available market with hope-to-be-cheaper price. 8" screen size is visible within reasonable distance, however, buy larger one if you can afford and hang it on the wall...

I do enjoy this digital picture frame, and so will you.....

I purchased the Kodak EasyShare M820 digital frame as a birthday present for my sister. I wanted to set it up with a few family pictures, a couple of short videos, and add background music to the slide show before I give it to her. After reading the manual several times and calling the Kodak technical support for help three or four times, I was only able to achieve one of my three objectives.

I think the instruction manual lacks some vital information about the steps that should be followed to perform different tasks. I was able to create a slide show after one phone call to the technical support. However, installing a 20-second video was a different story. To install my video, I learned that first, I had to convert it to the right format since it was in Avi format. However, one technical support representative told me it should be in MPEG4 and another said it should be in MPEG1. After several conversions, I still could only see the first frame rather than the entire video. I am sure if I could spend a few more hours, I could either make it work or figure out the source of the problem and then give up. Unfortunately, I ran out of time and had to give my sister her present.
I wish the frame would come with a better instruction manual so I could figure out in a timely manner how to use all the features that the frame claims to offer.
N. Brown

I do not own this frame, but I wanted to point out some misleading points in the description above. First, the M820 (or M1012) is not a wireless frame so it is not able to receive images wirelessly from the Kodak Easy Share gallery. The wireless line has the model designation of EX. Second the "HD format" that's referred to in the description is just the 16:9 aspect ratio. This makes it widescreen, but doesn't mean it has incredible resolution like a HD tv. The frame has a resolution of: 800 x 400 which is really nice for a digital frame currently, but not at the level of a HD tv.

All of that said, this looks like a really nice digital frame. The 800 x 400 resolution is at the upper end on the market. I also really like the Quick Touch Border Control feature. Some of the criticism of Kodak's earlier frames was that they were too dependant on the small remote, which was easily lost. This new feature will remedy that and appears to a have an easy user interface. This frame also sports 2 memory card slots so you can add more more memory. I'm looking forward to seeing it on the market in May.

I bought this after coming back from vacation and taking hundereds of pictures of yellowstone. I loaded a memory card with my favorite photos and stuck it in the back and the touch screen settings was a breeze to set up, even shows the movies. I have it set to come on in the morning and turn off before bed, perfect feature. I have made no adjusts to color or sizing and it displays most things well. You can choose between showing the full picture which makes black bars on the side or full screen. I have glanced at it so many times I need to buy a new memory card so I can load more pictures! It does have some built in memory also.
If you read the product discription you will get the specs. Very pleased and plan on buying more as gifts this christmas for my family to enjoy.

I cannot figure it out..Its not the file size nor the filename length or the characters in the name; it just doesn't like some of my photos. I can see them perfectly on my PC etc but on the frame it thinks some of the files (which appears ok in creative suite/photoshop etc) are corrupted.

The frame also hangs every now and then, so I updated the firmware and it seems a little better aka no hanging. Still doesn't like some of the pictures though.

Sorry if the product doens't do what its say on the box (aka displays digital photos) then its useless. I also looked on the kodak site, no joy there. Sending back...

I bought Kodak digital frame for my wife for Mother's Day. First of all I think these digital frames will be found as a free prize in cereal boxes in a year, but anyway...the only reason I would buy one is because I like to make slide shows with Photostory. This model promised to play video in the following formats: MOV, MPEG1, MPEG4, and AVI. Since Photostory can only publish in the WMV format, I had to convert. I converted into all those formats and nothing seemed to work. I fiddled and fiddled with Super Converter and finally found settings that did not get an error AND would play on the digital frame. However, the quality of the video play on the digital frame was so poor that even I would send this thing back...if I bought it for me. The problems are digital noise (sort of like pixelation) and color distortion while panning. My wife, on the other hand, only wants to see the pictures and doesn't care one way or the other if I spent hours to make a cool slide show. So I will keep this one for her and will not buy another one unless/until they play the WMV format without losing any quality.

The 16:9 aspect ratio of the screen is such that normal 4:3 digital pictures will either be automatically cropped or you will have black borders on the edges of your pictures. You have those two choices. One alternative they don't offer is to distort the pictures by stretching them. Thank goodness for small miracles.

You have no control over cropping, pan and zoom. These features are built in slide show but not so that you can change them. All you can do is turn them on or off. Cropping, panning, and zooming are the reasons I use Photostory first. Photostory slideshows look great on Windows Media Player but it is not worth the hassle of converting to get such poor results on the Kodak digital frame. If you wanted to crop out the jalopy in the background of your daughter's prom night picture, you'll have to do it before you put the picture on the SD card.

The white plastic frame is not much to look at. My wife might send it back for that reason. The paper cutouts aren't much better. Supposedly there is a wood-look frame that goes on it but I couldn't find one.

The touch sensitive frame takes some getting used to. It is a good thing they have words to go with some of the icons, but they need words for all of the icons.

The booklet is no help for anything. If you thought you knew how to turn an electrical device on and off, read it here because it is not covered in the book. For this device you have to hold the button down for a few seconds, then release, then sit back patiently because it takes exactly 5 more seconds before it blinks on. Just when you thought it wasn't working, it comes on. It would have been nice if they had mentioned that so new users would not have to read about it here. Once it blinks on, Kodak does a little advertising and then the display freezes for a l-o-n-g 30 seconds. Nothing works. Then it goes black for another 10 seconds and finally launches "automatically" into a slide show of your pictures. Turning it off requires the same several seconds to hold the button down, but the frame blinks off as soon as you release the button. If you push and release the on/off button like normal and it doesn't work, you might be inclined to find the Troubleshooting part of the manual. Here is what they suggest, "Make sure it is plugged in," (well, duh!), and "Make sure the power switch on the frame is on." Well, you can't tell if the switch is on because on and off look and feel identical. This would have been a perfect opportunity to mention that you have to hold the button down and then release. Sheesh!

The booklet does describe how you can use the frame to copy pictures from one device to another, print pictures, delete pictures, select multiple pictures (for what?), and copy pictures from your computer. I suggest that if you have a computer, then all these features are 10 times easier and faster to do right on your computer.

If you use the instructions in the book to see thumbnail sized pictures of your pictures, it shows you a total of six pictures from each of your picture sources. If you select the SD card as your picture source, then it shows you zero pictures. Figure that one out! If you go to the touch border and select Multi-up, then you get 28 thumbnails. I had never heard the term, multi-up, but now I have. If you want to see the rest of your thumbnails, you have to learn how to slide your finger along the bottom of the frame just right or it reverts to a different display. The only way I have figured out how to get out of that location is to turn the digital frame off and then on again.

You cannot turn the slideshow off. If you want to look at just one picture, you have to go through the tedium of finding it without making any mistakes, then selecting it without making any mistakes, and pushing one of the unmarked frame buttons on the right. Then that one picture becomes a slide show, complete with transitions and panning and zooming. Basically your picture blinks at you. If you want to stop the blinking, you have to go into the controls and change the slide display time to a longer setting. While you're there you can turn off the transitions.

You can select two modes of picture advancement through the slideshow. It will advance through the pictures alphabetically by the name of the picture or by the date of the image. If you have a special order you want your pictures to display, you will have to rename them so that they will sort alphabetically.

Other than that, the pictures seem to show up fine without distortion. Color rendition and contrast might leave some people looking for something better. Set up was as easy as plugging in the SD card and turning it on (heh, heh, turning it on...heh, heh...just that simple).

It's funny but the larger screen models of these things are approaching the cost of a new laptop computer. Hmmmm. Wouldn't it be ironic if the big screen digital frames became more expensive than the larger screen laptops?

The M820 has the look and feel of a 'normal' picture frame, only it will display, slide show style, as many pictures as your memory card could possibly hold and it offers some, mostly unneeded but related features such as sound, the ability to play videos and some rudimentary and difficult to use file management capabilities.

WHAT YOU GET

For you money, inside the nice cardboard box you will find:

- The frame itself with the 8" display at 800x480
- DC adapter
- 2 mattes, silver and burgundy
- A small cleaning cloth
- Kodak EasyShare software on a CD
- Manual in English/French/Spanish/Portuguese
- One-page Quick Start

SETUP AND OPERATION

Within less than 5 minutes of me opening the box, my frame was already displaying pictures. It's as simple as plugging it in and inserting a memory card or a USB drive in the back.

For fine-tuning, the touch border menu system (NEVER TOUCH THE SCREEN) will let you customize your slide shows by selecting:

- the time each picture is displayed - from 5 seconds to one hour
- the sort order (A-Z, Z-A, newest to oldest or vice-versa)
- orientation - portrait or landscape
- the source for your pictures - internal memory, or one of the 3 (THREE) external memory ports

Physically, your frame can sit on its stands that rotates 90 degrees to allow for either portrait or landscape or you can use the mounting holes to hang it on a wall. The 2 provided mattes are easy to attach and more can be purchased from Kodak.

In addition to displaying pictures and playing videos, the frame can be also used to play music.

Besides slide shows, it's possible to display one specific picture by selecting it from a display mode of thumbnails.

FEATURES

The most important parameter is, of course, the display and it's a bright, crisp, , fast, 800x480.

Kodak has built a lots of features into this frame, some most welcome, others not exactly needed. The most impressive is the frame's ability to accept just about any memory card in existence. There are 3 slots in the back:

- SD, MMC, MS, xD
- CF, MD
- USB

In addition, you can connect to a computer and load the frame's own tiny 128 MB internal memory.

Since you can have 'something' in each of the three slots at any given time, you could load this frame with, literally, tens of thousands of pictures if you so desire - slide shows will only look at one port at a time but you can switch any time you want.

Not likely to be used much, the frame does allow you to copy files between the various ports or from a camera/computer, you can magnify a picture, rotate it, save slide shows, print a picture and so on.

The EasyShare software lets you organize, print, and share your pictures. It's nice that it was in the box but I am not likely to use it - it's available as a free download, by the way.

MY RATING

Since all I wanted was a picture frame that displays pictures with bright colors without distorting the original, the M820 fully meets my expectations.

I appreciate its ability to take inputs from so many different sources - I currently have an inexpensive HP 8 GB Class 4 SDHC Flash Memory Card Q6276A-EF with over 1000 pictures on it, cycling them at a rate of one every 30 seconds. I also like the 'real picture frame' look and feel, with the nice mattes included. I don't have much use for the 'extra' features having to do with file management or music playing but them being there doesn't hurt. The border touch interface is not always as responsive as it could be but, once a slide show is set, the frame is likely to keep working for many days before there's any need of controls so this is not a big demerit.

The M820 is an easy 5-star because I am impressed and so is the rest of the family and so are friends who invariably ask me the 2 questions: where I got it from and for how much :).

When I got this frame it did not work right out of the box. White screen of death. You turn it on, screen goes white. Nothing happens. No buttons work nothing.

I called up Kodak and because I just got it they asked paid for the shipping to send it to them and they'd fix it. Alright. I wasn't happy that it didn't work but at least they'd fix it right?

Well they sent it back and it worked for oh about 3 months. Then back to the white screen of death. I called up Kodak and this time they want me to pay for shipping because it's been more than 30 days since the original purchase.

Sorry Kodak. I'm just going to throw your frame in the trash where it belongs. Even when it did work, it was clunky and cumbersome to use. Googling about the the problem I ran into many others who had a similar "White Screen of Death" but no solutions.

The M 820 may work fine as a picture frame, but if you search for .mov file problems with this device you will find it actually does NOT support this format. (Yes, I did update the firmware and try again before writing this review)

Kodak claims on the box and on the web that the M820 supports .mov, .avi, mpeg1, and mpeg4 file formats. In reality it DOES NOT. This frame only supports Mpeg1 files. You will have to use compression software to translate your videos to mpeg1. I suggest Final Cut, or for those on a budget, ImTOO video converter.

I am fine with a product having limitations, but not with a product being marketed to do something it cannot. I am giving it one star for bad PR from Kodak marketing, and total lack of instruction on how to remedy the problem.