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(More customer reviews)First let me say that I am reviewing the 8" frame model DP882. I notice that Amazon has a number of sizes of this frame lumped together. That is not cool because although I believe all of the Coby frames function in the same way, I know the specs for the various screen sizes are different. You can see the specs for all of the different Coby frames here:
www.cobyusa.com/_en/prod_cat.php?prod_cat=46
On to the review... (Last updated Dec 28th, 2007)
I wanted to get a photo frame for my mom and dad. They don't have a computer (and don't want one) and I wanted to get them something easy to use and something that looked really good. I didn't think I was going to buy one of these Cobys. I thought I would buy either a Phillips or Kodak. But after doing a little research on the specs of each, the Coby DP882 was the natural choice.
It has higher resolution than most other frames (800x600).
It has higher brightness than most other frames (350 cd/m2).
It has higher contrast ratio than most other frames (500:1).
It uses LED backlight technology (the latest and best at this time)
It accepts SD, MMC, MS (including MS Duo), xD, CF cards & USB flash drives. (note that it does not have SDHC certification to accept the newest SDHC cards)
It has both a full size USB port for USB flash drives and a mini USB port to hook it up to your computer.
It has built in speakers, a headphone jack and volume control.
It plays MP3s & WMA audio files (I have not tested this yet).
It also plays AVI and MP4 video files of the type generated by video cameras (At this time, I have only tried one small camera-generated AVI file and it played it well w/sound)
It has a wireless remote control.
The DP882 has a 4:3 aspect ratio, which matches the vast majority of digital photos.
(Note that I also purchased a Coby DP887 for my sister. It and the Coby DP888 share the same exact specs and functionality as the DP882 but are styled differently. IMO, the Coby DP887 has the sharpest look to it with its brushed metal frame).
The one thing you need to know about this frame (and the rest of the Cobys) is that it doesn't have any internal memory. That may seem like a problem to you, but let me explain why it is not. It can play material directly from a memory card inserted into any of it's four different card slots or directly from an inserted USB flash drive. For example, 1 or 2 GB SD cards are cheap. You can stick a 2GB SD card in there and now you have a 2GB frame. Compare that with some of the other frames which cannot play directly from memory cards and require you to copy material to the frame itself, which usually have 512mb or maybe 256mb or less of memory. Besides, who wants to deal with the additional step of copying material directly to the frame? In fact, if you already have USB flash drive or a memory card reader, you won't have to hook this frame up to your computer at all. Just load up an SD, MMC, MS, xD, CF card, or USB flash drive with photos and plug it in to the frame. In this way, for example, you can just send your parents a cheap SD card preloaded with pics in the mail if you wanted to. All they would have to do it plug it in to the frame and go.
The frame also allows you to copy material from any inserted memory card to another, or to/from a USB Flash drive - through the frame itself, with no computer involvement. This works in any direction, meaning you can copy to/from any memory card or usb flash drive inserted into the frame.
For example, you can copy photos/files
from a USB Flash drive to an SD card
from an SD card to a USB Flash drive
from an SD card to a CF card
...etc., using only the frame (no computer).
The frame has a little menu driven "os" which accommodates this functionality, though it is clumsy. This would be helpful if for example, you were using an SD card as your main storage for the frame and you wanted to add photos from a USB flash drive but you don't have access to a computer, or an SD card reader (ie. say you were visiting your parent's house and you wanted to add more photos to their frame).
The frame also functions as a 5-in-1 memory card reader when connected to a computer. This makes it easy if you don't already own a memory card reader for your computer or a USB flash drive. Plug the frame into your computer, and four new removable mass storage drives will be recognized and appear (one each for the SD/MMC, MS, xD, CF card slots). Since the frame itself acts as a memory card reader, you can attach the frame to your computer and use it to load up a memory card inserted into the frame.
To those people who are complaining because they are trying to attach the frame to their computer and copy photos to it, you must understand that the frame does not have it's own internal memory! You MUST have a memory card inserted into one of the frame's card slots in order to copy material directly to/from a computer. Think of the frame as a host, it is not a storage device in and of itself.
Operation is simple. Just turn it on, insert the preloaded memory card(s) of your choice (or USB flash drive), select that card graphically via the remote control or keys which are located along the sides of the frame (you have to do this because you can have one of four different types of memory cards inserted simultaneously), then select slideshow and viola!
The frame will automatically scale down any large photos, which either have to be in JPG or BMP format. It does not automatically rotate them to fit the orientation of the frame, but you can do that manually with the remote control (though you can't save that preference in the frame). Your best course of action is to orient the photos ahead of time on your computer. The slideshow function has about ten different transitions and you can set the frame to use one specific effect of your choice or randomly use all ten effects. You can change the on screen duration of the of the photos from 5 seconds all way to 1 day. You can set the photos to play randomly or in the same order each time. You can also have MP3 or WMA music play though the slideshow, though I have not tired this yet. Using the thumbnails it generates, you could also select a single photo to display with no slideshow.
The frame has adjustable volume (for music and video playback) and an easily adjustable brightness control (via a wheel knob on the frame). I find it very easy to use. It does not have light detection to automatically brighten or darken the frame based on ambient lighting conditions - that would have been nice. The remote control has a very limited range and working angle, which can be annoying. The on/off switch is located on the frame itself and you cannot use the remote control to turn the frame on or off. If you turn the frame off during a slideshow, the next time you turn it back on, it will automatically restart the slideshow unless you tell it otherwise.
Overall, I am very pleased with the frame so far and my mom & dad love it! The LCD looks fantastic, it is very bright, very sharp and it has excellent color and contrast. The photos look natural and clear (assuming they were natural and clear in the first place :) The frame is easy to use, it offers many options for loading photos and it can even serve as a 5-in-1 memory card reader. I would recommend the DP882 to anyone looking for a digital photo frame. However, I would definitely take a look at the Coby DP887 which has the same exact functionality and specs as the DP882, and its brushed-metal outer frames (it comes with both silver and gold) are especially sharp looking.
If you have any questions feel free to leave comments as I will check back occasionally.
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