This Sony DPF-V900 9-inch Digital Photo Frame a great product to choose if you want to view and share your pictures in high-contrast color on a 9-inch LCD screen.

Sony DPF-V900 provides excellent aesthetics, superb image quality, and host of additional features. At $250, it isn’t cheap, and for many users some of its extras, like Bluetooth and HDMI connectivity, may not be worth the added expense. If you don’t need all these extra options and don’t mind sacrificing 2 inches, you may want to choose the cheaper Sony DPF-D70 7-inch (about $139.99).

The sleek, attractive design—a uniform black frame with a metal band around the outside edge—makes it look more like a traditional picture frame than most of its competitors. The display has a glossy finish, which makes images look extra sharp but does show some glare. The IR receiver is not visible, and the illuminated Sony logo can be switched off, leaving the border completely black.

Sony DPFV900 provides fast response, direct input from most digital cameras and memory cards, and special features to enhance photo quality. Operation is simple, and direct HDMI output lets you hook up your frame to your compatible HDTV for giant-screen slide shows. It comes with a remote control, slide show viewing, clock/calendar modes and wireless Bluetooth capability (with optional accessory) to let you display photos from Bluetooth devices and camera phones.

Sony DPF-V900 Highlights From the Manufacturer

Clear, Vivid LCD Display Display hundreds of your favorite photos in vibrant, true-to-life color, WVGA resolution (800×400 pixels) gives you sharp details photo displays in a wide screen (15:9) aspect ratio.

Internal Memory. Store your favorite photos on internal memory with up to 512MB of internal memory. Or expand your storage capacity by adding a compatible memory card (sold separately).

HDMI Output. Connect to your HDTV to display a giant-screen slide show for family and friends (HDMI cable required, sold separately).

Calendar Mode
USB Ports. Quickly transfer digital images to/from your PC, camera, camera phone, or other compatible storage device (USB cables sold separately).

Bluetooth Ready. Transfer images wirelessly from your PC or camera phone to your compatible Sony Digital Photo Frame via Bluetooth (optional Bluetooth USB adaptor DPPA-BT1 required, sold separately).

Auto Power On/Off. Specify the times (hour/minute) to have your photo frame automatically turn on and off.

Advanced Image Processing. Quickly decode and display up to 48 Megapixel or 100MB images, including JPEG, TIFF, BMP, and RAW file types.

Display Modes

Index. Quickly find a particular image by displaying thumbnail images.
Single Image. Display a single image in Fit-to-Screen or Entire Image modes.
Slide shows. Ten variations, including Fade, Wipe, Center Cross, Vertical Blinds, Horizontal Blinds, Multiple Image, Clock/Image, Calendar/Image, and Random.
Digital Clock. Displays a running digital clock.
Analog Clock. Displays a running analog clock.
Calendar. Displays a calendar of the current month.

Auto Image Rotation & Auto Orientation Sensor. The photo frame can be set to automatically detect and rotate images to their proper orientation. Also, the frame can self-detect whether it is sitting horizontally or vertically, and then automatically rotate images accordingly.

Memory Card Support. Import images or expand the storage capacity with one of these compatible memory card types, including Memory Stick media and Memory Stick PRO Duo media, SD, MMC, CF, Microdrive, and xD Picture cards.

Auto Touch-Up Features. Sony’s high-performance BIONZ image processor automatically optimizes your photos, including correction for focus, re-eye, skin tone, and exposure. Simply display the image you want to correct, select AUTO TOUCH-UP from the menu, and save the corrected image as a new file. The Sony Digital Photo Frame even saves original copy.

Remote Control. Using the supplied remote control, you can navigate Sony Digital Photo Frames without leaving the comfort of your couch or office chair. Key functions such as playing slide shows, switching view modes, zooming in/out on photos, and saving internal memory, can be activated by dedicated buttons on the remote control.

Read more about Electronic Picture Frames and How to Choose a Digital Photo Frame.

In the age of digital cameras, electronic picture frames are the logical next step. Why be restricted to displaying a single picture? No wonder, more and more people are opting for digital photo frames.

Digital photo frames have become one of the most popular electronics gifts for teens, parents, and grandparents. For a special gift, pre-load the frame’s memory card or USB device with memorable pictures and insert it in the frame before wrapping. This will allow your recipient to enjoy the gift straight from the box!  

There are so many frames on the market at this point ranging widely in prices that you may find it difficult to decide which one to buy.  Here are some points to consider when making your selection.

How to Choose the Best Digital Photo Frame for Your Needs

Ease of Use
Electronic picture frames are becoming feature rich. Some of these clever devices allow you to integrate video, sound, bluetooth, wi-fi, and a variety of other technologies – such as Internet browsers, Internet radio streaming, and displaying text news feeds.

However, some of the digital picture frames on the market have so many features that they may be confusing to inexperienced users. Many people just don’t like to fiddle with complicated menus and read manuals. They just want to upload the pictures and enjoy them. 

On the other hand, more sophisticated users will enjoy advanced features, such as the ability to e-mail photos or see up-to-date weather forecasts. Features like dedicated e-mail addresses make basic Wi-Fi frames, a good fit for anyone with a wireless network.

Digital frames also need a power source — so you’ll have to place it near an outlet.

Don’t base your decision on brand name alone
Sony, Kodak and Samsung are all excellent brands, but some lesser known companies make excellent electronic picture frames too. One brand that is recommended by many is Pandigital. Their PanTouch 8-inch Digital Photo Frame delivers a great value. It is a touch-enabled frame that provides a good viewing experience for the money. The frame offers picture adjustments for brightness, contrast, tint, and color for fine-tuning almost any photo to perfection. So the best advice is to read reviews before you buy.

Screen size
The most affordable electronic picture frames have a display area of about 5.6 inches (measured diagonally). While that size might be easy enough to view if you are sitting right in front of it, you won’t see much from an angle or a few feet away. So it’s helpful to consider where you’ll be placing the frame. Large picture frames can measure up to 15 inches. 

Resolution
Don’t save on resolution: 640×480 pixels or higher is best. Low prices on some frames (below $80), may make them attractive, but be aware that you’ll be sacrificing quality of your images. Resolution of 480 by 234 pixels is too low to display sharp details, so images may look boxy and pixelated! In my opinion, you should consider only frames with a resolution of 640-by-480 or higher.

Aspect Ratio
Photo frames typically come in one of two aspect ratios, 4:3 or 15:9. Most digital cameras shoot in a 4:3 aspect ratio and a frame with a matching 4:3 ratio is ideal. Frames with a 16:9 widescreen ratio will crop or stretch photos to fit the format to the screen, or display them in a letterbox to fit the image on the LCD screen.

On the other hand, a 15:9 aspect ratio will give your pictures a widescreen feel. For example, one of the great digital frames, the Sony DPF-V900 9-inch Digital Photo Frame, displays in 15:9. That, together with its slick design and intuitive software, makes it look and feel like a mini HDTV.

Connectivity
Wi-Fi features are proudly mentioned in descriptions and advertising for electronic picture frames, but in reality, many people posting reviews find setting up wireless features difficult. While wireless connectivity seems great in theory,even those who consider themselves computer savvy have had trouble getting Wi-Fi frames to communicate with a home wireless network. If you’re thinking of buying a frame as a gift, be sure to consider whether the recipient has a wireless network at home and their level of technical skills.

Memory-card compatibility
Although most digital frames support multiple memory card formats and have USB slots, confirm that the memory card you use is supported. A memory card adapter can be purchased separately, but it’s an additional expense.

Music and Video
Do you want to play music and video? Many digital picture frames can play MP3 files. Some play video files, but supported formats vary. Kodak frames play MOV files, others play AVI or MPEG4. However, when you read reviews, video and MP3 playback in general seems spotty.

Read more about Electronic Picture Frames and Can Electronic Picture Frames Replace Photo Albums?.