Customer Reviews
Coby versus Kodak 
2008-05-26
I bought both the Coby DP-888 8" frame and the Kodak EasyShare SV811 8" frame and compared them using the same slide show. One was to keep and the other was destined for Grandmother as a gift. I wasn't interested in email, websites or wireless. I used a USB flash drive on both and exported the photos from iPhoto, including some movies I took with my digital still camera (640x480 resolution, 16 bit). I also tried exporting a slideshow from iPhoto (in the form of a Quicktime .mov file).
The bottom line is that the Coby has a 4:3 screen and is much better suited to a camera format than the Kodak 16:9 screen (a ridiculous format in either portrait or landscape orientation) but the Coby firmware is extremely primitive compared to the Kodak.
A few pros and cons for each frame.
Coby pros:
-screen is good (800x600; one of the few screens for which you can actually find the resolution) with brightness control on the frame. Plenty bright.
-frame looks nicer than the Kodak
-sturdier leg for supporting display with rubber "feet" to keep it from slipping
-4:3 format
Coby cons:
-no auto on feature
-no auto rotation of photos in slideshow (that has to be done before sending to the frame)
-no setting for frame orientation (not critical - probably want it in landscape to match most photos)
-transitions not as nice looking as the Kodak
-can't play movies as part of slideshow; must select photos or video
-doesn't recognize .mov files (so it wouldn't play my Quicktime slideshow)
-can't play 640x480 movie from USB drive or a CF card properly; movie stutters and skips and sound is broken up
Kodak pros:
-has some internal memory (Coby has none)
-auto on/off feature
-nicer transitions
-menus slightly easier to navigate
-can turn frame on/off with remote (Coby can't)
-can set frame orientation
-auto rotation of photos
-plays .avi files fine (although the firmware must sort by file type because all of the movies were grouped at the end of the slideshow)
Kodak cons:
-would not play my Quicktime slideshow properly (slide duration was way too fast and no sound)
-lousy 16:9 format (there is an option to either display the entire image, which can make for a small picture depending on frame and picture orientation, or autofill, which will crop your carefully framed pictures in undesirable ways)
The verdict is that both of these frames are flawed. If the Coby had the more sophisticated Kodak firmware (or vice versa) I would have been reasonably happy. As it was, I couldn't stand the widescreen format of the Kodak frame and that went to Grandma (hey, at least it is easier to use). I think the digital frame market awaits some savvy manufacturer who will be able to put it all together to produce a five star product but these two frames are not it.
I'm pleased with this purchase 
2008-05-25
I purchased this digital photo frame for my boat where there was not enough wall space for family photos. It performs exactly as described and I'm basically very pleased with the device. It was easy to get the scanned photos onto a card and the DP-888 recognized them immediately.
The appearance of the displayed photographs is excellent. They are bright and clear.
I have not evaluated it for video or evaluated the sound system.
One strong positive for this model in my application is that the power it needs is 12v DC so I was able to wire it directly into the boat's electrical system. This feature would also be important to anyone who wanted to use it in an RV.
The lighter of the two wood frames is not the nicest wood and eventually I will replace with with one that is more consistent with the quality of woodwork on my boat.
OK for photos (with a little effort), terrible for video 2008-04-23
I figured this frame had potential for sharper images because it had a resolution of 800x600. I put some images I'd previously saved at 800x600 resolution with a medium JPEG quality (50 out of 100 in Photoshop) on a memory card, plugged it in, and the frame was ready to go in seconds. Most of the images looked great, but a few images, especially those with lots of blue sky, showed pixelated bands of color. This banding problem is also visible in the stock photos that display on the frame when no memory card is installed.
Experimenting with file preparation, I was able to remove almost all the banding problems by resizing the images to 800x600 (using the "Nearest Neighbor" setting when resizing the image in Photoshop produced the least banding) and saving the images with the highest JPEG quality setting. So, I'll be able to get some reasonable looking images, but I'll need to do some extra processing.
I didn't really care about the video or audio playback capabilities of the frame, but in the interest of a more complete review I did some experiments. Video playback didn't work very well. There was a 1/2" band at the bottom of the screen that didn't display properly. Maybe the picture frame just can't read the file from the memory card fast enough (remember, there's no internal memory on this frame). The frame seemed to freeze up after video playback, but a quick off/on flip of the power switch rebooted without problem. There is no video output (only audio output). In short, I wouldn't recommend this frame for video.
Audio played through the frame's internal speaker sounds terrible, but the quality using headphones through the audio out/headphone jack sounded fine.
There are lots of options for slideshow speed and transition effects. On my unit, when using certain transitions some of the pixels in the top row stayed black, causing an uneven top edge for full-size photos. I found most of the transitions annoying, anyway, and there are no pixels problems when transitions are off. You can't pause a slideshow, but you can step through them and reverse the order in which photos are displayed. Play/pause during slideshow is for audio (even if no audio files are present or you manually turn off slideshow music using the menu).
Build quality is decent. No dead pixels on arrival. No distracting blemishes on the frame and no gaps in the corners.
Overall, it seems like a reasonable frame for the price if all you care about are photos and you're willing to take some time to work around the limitations of the device.
DO NOT BUY FOR VIDEO!!!! 
2008-03-18
I purchased this product to play videos in a store setting. I opened it up, the screen was very nice and the pictures were clear. The MP3 worked well with clear speakers and a nice volume. Then the video... I am a Digital Film major so I know all about compression, codex, etc. I could not get one single video to play on this machine. I tried every video type listed on the box with several different resolutions. I called tech support 3 times and they knew nothing other than.. "use the lowest resolution possible." Which, if you know anything about video, doesn't even make sense. I could render a video at 2 pixels by 2 pixels that you wouldn't be able to see!
Finally, they said they would transfer me to "advanced" tech support and that I would be receiving a call shortly. I waited on writing this review for over 3 weeks after that call and I still haven't heard back from Coby. I KNEW they were just blowing me off. I will NEVER purchase another Coby product. Don't expect much support. On the plus side, I finally got a video to "play." It showed only the first frame and took up about 1/4 of the screen. It then froze and locked up the frame until I shut it off. It now makes a lovely paper weight.
Great Digital Picture Frame 
2008-03-05
This is a great digital picture frame. It is the second one I bought, and works great with a super picture. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to buy this type of product.
Great frame 2008-07-14
This frame exceeded my expectations. I had purchased two prior and returned them for poor quality and too small of picture - and I was apprehensive about purchasing one online - but this one is great. Good picture and the frames are very nice. Price was good too.
Super Easy Digital Photo Frame! 2008-06-27
This frame took me about 5 minutes to set up. I love it. No problems - has been running non-stop for a month. I don't have the sound going. Nice item!
Great Find! 2008-06-21
very user-friendly to set up. great sound quality and picture resolution. nice quality frames. only wish they include the remote battery.very happy with this product.
Looks are deceiving 2008-06-02
I ordered two of these digi-frames because I loved the specs and the look of the product. Boy, was I fooled. I'd planned to give these as gifts, but the device did NOT work as promised. It was good that I'd ordered two, so that I could determine if I'd just gotten a lemon out of one of them. Nope! Neither unit worked properly. I returned them to Amazon. Kudos to Amazon for an excellent return policy and procedure! I've since replaced these units with the Kodak M1020. Loved 'em! They worked as promised; actually, they exceeded my expectations. I'd give the Kodak digi-frames at least 4, and maybe 5, stars. Skip the Coby units.
High Quality Frame 2008-05-29
I bought two of these frames for Mother's day, and they were a huge hit. I thought I needed to find 1024x768 Res frame, but couldn't afford two, so I bought these instead. The picture quality is great! I am very impressed with everything about this product. Great remote, easy menu system, start-up time is relatively short, and simple to operate. The interchangeable frames are not cheap-looking like some others- will go next to any wood frame and look great. The only thing I didn't count on is my wife wanting one after she saw how great this frame is. Looks like I'll be purchasing another one!
