: NIX TS08A High Resolution 8 Inch Digital Photo Frame with Touch Sensitive Controls, 1GB Internal Memory, Remote Control, Video & MP3

Rating: - Such a good looking product!
We had been looking round for a few months for a digital photo frame but they all seemed rather old fashioned. We read the remarks regarding this particular frame and felt that this one was worth trying. It looks good; is very stylish and modern; and very easy to operate. We were concerned about the negative comments regarding the slide show feature re-starting at the beginning each time it is turned off, but we have found we can start the slide show from any picture using the thumb nail feature, so we haven't found it a problem. Not sure about the touch features as this smears the frame; much better to use the the remote, although this seems a bit flimsy, (this is only a small niggle.) We like being able to put in different memory cards together so that we can separate different slide shows without having to change memory cards. As silver surfers we find the whole system easy to use. We would recommend this product to anyone and their grandparents!

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Rating: - Nix 8" High quality,user friendly digital photo frame
NIX TS08A High Resolution 8 Inch Digital Photo Frame with Touch Sensitive Controls, 1GB Internal Memory, Remote Control, Video & MP3
What a great product-being in 4:3 ratio it shows the whole photo unlike the wide screen frames. The screen is crystal clear and the frame sturdy. It has a really good sized internal memory, will take several types of memory cards and will play music files at the same time as showing photos in a slide show. The calendar function showing a month with time of day at the top and a small sized slide show to the right is another nice touch. MP4 video clips will play with sound too. It can also be used as an alarm clock with the ability to set a time for the slide show to start and finish. I am delighted with this item and am ordering one for my family for Xmas. It is excellent value for money considering the quality and style.

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Rating: - Fairly good, but does have problems.
GOOD POINTS:

- The frame is stylish and looks high quality rather than cheap rubbish. It's definitely a nice addition to any mantle piece.

- Very easy to use. The menu is well written, and covers each feature of the frame in enough detail that even a fairly non-tech savvy person could understand it.

- Nice high resolution of 800X600 pixels, and in 4:3 aspect ratio, which is the ratio most digital cameras use. This means you don't get the black bars that you would on a 16:9 digital frame.

- Auto on/off feature is a good idea. Using the internal clock, the frame can be set to automatically switch itself on at a specified time of day, and then switch itself off again at another specified time.

- The touch sensitive buttons on the frame are nice and responsive, and the remote control has a good range.



NOW FOR THE BAD POINTS:

The frame has 3 different settings to alter picture quality; Brightness, Contrast, and Colour Saturation. By default, these three settings are at zero, but you can change them all in a range from -3 to +3. That in itself is a great feature because it allows you to alter how the screen looks to suit your pictures and environment. But here's the problem:

Every time the frame is switched off, ALL THREE OF THESE SETTINGS DEFAULT BACK TO ZERO!

It doesn't matter if you switch it off at the mains, or on the frame, or with the remote control, or with the auto on/off feature. It ALWAYS loses these settings. I actually contacted the manufacturer directly to find out if this was a fault with my frame, but was told it's just how the frame has been designed! It saves everything else like the time, date, transition delay, etc. But it WILL NOT save the screen settings.

I found that with every single photo I put on it, the picture quality was very noticably better with Brightness and Colour Saturation set to 1. But every day when I switch the frame on, they've gone back to zero again, and I have to go into the menu to change them. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. In case you're wondering, yes this is VERY annoying. So annoying in fact that I would have sent the frame back for a refund. But I can't because this isn't actually a fault, it's just the way it was (badly!) designed.

The screen quality is still fairly good at the default values, but it is SO much better with the brightness and saturation turned up. This is a crippling flaw with this frame, and a massive shame. I even asked the manufacturer if they could update the frame's software so that it does save these settings along with everything else, but they're not planning on doing it. It's just baffling why they'd think NOT saving the screen settings was a good idea.


The second issue with this frame is that it doesn't remember where it was in the photo album when switched off. So lets say you put 300 photos on the frame. In the evening, you switch it on, and it starts showing photo number 1, then number 2, and so on. At the end of the evening you switch it off, and it had only got through the first 100 of the photos. So next evening you switch it on... and it starts showing photo number 1, then number 2, and so on again... Photos 101 to 300 never see the light of day!

One of the selling points of this frame is that it has a large amount of memory, so you can store many hundreds of photos on it. But unless you only show each picture for a few seconds, you're never going to see the ones towards the end of the album because every time you switch on, it starts at number 1 again. There is also no way to randomise the order in which the pictures are displayed which would have helped. They are always in order, and always start with the first picture.


To sum up, physically this is a good frame. It looks nice, and the screen is a good size, and high resolution.

BUT

The frame just doesn't live up to it's potential because the software controling it just isn't very good. It will NOT save your preferred screen settings. It will NOT show your pictures in a random order. It will NOT remember it's place in the photo album when next switched on. And after speaking with the manufacturer, it doesn't look like they are in any hurry to improve it.

I'm surprised none of the other reviews have mentioned these shortcomings with the frame. That's why I felt I had to write my review, to hopefully stop other people from being disappointed too.

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Rating: - Not only do the photo's look good but so does the frame!
After weeks of searching different web sites including discussion forums I settled on the Nix, why?...

I wanted a frame that was easy to use (it's a gift for my parents 50th Anniversary) and that means that with an internal memory of 1GB they didn't have to muck about with additional memory cards, they can insert the card from their camera and just add to the internal memory. They don't have to use the PC if they don't want to (I have used it to give them some photos of the grandkids for when they recieve it, and it is so simple to drag and drop).

The resolution is the highest you'll get for the price (as stated by previous reviews).

No clear plastic in sight, many frames just look cheap - this doesn't.

The slide shows choice is huge: 3sec, 5sec, 15sec, 1min, 15min, 1hr.

There is a seperate folder (very easy to locate) for family videos or films - again very easy to negotiate to using either remote control or touch screen.

I loved the thumbnail feature, so it's easy to locate a single photo.

And last but by no means least, one of the complaints I read about so many other frames were the instruction were badly translated from Chinese to English. NOT with this frame as the manufacturer is British so the instructions are in REAL English.

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Rating: - Top Quality, Great Value
This must be the Best Digital Photo Frame you can get for under £100. It's very stylish in it's appearance and the 800x600 resolution means the photos display with perfect crystal clearness. Cheaper frames will have lower resolutions and you won't get anywhere near the quality of picture.
I'm so impressed I'm buying more for my family before they sell-out.