Digital photo frames are, in our view, one of the best inventions to come out of the digital photography industry...

Product Overview

Overall rating:

87%
Overall score:87%

Pros:

  • Good picture quality, battery, 1GB internal storage

Cons:

  • Few display options, no remote control

Product:

PDJ801 Photo Frame

Price as reviewed:

£160.00

Digital photo frames are, in our view, one of the best inventions to come out of the digital photography industry – bringing pictures out of the darkness of the photo album or shoe box and onto the mantelpiece, where they provide an ever-changing vista of your best pictures or happiest memories.

But they’re one accessory where you really do get what you pay for and some of the cheaper ones are truly shocking – fuzzy definition, poor colour, and with such a narrow angle of view that you have to be right in front of them to see anything. Jobo’s frames are thankfully not in this category –  in fact, we thought its PDC700 was one of the best frames we’d tested until Sony entered the market last year and blew everything else away.

This new model looks almost identical to the PDC700 except that it’s bigger: 8.4in instead of 7in. That doesn’t sound like much on paper but it makes a big difference when you see them side-by-side. It shares the same brushed aluminium frame surrounded by clear acrylic, which looks better on a modern Ikea shelf than a period fireplace.

As you’d expect there are slots on the back to accept all the major media card types, along with a USB 2.0 port. It also comes with a generous 1GB of built-in storage and a rechargeable battery for portability.

Image quality, which is the most important consideration, is very good. Images are sharp and nicely rendered. Next to the Sony they’re a little flat and not as saturated but they’re arguably more natural, and the lower contrast does retain highlight detail well (Jobo claims a contrast ratio of 500:1). Crucially, the images are visible from a very wide angle – around 170° horizontally. In the vertical plane you can see the screen from almost directly above but not below, so it isn’t suitable for a high shelf.


Available from www.intro2020.co.uk

Verdict

Overall this is a good frame that performs well and offers some useful features. It isn't as slick as the comparably priced (and slightly bigger) Sony V900, which has features lacking on the Jobo such as auto-orientation, remote control and HDMI connectivity to an HDTV, but if the 1GB storage and battery of the Jobo appeal more then it's a good choice that you'll be more than happy with.