Smartparts SPX8 8-Inch Syncpix Digital Picture Frame

Update. This frame was beautiful, but failed after 3 years.I bought this frame for my parents so they could have pictures of their first grandson. My parents do not use computers so I need to load the pictures when I visit. The frame is easy to use and the pictures are crisp. No complaints. I would recommend this to anyone. The frame has a nice motion detection feature so the frame shuts off when no one is near it.

The Smartparts SPX8 8-Inch Digital Picture Frame is a very good digital picture frame.Pros:- built in motion sensor turns off frame to save power when no one is around- automatically copies and resizes photos into its own 256MB of memory (can hold about 3000 photos)- crisp, reasonably large display size- 800x600 pixels (4x3 ratio matches that of most digital cameras)- mounts on wall or sits on desk in either portrait or landscape- reasonable UI- felt reasonably well constructed- about $125 is a good price for it as of 8/7/2008 from Amazon.Cons:- can take a while to move and resize/optimize photos (other picture frames use photos directly from memory card so may require zero time to start display, but then need to leave card in the frame, yet cards are inexpensive these days).Price on Amazon seems to go up and down somewhat. I can recommend this product because it works well. (Better than the other 2 digital picture frames I have -- see below).The main remaining features I'm thinking about are an even larger display and possibly a WiFi connection that works easily to get more pictures to the frame automatically -- but I have not found a WiFi frame that works well for this yet. The number of different frames with skimpy specifications makes things confusing. And I'm leery of frames with TOO many features as well as ones with external dependencies that may require additional labor and expense.--------------The Philips 6.5-Inch Digital Photo Frame is a good picture frame.Pros- plug in a card with pictures and go!- crisp, clear display (720x480 resolution is good match for frame size)- reasonable UI- felt reasonably well constructed- $100 is a good price for it as of 8/14/2008 from Amazon.Cons- really requires you to leave a separate memory card in the unit (but at least gigabyte cards are large and cheap).- to maximize image quality and space use, resize pictures to 720 x 480 ahead of time.- no auto motion sensor to turn off frame when no one is aroundI can recommend the Philips 6.5-Inch Digital Photo Frame because it works well and meets expectations. The cons are really missing features that other higher priced models such as the SPX8 may have.--------------Axion AXN-9701 7-Inch Widescreen LCD Digital Picture Frame is a poor picture frame.Pros- cheap- pictures do cycle continuouslyCons- disappointing resolution at only 480x234, not well matched to screen size- really needs separate memory card- must make a manual selection to start picture showI do not recommend the Axion AXN-9701 at all.--------------

I like the size and look of this picture frame. I like that it has internal memory, and can play video as well as photos. However, I wish the remote and menu were easier to use. There is no "pause" button for the pictures, so when the slideshow is playing you cannot stop on one picture and leave it there. I also wish there was an option to show the file name on the bottom of the picture. The file name has information about who's in it, when it was taken, etc, and without that information, it's hard to know where the picture was from.Screen quality is fine.It was worth the price.

I had purchased Smartparts' other 8" frame, the SP8EM as a gift for my mother, and was really impressed with the picture quality. I decided to buy one for my office, but bought this model instead to get the motion sensor.The resolution is just as good, but it is a little too bright, and as far as I can tell, this isn't adjustable.The motion sensor is a little flakey, but I think it works ok most of the time. The angle of view of the sensor seems to be very narrow, so you can be looking at the frame, but just off to the side, and it will turn off. I've come in to work many times and it is on, there's no way for me to know if someone walked by or if it never turned off.I put some videos on the memory card in the same folder as pictures, but it has never played them. I haven't investigated further.I don't like the way this frame wants to copy the files to internal memory each time it is powered on. Can't turn this off, though. The 1GB card I bought for it cost me $8, so why bother with internal memory? You can resize all your pics very quickly yourself with a free utility such as Irfanview or Picasa.The stand on this frame is really annoying, it falls off everytime you pick up the frame. So dumb. The stand on the SP8EM is very different and much better.This frame has frozen a couple of times. It just gets stuck on a picture and never moves to the next. Reboot and it is ok. Hasn't done this in a while.Overall, I like the SP8EM better, and would recommend that one unless you need the motion sensor. I'd bet money that the one I gave my mother was turned off and was never turned on again...

Like many others I bought this based on the Consumer Reports review. Typically, CR is a good resource for reviews but not in this case. I have now noted that the CR review does not say how many units they tested nor does it have a column for reliablity or quality control.On my unit the motion sensor does not work, and thus I am returning it. Since quality control seems to be a major issue with Smartparts (see Amazon reviews)I will not buy from Smartparts again. Shame on Smartparts and on us for buying and returning units until we get one that is functioning.Here is more information for those still willing to roll the dice. The design of the frame and the quality of the display are nice. It loaded almost 80 pictures from my camera to the frame in about 30 minutes. All I had to do was press the button and leave it to load. The directions are horrible. The web support is bad. Their list for troubleshooting is short, and their phone mailbox was full so I could not leave a message. The menu buttons are difficult to use (small, hard to see) and not intuitive.I want to thank the Amazon community for posting reviews. They were on target. I wish I had paid more attention to Amazon and less to Consumer Reports.