Labs

This Philips model is one of the more stylish units in the group, aided by three interchangeable fascias and a chrome border that make it easy to match the frame to your décor.

Unfortunately, Philips seem to have concentrated their efforts on making the surround look good and forgotten about the picture that's displayed within it. The low resolution doesn't help: 640x480 is barely adequate for this size of display, and our photos looked

ADVERTISEMENT

blurry. Colours were dull, too.

To control the various menu screens there's a small joystick on the rear of the frame, which seemed a cool idea but proved awkward to use. Load times in the menus were also particularly poor, making this frame particularly aggravating to use.

There's an extensive selection of transitions to liven up the way one photo gives way to another, and, unlike with Philips' 10 inch frame, they were handled well by the hardware. Complex effects didn't cause a noticeable slowdown, and the range was wide enough to be consistently interesting.

The 9FF2M4's stand falls foul of a familiar Philips problem: it's liable to slide down when on an even slightly slippery surface, and positioning it to eliminate this results in a viewing angle that's far too vertical.

There are several advantages to this model, but a few faults contribute to its being merely adequate rather than an outstanding overall - especially given the hefty price. Even for a relatively large frame, it's not great value.