Nixplay Review: A Wi-Fi Picture Frame That Works - HTG
A Review of the Nixplay Digital Picture Frame
The initial foray into the digital picture frame market was met with challenges. Early models were often cumbersome, featured small displays, and lacked substantial functionality.
Updating photos on these first-generation frames also proved to be a manual and inconvenient process.
Introducing the Nixplay: A Modern Solution
This review focuses on the Nixplay, representing a significant advancement in digital picture frame technology.
The Nixplay distinguishes itself through integrated Wi-Fi connectivity and a cloud-based photo sharing system.
Furthermore, it boasts a comprehensive suite of features designed to enhance user experience and simplify photo management.
Key Features and Benefits
- Wi-Fi Enabled: Enjoy seamless photo updates without the need for cables or manual transfers.
- Cloud Storage: Securely store and access your photos from anywhere.
- User-Friendly Interface: The Nixplay is designed for ease of use, even for those unfamiliar with technology.
- Remote Updates: Family and friends can contribute photos directly to the frame, regardless of location.
The Nixplay addresses the shortcomings of earlier models by offering a streamlined and convenient way to display and share cherished memories.
Its combination of connectivity, cloud services, and intuitive design positions it as a leading option in the current digital picture frame landscape.
Introducing the Nixplay Digital Frame
The Nixplay represents Nix company’s initial foray into Wi-Fi enabled digital picture frames. While not their first venture into digital frames overall, it marks their first networked offering. Currently, the Nixplay product line features a single model, the W08A, equipped with an 8-inch screen boasting a resolution of 800x600 pixels.
Future plans include expanding the Nixplay range with units featuring larger screens and enhanced resolutions. These frames are designed to display both JPEG/JPG images and videos encoded in the H.264 format.
Design and Features
The frame itself has a matte black rubberized finish, and the screen also possesses a matte surface to minimize glare. Two distinct features are visible on the front of the device. A larger, dome-shaped component on the left side functions as a motion sensor, automatically turning the frame off when no activity is detected in the room.
Centrally located is a smaller plastic window, serving as the IR receiver for the frame’s included remote control.
Cloud-Based Photo Management
Although each Nixplay unit includes an SD card slot and a USB port for direct file transfer, its most compelling attribute is its cloud-based photo management system. Each frame is paired with a complimentary standard Nixplay account.
This account enables users to upload photos, import images from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Picasa Web Albums, and even receive photos directly via email – each Nixplay account is assigned a unique email address.
The standard account supports one frame, a capacity of up to 5,000 photos, and the creation of 10 distinct slideshows, which function as organizational categories or albums.
Nixplay Plus Subscription
For users managing multiple frames or requiring increased storage, the Nixplay Plus plan is available at $3.99 per month. This subscription extends support to up to five frames per account, provides 30GB of cloud storage, allows for 50 unique slideshows, and preserves photos in their original resolution.
Considering that many internet-connected digital picture frames necessitate a paid subscription for complete functionality, the Nixplay’s approach is commendable. A fee is only required for users who heavily utilize the service, reflecting increased bandwidth and storage demands.
Getting Started
Now that we’ve covered the features, let’s explore the setup process, how to transmit photos to the frame, and ultimately, evaluate its strengths, weaknesses, and overall performance.
Setting Up Your Nixplay Wi-Fi Picture Frame
The setup process is remarkably simple and typically requires under ten minutes to complete. The majority of this time will be dedicated to the device’s initial boot-up and software updates. We recommend performing the setup near a computer, or having a laptop available, to finalize the process even if you intend to position the frame immediately in its desired location.
Initial Steps
Begin by unpacking the device, attaching the frame’s easel, and connecting it to a power source. Also, unwrap the included remote control. Initiate the device by pressing the power button, located either on the remote or the back of the unit.
Upon completion of the boot sequence, a list of available Wi-Fi networks will be displayed. Connection to the Nixplay servers is necessary, even if you don’t plan to utilize the cloud-based features, to initialize the device and install any pending updates.
Activation and Account Creation
Once the Nixplay frame connects to your Wi-Fi network, it will automatically download and apply available updates, subsequently restarting. A white screen displaying a 16-digit serial number will then appear. Record this serial number and navigate to the Nixplay website.
Select the "Activate Frame" option in the upper right corner of the website and adhere to the provided activation instructions. You will be prompted to enter the 16-digit serial number, your first and last names, and a valid email address.
Next, choose a username for your Nixplay service. This username will function as the email address to which photos can be sent – in the format username@mynixplay.com. Select a practical and easily remembered username, such as your first and last name. After submitting the required information, the Nixplay servers will transmit a confirmation code to your Nixplay frame. Enter this code into the sign-up page. In our case, the code was "Happiness".
Remote Management Features
With the frame activated, you can begin uploading photos through your Nixplay web account. Before doing so, it’s important to highlight a particularly useful feature: the remote management tool. This allows for convenient control of all device settings.
From the frame itself, you can access a settings menu to customize options such as sleep timers, motion detection sensitivity, and photo display order (either most recent first or sequential). This is especially beneficial when gifting the frame to less tech-savvy relatives, as it provides a means to remotely manage the device and share digital photos without requiring them to navigate complex menus.
Within your Nixplay account, navigate to the "Frames" section and select the specific frame you wish to manage. This will reveal a comprehensive panel of adjustable options, excluding Wi-Fi settings and screen brightness. The ability to remotely adjust settings, such as photo display speed, is a significant advantage, allowing you to address concerns like a too-fast slideshow without needing to guide a relative through the frame’s menu system.
Ready to Load Photos
Having explored this valuable feature, you are now prepared to begin uploading pictures to your Nixplay frame.
Getting Started with Your Nixplay Frame
Following the initial setup, you can now access your Nixplay account through the main Nixplay website and log in. Upon logging in, you’ll find a blank control panel awaiting your customization. The left-hand side provides quick access to albums, slideshows, connected frames, and account settings and subscriptions.
Navigating the Control Panel
A default, empty "demo" album is provided for immediate use. Remember that the Nixplay unit features both an SD card slot and a USB port, allowing for direct image loading via flash media. However, the primary advantage of Nixplay lies in its cloud-storage capabilities, which is our current focus.
On the right side of the screen, a list of your existing slideshows will be displayed. It’s important to note the distinction between albums and slideshows, despite the use of "Demo" for both the sample album and slideshow.
Adding Photos and Creating Slideshows
The Nixplay control panel is designed to be highly interactive, utilizing a drag-and-drop interface. To quickly begin, you can drag photos from your computer directly onto the Demo album. Subsequently, drag the Demo album to the Slideshows column to create your first slideshow.
As the Nixplay unit communicates with the servers and downloads your images, a small cloud icon will blink in the upper corner of the display. Initially, the unit will remain at the menu screen until photos are available:
To initiate the slideshow, press the "slideshow" button on the remote control or use the arrow keys located on the back of the frame, then select OK. Your uploaded photos should then begin to display.
At the start of each slideshow, a small notification box appears at the bottom, indicating the number of new files added that day. This is a thoughtful feature, particularly when setting up the frame for family members, informing them of fresh content.
Connecting to Social Media and Email
Beyond manual uploads, Nixplay allows automatic photo retrieval from Facebook, Picasa, and Instagram albums. For instance, if you primarily use Facebook for sharing family photos and wish to share them with a relative who doesn't use the platform, you can connect your Timeline Photos album or a specific family album to your Nixplay frame. This is achieved by navigating to Albums -> Facebook and authorizing Nixplay’s access to your photos.
Once access is granted to your social media accounts, the process mirrors the manual upload method. Simply drag and drop the entire photo album (or select individual photos) from the service to the Slideshows sidebar. Note that for automatic updates, adding the entire album is necessary, not just selected images.
Another method for adding pictures is through email. By default, Nixplay has an email filter enabled, restricting senders to whitelisted addresses. While this filter can be disabled, we recommend maintaining it for security. To configure email sharing, navigate to Albums -> Email Albums.
Initially, the Email Albums pane will be empty. Click "Manage Settings" to begin adding contacts.
Click "Add New Contact" to whitelist email addresses. We recommend whitelisting your own address, even if you don't plan to utilize the feature extensively, to maintain a convenient upload pathway. This allows you to BCC your Nixplay address when sharing vacation photos, ensuring they also appear on frames belonging to other family members.
When adding a contact, you can choose to have photos held for review or automatically added to a slideshow. The email function is an excellent way to broaden the frame’s reach to numerous relatives, with one person managing the content. For example, if gifting a frame to a grandparent, you can add the email addresses of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, enabling them all to contribute photos.
A Comprehensive Evaluation: Nixplay Digital Photo Frame
Extensive testing has been conducted, encompassing photo sharing through various channels – the Nixplay website, email correspondence, and uploads from prominent social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Picasa. Furthermore, the device accompanied us on travels, demonstrating its portability and usability in diverse settings. The following assessment details our final conclusions.
Key Advantages:
- The frame supports diverse photo sharing methods, including direct uploads via the Nixplay web interface, email transmission, and synchronization with Facebook, Instagram, and Picasa accounts.
- Both an SD card slot and a USB port are incorporated, enabling rapid local content loading. These ports ensure continued functionality even if the company’s cloud services were to become unavailable.
- Integrated motion detection and a time-based sleep mode optimize power consumption, activating the display only when viewers are present.
- The setup process is streamlined, and remote album management is intuitive, making it ideal for family members with limited technical expertise.
- At a price of $99, the product delivers exceptional value considering its features and quality. It currently represents the best offering in the Wi-Fi enabled digital photo frame market, surpassing email-only alternatives. The free access for the initial frame, coupled with a reasonable subscription model, is preferable to competitors’ mandatory account fees.
- Data transfer is swift; images sent via email or uploaded through the web portal typically appear on the Nixplay frame within approximately 5 seconds.
Areas for Improvement:
- The screen resolution of 800x600, while sufficient, appears somewhat low given the prevalence of high-resolution displays in modern tablets and computer monitors.
- The 4:3 aspect ratio of the screen contrasts with the 3:2 ratio common in many digital camera photos, resulting in black borders above and below images unless manually cropped. A "fill-the-screen" option exists within the settings, but it employs a pan-and-scan approach rather than a true crop-to-fit function. A more suitable solution would be to avoid cropping vertical images and to adjust horizontal images minimally to eliminate letterboxing.
- An enhancement we would welcome is the ability to add concise, 160-character text captions – similar to Twitter posts – to photos. The frame already demonstrates the capability to display overlaid messages, such as notifications of new photo arrivals. Leveraging this functionality to include descriptive metadata, like "John's first taste of ice cream" or "A visit to the county fair," would be highly beneficial.
Final Assessment:
Despite minor concerns regarding screen resolution and the cropping implementation, the Nixplay’s advantages significantly outweigh its drawbacks. The $99 price point represents excellent value.
A single frame is provided with complimentary access, and a subscription of $3.99 per month is available for multiple frames. The Nixplay web portal is exceptionally user-friendly, simplifying automatic photo sharing via email and social media platforms.
This frame offers a near-zero configuration experience, making it an ideal gift for relatives, enabling effortless automatic photo sharing. Furthermore, the remote management capabilities, allowing adjustment of frame settings from a distance, are particularly impressive. Currently, it is our preferred digital photo frame, and we intend to purchase additional units for grandparents and great-grandparents to ensure they receive a daily dose of family photos.