KODAK SV811 DIGITAL PICTURE FRAME - Excellent Picture, Mediocre Features, Decent Value

I love the concept of the digital picture frame. It is a great non-intrusive way to share your photos with others or to display several photos in your home without taking up much space. Until recently, I have resisted purchasing a digital picture frame (DPF) due to the bright screens and lousy picture quality typical of early lower-end DPFs. Because of its high-definition picture, the Kodak EasyShare SV811 Digital Picture Frame stood out when displayed next to other less-expensive models on the Wal-Mart shelves.

Physical Description
The Kodak EasyShare SV811 resembles a small flat screen TV. The frame is entirely black. It has an 8" diagonal screen... approximately 7" by 4"... with the same 16:9 ratio as a wide screen high-def TV. The screen is surrounded by a 3/4" wide shiny black plastic matte, which is in turn surrounded by a 1 3/8 inch wide black beveled frame. The entire frame measures 11 1/8 inches by 8 1/4 inches. All in all, the front of the frame is simple in design. It looks like a conventional picture frame, allowing the picture itself to be the star of the show. The frame is equipped with holes which facilitate easy wall mounting. However, the frame is 1 1/2 inches thick, which makes it look awkward when mounted on the wall. The back of the frame contains the buttons, controls, connections and memory card ports. The back also has a pull-out stand which allows the frame to sit on a flat surface either horizontally or vertically.

Picture
As mentioned, the LCD picture quality is excellent and is this frame's best selling point. It is crisp and detailed, especially when compared side-by-side to other frames. At full brightness, the image is clearly visible in diffuse sunlight. When the brightness is set low, the picture is still quite clear, but does not emit a distracting amount of light. Of course, the quality of the picture is dependent upon the quality of your photos. 2 megapixels, or maybe a little less, is sufficient.

Video
The frame provides a great way to share video with others. Just load a video and take the frame with you. The frame has a 128 mb internal memory. Longer videos will require a memory card.

Sound
You can load sounds and songs can be loaded and played just like on an ipod, but unless it is the soundtrack to a video that you have loaded, there is no way to synchronize the music with your photos. The song simply plays in the background, independent of the pictures on the screen. The sound quality of the speakers is absolutely terrible. It sounds like a battery operated AM transistor radio from the sixties... very tinny, absolutely no bass and no sound controls other than the volume. I repeat... the sound quality is unequivocally awful. It does have a port to plug in your headphones or buds... perhaps that helps.

Operation
The frame has buttons and controls on its back side, and it also has a remote control. My first thoughts on the remote control were, "Oh great, another remote control to keep track of" and "Why do I need a remote control for a digital picture frame?" However, I have found the remote to be quite handy, even when the frame is within arm's reach. It's awkward to handle the frame and operate the controls on the back of the frame while looking at the menu screen of the front of the frame. The credit-card-sized remote makes it simpler. The frame is fairly easy to operate, mainly because there are just a few features and settings to learn. It could be even simpler, though. There are separate buttons and menus for the inventory and the settings. The buttons are difficult to differentiate. One says "menu" and the other has an icon of a house (home?). Also, it's hard to figure out how to get back to operational mode after making adjustments or loading photos. Out of frustration, I frequently find myself turning the frame off, then back on to get back to operational mode.

Loading Photos / Software
When you plug the frame into your computer's USB port, your computer will recognize it as a storage device and assign a letter to the new drive. At this point, all you have to do is copy and paste (or drag) your photo files into the new drive. The EasyShare SV811 comes with Kodak EasyShare software. This software is functional, adequate and simple. It provides a means to organize your photos as well as some basic editing. If you are fairly computer-adept and already have a favorite editing program, then the Kodak software is completely unnecessary. The Kodak software is not specific to this picture frame and there is no need to learn new software if you already have software with which you are comfortable. The frame has a 128 mb internal memory. If more memory is needed, it also has two memory card ports which accommodate CompactFlash (CF), MicroDrive (MD), Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick, xD and MultiMedia Cards (MMC).

Settings and Features
"Fit to Screen" Feature - I hate those black lines at the top and bottom of the television screen when a movie is being shown in its full-screen "theater" format... and I don't want my DPF to display blocks of black. Others may wish to have the frame show the entire photo, even if it's disproportionate to the screen's shape. This frame provides that option. You may choose to either display the entire picture, or the frame will trim (not stretch) the picture to fit the entire screen. Most digital cameras have a default mode (or only option) of a 4:3 aspect ratio and this frame displays a 16:9 ratio, you will be forced to make the choice between "fit to screen" or "display entire image". Your other option is to take the time to crop your pics to fit the 16:9 aspect ratio.

Brightness Control - The brightness control allows for ideal viewing in virtually any lighting situation without sacrificing picture quality.

Transitions between photos - You may choose between 12 different transitions (how one photo blends or transitions into the next) between photos and you also have the option of random transitions. The transitions are... no transition (abrupt change), wipes from the 8 compass directions, door open or close and horizontal or vertical bars. You may not choose more than one selection, nor is there a "dissolve" transition. Also, you have no control over the length of the transition. It seems to vary from about 4 to 8 seconds. This appears to be dependent upon the size of the next file.

Slide Duration - You may only choose from seven options as to how long each photo will be displayed... 3 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes or 1 hour. If you want a picture displayed for a half hour... or maybe just one picture each day, then you are out of luck. Allowing the user to choose his specific duration would be preferable. You DO have the option to manually forward the pics with the remote control.

Other Issues
My biggest gripe with the Kodak EasyShare SV811 is that there is no option to randomize or choose the order that the photos are displayed. Unless you painstakingly change the name of each file to correspond to the order that you would like to see them, they will be shown in exactly the same order each and every time. Furthermore, it will start at the beginning each time you turn the frame on. You always know what's coming next. Right now, I have a group of 30 pictures in my frame. Each time I power up, I know that I'm going to see a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge right away. It's a great picture... but I'd rather randomly see one of the other 29 pics each time I turn on the frame.

Other than brightness, adjustments may not be made to the display. There are no controls or settings for contrast, saturation, etc. These adjustments must be made to each individual photo with your software before loading the photos into the frame.

The EasyShare SV811 is operated exclusively by a DC power supply that plugs into a wall outlet. The power supply is bulky and is connected to the frame by a thick black cord. If you wish to have a permanent place for your frame, this puts significant restrictions as to how the frame can be attractively displayed. Since there is no battery-power option, it must be displayed close to a wall outlet and in a fashion where the ugly power supply and cord will be unseen. It cannot be attractively displayed on a coffee table or hung high on a wall. It can be ideally displayed on a desktop, end table or a corner table.

The frame is moderately lustrous and is prone to visible fingerprints. Prints are easily removed with some Windex and a paper towel, but if you handle the frame often and don't use the remote control, make sure to buy an extra bottle of Windex.

Price
I purchased my Kodak EasyShare SV811 Digital Picture Frame at our local Wal-Mart for $150, compared to $75-125 for a clearly inferior 400 X 600 pixel competitor. At the time of this writing, it's selling online for $150-200 plus shipping, so if you're within close proximity to a Wal-Mart, that's your best option for price and convenience. Oh, and yes, the EasyShare SV811 is made in China.

Summary
Except for the inability to randomize the display sequence, my negative issues with the Kodak EasyShare SV811 are all relatively minor. I believe many of these issues could easily be resolved with existing technology, and without adding any cost or unnecessary complexity. Therefore, I expect that improvements WILL quickly be made by Kodak and/or others and that this frame will soon become obsolete. Nevertheless, if you'd like to have a high-quality picture right now, the EasyShare SV811 is a good value. It's user-friendly and it's easily obtainable at a relatively low price.