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Labs

Digital photo frames

ATMT Digital Photo Frame   [PC Pro]
COMPANY: ATMT PRICE: £44(£52 inc VAT)  
RATING: ISSUE: 164  DATE: Apr 08
   
Verdict: Strong on style but let down by a dodgy display and no extras.
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ATMT's 7in Digital Photo Frame is the second cheapest frame in this Labs. It costs just under £45. It's no surprise, then, that there are compromises, both in the features on offer and the quality of the product.

If you're hoping to display bright, vivid pictures with plenty of detail, you're better off looking elsewhere. The resolution is 480 x 234 - the same as that of the 7in Kodak frame - but ATMT hasn't used the pixels nearly as well. Images are disrupted by
 
 
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blocky rendering, and edges are blurred and jagged.

Colour reproduction is better. There's a hint of over-saturation but nothing more, although this is something of a moot point given the frame's poor performance in other respects.

The rest of the frame is a study in cost-cutting: the card reader, while accepting four major formats popular in digital cameras, still lags behind the number accepted in other frames. There's no support for CompactFlash, for example. The controls are awkward to reach, and a lack of labels meant we were constantly peeking round the back of the frame to find out what everything did.

Unlike other frames in our test this month, no software is included and there are few picture options on the frame itself. Navigation is limited to a small overlay, while transition and slideshow choices are severely limited.

It's a good-looking frame, but that's little comfort when you consider the rest of the product. Its low resolution reduces image quality, the controls are poorly designed and there's no bundled software.

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