How do Ceiva digital photo frames work?
Ceiva digital photo frames are low to mid-range frames with a handful of more premium features. That being said, these frames are very basic when you exclude the optional PicturePlan subscription plan. Ceiva digital photo frames come in either a 7-inch or 8-inch version.
Both frames have a very low-resolution display of just 640×480, so most pictures are going to appear blurry and pixelated. The thick bezels make the frame appear aesthetically outdated and the onboard controls are quite confusing – and not very tactile.
Ceiva digital photo frames don’t have internal storage space and can need to have an SD card inserted at all times. Unfortunately, SD cards can’t be bigger than 2GB and can only accept JPEG pictures. Larger card sizes and different image formats aren’t compatible with this frame. It’s also worth noting that pictures with larger resolution than the screen’s native resolution might not display correctly when viewed from an inserted SD card.
Slideshows offer the user some control over the brightness – and let you manually browse through them. That being said, you don’t have any control over the play order or the frequency at which certain pictures are shown.
Ceiva offers an optional annual or monthly subscription service called PicturePlan. This service lets you send photos to the frame from anywhere in the world – although the system is very outdated and clunky. You have to download the photos your want to view every day and you don’t have much control over which photos are downloaded. You can only choose the number of photos that are to be synced at the start of each day.
The PicturePlan subscription can be paid monthly or annually. This is one of the most expensive subscription packages on the market and doesn’t offer good value for money – especially when you consider that frames like the Pix-Star offer the same (and much more) features without charging anything extra.
How do Ceiva digital photo frames compare with the Pix-Star?
Ceiva digital photo frames that don’t have an active PicturePlan subscription are functionally very limited. They’re akin to many of the cheapest digital photo frames on the market – but are significantly more expensive. All this extra money isn’t buying you much and you have to spend more to get any real use out of the frame.
When you factor in the price of the PicturePlan subscription over the lifetime of the frame, it ends up being significantly more expensive than even the most premium digital photo frames. For this high price, you’re only getting features that are offered for free on the Pix-Star. For example, with Pix-Star’s frames, you get free-for-life cloud storage, full use of the mobile app, fine control over slideshows & photo playback order, the ability to remotely control your Pix-Star frame from anywhere in the world, and much more.
Pix-Star’s web interface lets you manage local & cloud storage, adjust the settings of connected frames, remotely start slideshows & manage their settings, update the frame’s firmware, and connect photo albums from photo-sharing and cloud storage sites like Dropbox, OneDrive and SmugMug. You can control & manage up to 25 connected Pix-Star frames from a single user account. This is perfect for families and elderly users as they can view all the latest photos without needing to lift a finger.
Pix-Star’s LUX frames come in 10-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch models. They use 4:3 aspect ratio displays and have a significantly higher screen resolution than Ceiva digital photo frames. You can manually adjust the screen brightness and color settings to match any scenario perfectly. Pix-Star’s frames come with motion sensors to wake the frame up when somebody walks into the room. Alternatively, you can use the auto-on/off scheduler to set the frame’s wake and sleep schedule.
In summary, Pix-Star’s frames are far more versatile and offer much more in terms of features and useful functions. You’ll get much better value for money on the initial purchase – and greater value as you save on not having to pay for a monthly subscription plan. Pix-Star’s frames are more immersive, user-friendly, and better suited to modern homes & families. Learn more here about why Pix-Star’s digital photo frames are so popular!
How to send photos to the Ceiva digital photo frame?
The only way to send pictures to Ceiva digital photo frames is by SD card. Note that the card cannot be bigger than 2GB and not all brands and card formats are compatible. It’s also worth noting that the only supported image format is JPEG. You can’t copy the photos from the SD card to the frame’s internal storage as it’s reserved for temporarily holding pictures synced via the PicturePlan subscription.
With an active PicturePlan subscription plan, you can send photos from anywhere in the world via the mobile app. The interface is sluggish and feels outdated – but you’ll get used to it with enough time. That being said, this interface is not elderly-friendly and Ceiva frames can’t be added to multi-frame control groups as you can do with Pix-Star’s frames.
Can Ceiva digital photo frames play videos?
Ceiva digital photo frames cannot play videos or audio notes. These frames are designed only to play pictures sent to the frame via SD card or via the PicturePlan subscription-based cloud service. Considering the price of these frames (and the running cost of paying for the PicturePlan subscription fee), you’d expect video playback and audio support.
For example, Pix-Star’s frames let you play videos and audio files on the frame. Video & audio can be sent via the mobile app and by USB/SD card. You can listen to web radio & music, audio messages, and songs. You can even include videos into slideshows and play songs/radio stations over slideshows.
How many photos can Ceiva digital photo frames hold?
Ceiva digital photo frames don’t have internal storage space as its flash storage is dedicated to holding the daily downloaded photos from the PicturePlan service. The frame only accepts up to 2GB SD cards that need to be left inserted at all times to view the stored photos. If you’ve paid for the PicturePlan subscription service, you can set the number of photos to be downloaded each day to the frame. Note that at the end of every day, the frame with refresh and photos will need to be downloaded again.
Is the Ceiva digital photo frame’s PicturePlan subscription worthwhile?
Ceiva digital photo frames seem to have been designed to encourage people to purchase the PicturePlan premium subscription. It’s one of the most expensive digital photo frame subscriptions on the market.
Unfortunately, without the subscription, a Ceiva digital photo frame is severely limited. The non-subscription frames are so restricted that they’re near pointless to buy without the subscription.
A PicturePlan subscription lets you receive a minimum of 40 photos every day from other subscribers around the world. It also gives you access to sending and receiving options for loading pictures onto a Ceiva digital photo frame. Without PicturePlan, you won’t even be able to load photos from a memory card or PC onto the frame. This function and many other similar ones are locked behind the paywall. You’ll need to subscription if you want to use the website and app to send pictures to your frame.
There are some features still available like the weather and calendar app, and you still have control over how photos are displayed in slideshows. You can control transitions, slideshow speed, and some style elements like brightness. Beyond this though, almost all other functions and features require the PicturePlan subscription to be of any use.
In summary, without the subscription, Ceiva digital photo frames are nowhere near worth the price they command. You don’t have a choice when it comes to paying up for PicturePlan. Given that it’s one of the most expensive plans on the market, it’s hard to justify its value. Competing frames like the Pix-Star offer essentially the same functionality (and more), but the frame’s price is the same and there aren’t any recurring fees. Ceiva digital photo frames struggle to find their place on the market and even struggle to stand against competitors like the Skylight frame that also has a premium subscription.
Do Ceiva digital photo frames need Wi-Fi?
Ceiva digital photo frames are Wi-Fi capable, but you have to buy the official Ceiva wireless adaptor to connect to home networks. This adaptor is sold separately and further adds to the already high price of the frame and its premium subscription. You need to be connected to Wi-Fi to save photos from a memory card or USB to the Ceiva network.
One of the biggest drawbacks of Ceiva digital photo frames is that they need to have access to consistent phone networks with a strong signal. This is due to the phone-in function that’s used to let the frame receive photos every day.
This is a huge drawback and means that these frames are far more difficult to use (especially for elderly users). It also means that they don’t work well in areas that don’t have good mobile network access with good signal. Ceiva digital photo frames seem to be the only frame with this requirement; whereas frames like the Pix-Star only need access to Wi-Fi – though they can work offline and display slideshows without internet.
It’s worth noting that the only way to send media to the frame is by memory card or via the phone-in function. Both of these require a premium subscription. Wi-Fi is only used to save existing photos to the Ceiva network.