7. Westinghouse DPF-1411 Digital Picture Frame

Today, digital picture frames are available in many sizes, from the relatively small to the pretty darn big. Our choice for this Buyer's Guide is the Westinghouse DPF-1411, which offers a sizable 14.1" LCD screen that could do a notebook PC proud. Those inclined to spend less may also find the 10.2" DPF-1021, 8" DPF-0802, or 7" DPF-0702 models interesting. The Westinghouse MosaicView technology these frames support is also pretty interesting: it permits users to display up to four images simultaneously, and to choreograph all kinds of transitions and dissolves when moving from frame to frame in a custom-built slide show.

The Westinghouse DPF-1411 looks like a chunky picture frame, but offers lots of neat features.

Slide show effect include variable speeds as well as lots of special effects, with support for video formats as well as still images. On the still image side, you can use JPEG; on the video side, you can use AVI, MPEG-1, and MPEG-4. The frame offers 1280x800 resolution, and includes 128 MB of built in RAM. The built-in memory card reader accommodates Compact Flash (types I and II), Memory Stick (regular, Pro, Duo, and Pro Duo), Secure Digital, xD-Picture Card, and MultiMedia Card (MMC) formats. You can also set up random picture shuffle, set favorite picture, adjust colors on the display, and more.

The DPF-1411 is pretty big, as the size of its display should suggest. Its dimensions are 16.2" x 11.5" x 1.5" (41.15 cm x 29.21 cm x 3.81 cm) and it weighs 3.9 lbs (1.77 kg). Even so, it's relatively easy to mount on the wall or to stand up on a shelf or table-top. The unit includes a mini-USB port for file transfer from a PC or other device, along with a Type A USB port into which you can plug a USB Flash drive. Of course, there's also an external power supply at the end of the power cord, so you do have to position this unit sufficiently close enough to an outlet to permit you to plug it in.

At a price of $280-330, the DPF-1411 does cost a fair amount for a photo display - smaller sizes cost less, with the 7" DPF-0702 at around $90, the 8" DPF-0802 around $140, and the 10" DPF-1021 about $195. But the 14" screen version offers a big canvas on which your back-to-schooler can proudly display family and other photos, and may help stave off homesickness.