Fifty Plus (50+) - Way OT: Photo viewers for digital pics

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your kind words and prayers. I know that many of you here have experienced the same loss and sorrow as I am now; there are few things that compare to the loss of a beloved parent and the raw emotions felt during this time. Thank you for allowing me to share about my dad. I hope I can encourage and comfort you in the future when the need is there.

My family and I are busy planning his service on April 18. The reception afterward will be held in my parents' home where my dad loved to have parties and people in the house. I'm considering purchasing a digital photo viewer to display some photos and I'm wondering if anyone can recommend one you like -- not the cheapest and not the most expensive, just something that provides a nice display and has an attractive frame.

I'm starting to have fleeting thoughts of riding again. My dad exercised on a regular basis and was proud of my bike adventures.

All my best,
Jen

Welcome back, Yen. I have no experience with photo viewers, but wanted to say "hi." Having a viewer sounds like a great idea, btw.

Can't say anything about the digital viewer but, yes, YES...RIDE!

When we lost our 16 year old companion last year (if you've never loved a dog, you won't understand that that is a loss. A major loss) all that lept me going was riding. I didn't want to but I did anyway and it was the only time I felt at all "right". I wish I had been riding when I lost my Dad and my Mom before that. I'd probably be a less screwed up individula.

When my father died several years ago, I was a serious recreational rider. He always loved to watch me in athletics...for a time after his death, I could just feel his pleasure in me and almost hear his voice whispering encouragement in my ear as I rode. Like so many other things it does, cycling reaffirms our life-- and passion for it and one another. Yes, keep riding, Yen, and honor your father.

My family and I are busy planning his service on April 18. The reception afterward will be held in my parents' home where my dad loved to have parties and people in the house. I'm considering purchasing a digital photo viewer to display some photos and I'm wondering if anyone can recommend one you like -- not the cheapest and not the most expensive, just something that provides a nice display and has an attractive frame.

Watch out for the cheap ones. There is a Trojan Horse virus (http://www.physorg.com/news122622179.html) included in some.

I wish I could help you more with selecting one. Google on the term digital frame comparison (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=digital+frame+comparison), you'll find links to epinions, nextag and other sites where you can compare frames.

Now that it's spring, maybe you can find a group ride where you can ride in your Dad's memory. That will give you the motivation to get back on the bike.

Mainly for this event? I'd look into hooking up the computer to the TV. VGA, or better yet HD if your computer has the right output, or a DVI output. You may be one cable away from showing your photos large.
I'm amazed how good my photos look on an HD TV. But even an regular TV looks good for photos. And both Windows and Macs will do a slide show with what they come with.

Good luck.

I'm amazed how good my photos look on an HD TV.

Every time I try that, it stretches them to fit the screen. "Does this TV make me look fat?" :eek:

I wish my parents were home. I'd ask them which one my bro' got them for xmas. Then I'd tell you to avoid it.

Mainly for this event? I'd look into hooking up the computer to the TV. VGA, or better yet HD if your computer has the right output, or a DVI output. You may be one cable away from showing your photos large.
I'm amazed how good my photos look on an HD TV. But even an regular TV looks good for photos. And both Windows and Macs will do a slide show with what they come with.

Good luck.

Great suggestion.

Most new HD screens have a RGB cable port, so all you should have to do is to unplug it from your monitor and plug it into the HD monitor. A laptop should have a port as well, and you could just plug in an RGB - RGB cable from laptop to HD monitor.

With the laptop, there can be a switch that lets you display only on the HD monitor, or on the laptop or both. This varies a little, but on mine it is Fn - F8 (Function button and the F8 button at the same time)

The easiest way in Windows is to put all the photos in the same directory. Then in Windows Explorer or My Computer, right-click on one, scroll down to "Open With" and click on it. From the menu that opens up, select Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.

When the Picture and Fax viewer opens up, on the bottom there is a row of icons. The 5th one from the left looks like a little screen. Click on it for the slide show. It will fill the screen and display the pictures on a black background. Press Esc to quit.

If the images look stretched, try changing the screen size. Click on the start button, then select "Control Panel". In the control panel dialog box, select "Display". In the Display dialog box, select "Settings". You will see settings to resize your display. Note what the setting is now to reset your screen later, and then try using the different settings that are available.

My little brother died in December and we used a projector someone borrowed from work. It was nice. At a funeral home the other day, I saw a small TV in the corner being used for the same thing - also pretty nice. I don't think I would buy a dedicated viewer device unless I had a use for it later.

My little brother died in December and we used a projector someone borrowed from work. It was nice. At a funeral home the other day, I saw a small TV in the corner being used for the same thing - also pretty nice. I don't think I would buy a dedicated viewer device unless I had a use for it later.

So sorry to hear about your little brother, Don. And sorry about what ever brought you to a funeral home the other day!

Sorry for your loss.

I bought a 15" Pandigital for my wife for Valentine's Day. It works very well. It does not have wireless networking, etc., but takes various storage cards or can be loaded via a USB port. The actual viewing area is about 1200x1000 (1280x1024 with some of the edge cut off). It downsizes anything larger, but leaves those smaller their original size. You can 'slide show' the pics in any order or shuffle. The shuffle is truly random (something you may or may not like) - it may show one pic 20 times before you ever see another. The 8" is reported to work well also. The 7", which is older, has bad reviews. Any questions?

TF

We bought one for my folks this past Christmas. The prices have come down significantly since then - I'd go for one that's around $100 at Best Buy or Circuit City. The features all seem to be pretty similar.

My oldest child is getting married next month and tomorrow is my and my wife's 26th anniversary. Fortunately, all of my daughter's grandparents will be at the wedding. Your story, Jen, is another reminder of how important these kinds of days are.

+1 For the computer + display suggestion, although I'd use a flatscreen monitor rather than a large TV.

Reason is that it's less obtrusive. PC (or laptop) can go under a side table, hidden from view behind/under a decorative tablecloth. Even a cheap 22" widescreen monitor provides a nice display for photos, and is a nice upgrade to the PC anyway if the current monitor is a big old CRT or a smaller flatscreen. People will continue to drift over, to view a screenshow of photos and chat with each other throughout the function, without feeling 'dominated' by the display.

And the PC will (or should) pillarbox or letterbox the images, without the hassle of configuring a PC to TV connection for aspect ratio problems. Please feel free to PM me about any technical problems you might encounter, if you choose this route.


Running a signal out to a large TV or a projector is the way to go if you plan to have a slideshow or presentation that is more 'formally' scheduled within the plans for the function, and which people attending are perhaps 'expected' to view as a group. I'm thinking that you are looking at a less formal slideshow/presentation, which people can drift over to (or not) as they choose. Your mention of a photo viewer would seem to indicate so, and I think the flatscreen monitor does a better job of this than any dedicated photo viewer out there, to be honest.


We had a setup of this nature operating during my youngest brother's 40th birthday celebrations a year or two back, and couldn't have been happier with the way it accomodated the need and also allowed group interactions and minglings to continue uninterrupted.

Mainly for this event? I'd look into hooking up the computer to the TV. VGA, or better yet HD if your computer has the right output, or a DVI output. You may be one cable away from showing your photos large.
I'm amazed how good my photos look on an HD TV. But even an regular TV looks good for photos. And both Windows and Macs will do a slide show with what they come with.

Good luck.

I was going to recommend something similar. There is easy-to-use technology that will allow you to make a DVD (or in older cases, a CD) on your computer. You could make a slide show with nice dissolves and whatever music you choose. Or as ccorlew suggests, you can hook the TV up to your computer. If you'd like, it would then be easy to share the DVDs with those who would want them as a memento. Just a thought.

We have a digital picture frame given to us for Christmas and love it, it's going right now. It has a number of options. I like using a thumb drive and have over 700 pictures running through a slide show. My advice is to get the biggest one possible, which may be 8X10. It can be used for many events.

My wife did a lot of comparing and research and settled on a Kodak digital frame. The images look very good.
On the other hand, my parents display their travel photos on their TV, directly from the camera. That works well too.

Hi everyone, thank you for your suggestions. With everything else going on right now, we'll pass on this idea for now,, but I'll keep your suggestions in mind. We'll make 3 poster-board displays of photos of his life, and have many other photos of him around the house in frames. He wasn't a shy guy... he was a natural in pictures and we have many of him to show. Unlike myself and my mom.... people sometimes ask if we were even at an event because we aren't in many of the pictures.:rolleyes:

Yen, enjoy sharing those pictures with friends & family, it will do you good to share them & they will enjoy seeing what a great father you had.

Once you get back on that bike remember your dad will be cheering for you from above, just look up once in a while on those hard hills or difficult section & say; thank you dad!!!!! love: