p.1 #1 · TV As Digital Picture Frame - Sony Bravia + Leon Frame?
I've been thinking about getting a large screen TV to use as a digital picture frame for some years, and hope to finally pull the plug when the Thanksgiving sales start.
Doing slide shows on my LG OLED in my dark basement TV/Computer room is the best way to view my photos - so much better than any print (I tried for years with an Epson 7900). The other huge advantage these systems have is the ability to show lots of pictures over time, so in the end much cheaper than prints/frames and less space! Of course they also double as TVs, but that is a far secondary reason for my wife and I since we have a great setup in a dedicated space already.
The new picture frame TVs are LED, so don't suffer from burn in like an OLED, and can be bright enough to look good in a well lit space like my living room where I want this. Samsung's The Frame has been the clear leader for some years, but now has a rival in the Hisense Canvas. I finally got to see both of them at a Best Buy last week and they look very good with the demo software showing paintings, but the clerks wouldn't let me load my own pictures on to see how they looked. Luckily there was a Video Only store across the street where they were much more knowledgeable and accommodating so I could load a variety of my photos from a thumb drive onto a Samsung Frame to see how they looked - which was TERRIBLE! The art mode has settings that lower contrast and brightness to help make the included paintings look realistic, it ruined my photos. The store manager was very familiar with the TV and tried the limited controls to adjust it to improve the photos, but it wasn't effective. When we tried viewing the photos on the regular TV mode they looked great (close to my LG) but you can't set that for art mode. Art mode is important because it changes the pictures at an interval you set, but most importantly has motion sensors to turn the TV on when someone comes in the room, and off after 30 min. without motion to save energy.
Video Only didn't have a Hisense Canvas to test, so if any of you have one and can post a review here I would appreciate it.
Further research found that Sony has recently partnered with a speaker company, Leon, to make an add on "Studio Frame" for their highly rated Bravia 7 & 9 TVs that includes a motion sensor and software to add an art mode. This would be a much more expensive set-up, but should produce stunning results (the TV viewing is also much better than The Frame) but there isn't a shop in my area that has one on display. I've called a local dealer where I might order a Studio Frame, but he didn't know anything specific about photo viewing settings and only saw one in a demo. He is going to get back to me soon. If any of you guys have this set-up a review would really be appreciated.
If I end up getting this I promise to write up my results.
p.1 #3 · TV As Digital Picture Frame - Sony Bravia + Leon Frame?
schlotz, doesn't that mean your TV is always on then? A big advantage of these art modes is the energy/screen saving art modes that turn it off after 30 min. when no motion is detected. I don't want to have to grab and deal with the remote every time I want photos to show.
p.1 #4 · TV As Digital Picture Frame - Sony Bravia + Leon Frame?
Jim Dockery wrote:
schlotz, doesn't that mean your TV is always on then? A big advantage of these art modes is the energy/screen saving art modes that turn it off after 30 min. when no motion is detected. I don't want to have to grab and deal with the remote every time I want photos to show.
You can set your Apple TV to power down (which includes the TV) after a set amount of time. It's still technically a screensaver.
p.1 #5 · TV As Digital Picture Frame - Sony Bravia + Leon Frame?
Yes but like @corposant indicated, it all can turn off based upon how the ATv is set to power down. Definitely not as sophisticated as the art mode. Supposed one could add a room sensor and configure something like a shortcut to trigger turning it back on but then there would be a wait period before the screensaver would kick in.
p.1 #6 · TV As Digital Picture Frame - Sony Bravia + Leon Frame?
Thanks for the comments guys. I'm set on the auto on/off of one of these systems, so will likely get one. Here is a reply from the Leon rep. that a local dealer got for me:
Hey Ted!
Thanks for reaching out on this. This is a different question that I haven’t gotten before. 😊
His content should be the same unless he adds the matte border to it. It shouldn’t dull or apply anything that would make the image look more soft but it will change the aspect ration slightly with that matte finish.
He can also disable the light sensor if he doesn’t want to affect the brightness. Just keep in mind that he’ll need to keep his USB in the TV with his own content for the playlist on the app.
p.1 #7 · TV As Digital Picture Frame - Sony Bravia + Leon Frame?
I've had a Samsung Frame TV (2024) for a while now. I haven't experienced anything like the OP is stating. My images loaded into art mode look pretty good on the Frame TV. Are they identical to my editing monitor? No but close enough to enjoy the images on a 75" TV.
p.1 #8 · TV As Digital Picture Frame - Sony Bravia + Leon Frame?
Just wanted to mention that I'm very interested in what solutions you find. I think the technology is getting close from a capability/price perspective where "digital frames" can be more widely deployed to replace framed prints. A well executed power management/occupancy sensor is part of that. The added capabilities of HDR display also enhances the viewing experience beyond the capabilities of print.
p.1 #9 · TV As Digital Picture Frame - Sony Bravia + Leon Frame?
rji2goleez, I'm glad you like your Samsung. I wonder if the guys at Video Only didn't know how to adjust it - I watched them do so and couldn't see any other controls. Did you have to tweak your settings for photos? How did you do it if so?
