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More…Printing your digital pictures isn't the only way to enjoy and display them. A digital photo frame, such as the $199 Pandigital DPF80-2 model I looked at, is a viable alternative for showcasing collections of digital images.
pandigital Pandigital DPF80-2
- Lab Tested
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Pros
Produces great images
Can handle music and video files, too
Cons
Remote-control buttons are stiff
Menu navigation is rough in places
Pandigital DPF80-2
Pandigital DPF80-2 Review, by Melissa J. Perenson February 2, 2007
The Pandigital boasts 64MB of internal memory; four media card slots; an 800-by-600, backlit, 8-inch LED display (rated for viewing from a 65 degree angle, although I found viewing images comfortable at slightly greater angles); and two swappable frames (a classic, black wood version and a modernist, clear acrylic one).
The unit uses the same type of imaging chip set as you'd find in a digital media player. This chip set, according to Pandigital, is what allows you to use the device's two USB 2.0 ports (one of them a mini-USB connector) to link it directly to a PC, a digital camera, or an external, independently powered hard drive. Attaching a shipping version of the frame to a flash drive worked smoothly for me, though the unit was a bit poky in making the connection.
In my hands-on trials, the 8-inch screen displayed brilliant images; my photos were clearly visible even under moderate ambient light. The display's native 4:3 dimensions are well matched to those of many digital photographs, and generally it doesn't need to scale your images to fit the screen. I had no problems with images from a point-and-shoot camera, but my digital SLR photos didn't fill the screen; in the latter case, rather than cropping, the images had a minor letterboxing effect. You can situate the frame horizontally or vertically. The device doesn't automatically rotate vertical images (you can rotate individual images, but the rotation won't stick if you revert to slide-show mode).
I found a lot to like in this picture frame, but I also discovered a lot of quirks. For example, the graphical main menu is a friendly interface, but you don't get a standard, nested file-folder structure for easy browsing, a big negative if you need to locate and view a specific file on a high-capacity, chock-full USB drive or memory card, or if you want to separate collections of media into subject-oriented folders.
You can do a lot of navigation with the on-unit controls; at the rear, the frame has multipurpose forward, back, play/pause, and exit buttons (to learn that the exit button doubles as the setup button, you'll have to read through the included manual). Some other buttons, however, like the slide-show, zoom, and rotate buttons, are located only on the remote control.
The text-based overall settings menu is less appealing but gets the job done. Here you can adjust the slide-show effects (choosing from among six settings), the interval speed (from 3 seconds to 60 seconds), and the shuffling settings; you can also adjust the display's brightness/contrast and color/tint (a separate on-unit dial controls the backlight's brightness).
The included remote is tiny--small enough to slip into the CompactFlash card slot for handy storage. Unfortunately, I found the soft-touch buttons a bit stiff, making the remote a chore to use for extended periods (the on-unit buttons were far more conducive for navigating through files).
If you get tired of images, the Pandigital can also play music and videos: In addition to JPEG files, it handles MPEG-1, AVI, and MP3 files. The unit's integrated, stereo, 1-watt speakers were acceptable; though a bit bright, they sounded decent at maximum volume (but they're no substitute for a good speaker system).
Ultimately, however, those added media-playback capabilities are tangential to the main event, namely the display of digital images (one at a time, or in a slide show). For that function the Pandigital DPF80-2 is highly attractive, albeit limited in its browsing functionality. Its bright, crisp screen and its memory card slots--which let you easily supplement the built-in storage--helped it earn a spot on my desk.
Melissa J. Perenson
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User Reviews
Average User Reviews for pandigital Pandigital DPF80-2
1 Review Add your own »
- Latest User Reviews 1 review
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Reviewed by: bruce1293
Duration of ownership: 3 Months
Strengths: I liked the black frame.
Weaknesses: May or may not work with Dell computers when connected using the USB cable.
Overall: I could not get the USB connection to work when I tried to download the photos. Check around for other ratings. Other Dell users having the same problem also. Downloading the files to internal memory using the menu and remote was painfully slow. I bough t the DPF80-1 for Christmas. It has 64MB internal memory. According to Pandigital, the DPF80-2 has 128MB storage. Pandigital is aware of Dell problem.
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User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: resalerail
Strengths: Sharp display, good looking frame construction, remote control, accepts most media cards.
Weaknesses: 8" inches is small for a frame right now. 10" is where it's at.
Overall: This pandigital frame is an excellent 8" frame. It comes with a remote control and can display your pictures with music. What is very nice is that this frame can accept most media cards for pictures which makes changing the pictures very easy. Recommended buy.
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Reviewed by: MERCY2463
Strengths: SHOWS LIMITED PHOTOS WITH AVERAGE RESOLUTION.
Weaknesses: BREAKS AFTER 90 DAYS, NO SUPPORT, NO UPDATE, USE AND DISCARD.
Overall: I received the Pandigital 8" as a gift, didn't set up for over 2 months, when I set up, it work OK for a month and a half... then it went blank. called for support,Their response...warantee for 90 days FROM PURCHASE, NO SUPPORT, NO DOWNLOAD FOR REPAIR, NOTHING THEY CAN DO.... THROW IN GARBAGE. I DO NOT RECOMMEND PURCHASING PRODUCT AT ALL.
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Reviewed by: lpicc65
Strengths: High resolution. 2 wood frames included.
Weaknesses: none
Overall: I absolutely love this picture frame. I purchased it for my wife for Christmas and we've been using it ever since. The display is a high resolution - compared to some others that i've seen. Also, it includes 2 very nice wooded frames, not the cheap plastic ones that many of the other photo frames include. And for the price - it can't be beat, especially after using a 30% off coupon at a local retail store. Well worth the money.
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Reviewed by: jgranato
Strengths: Resolution, Internal Memory, Multiple Frames, Ease of Use, Remote
Weaknesses: Website Support, Back support Length
Overall: The frame comes with 128MB built-in memory which is plenty of space for over 100 photos. Additional storage can be added via USB flash drive or various memory cards. Once loaded with photos, when you power on the unit it start with your slide show without operator intervention (a must for my parents). The resolution of the frame (640x480) is better other frames of equal size. The frame comes with a choice of two different frames (Black wood and clear plastic). When connected to a computer, the frame appears as drive (similar to a USB flash drive). Simply copy your photos to the drive or move them via USB flash drive. One caution if you use a Mac with iPhoto and you try to export directly to the frame. In addition to the photos, iPhoto also copies hidden files (thumbnails) at the same time. These are not recognized by the frame and that causes problems.
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Reviewed by: mattybug1
Strengths: I love its options, black or brown frame, remote, pictures, music or video, usb or memory card or internal memory for your data. The pictures show up very crisp and clear, it is very easy to use.
Weaknesses: A bit bulky if you want to hang on the wall, but that's it.
Overall: I bought this for my mom's birthday uploaded some pictures to it and was very surprised how many the internal memory held. We have very much enjoyed using this product and will get one for ourselves soon.
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