More is less

I have had the same photograph on show at home in a simple gilt frame for probably ten years. Recently I replaced it with a Samsung SPF-83H digital photo frame. So now I can enjoy an endless slideshow of all my favourite pictures which hitherto have been locked away on my computer waiting for the day when the hard drive fails.

Does this new abundance of images bring me greater pleasure? You guessed the answer – no. The innocuous paper picture was almost literally ‘part of the furniture’. Most of the time I paid no attention to it, and I gave it no more than an occasional glance. Now, I find myself becoming irritated when image number 24 reappears on the Samsung. I’ve already seen that one!

You can adjust the brightness and the transition style between images, and I have set both to be the least eye-catching. So apart from the fact that the frame is white plastic with the word Samsung printed on it and therefore is distinctly not just a piece of furniture, it blends in as best it can. The picture rendition is stunningly clear, and once set up it does its job well. Yet still, whereas I had expected delight, I feel mild annoyance.

This particular photo frame can be used in a different way – as a second monitor for your computer, if you choose to hook it up via USB. Maybe Samsung knows that the novelty of a digital photo frame soon wears off, I don’t know.

I shall leave it running for a couple of weeks, and see how I feel then. Perhaps it will become almost invisible. By the way, if you are considering the Samsung SPF-83H yourself, note that it does not have wireless connectivity as claimed on the Samsung website and elsewhere. To transfer photos you can use a USB cable, or a USB memory stick, or insert a SD, MMC, CF or MS card.

You might also find that assembling the stand is impossible without a smear of washing up liquid on the ball which fits into a hard rubberised socket. Once in place it works well. You cannot mount it on a wall – again I have read elsewhere that you can.