I recently dug out a load of old CDs from my wardrobe that had been sitting gathering dust, and when I loaded them up onto the computer I discovered a load of photos from 2006 that I barely remember seeing before. This flash back of nostalgia was wonderful (if you ignore the fashion choices) and made me realise how many photos I have kicking around on USBs, SD Cards and hard drives that I never look at. A digital photo frame is the perfect way to revisit old memories and display special photos and videos in an unobtrusive way. Nix was founded 2007 by its parent company ‘Creedon Technologies’ and has a wide range of digital photo frames to bring treasured moments to life.

The Advance from Nix comes in five sizes: 8inch, 10inch, 12inch, 15inch or 18inch. It has a 1280x800 pixels high-resolution IPS (16:10) with LED backlit display and 720p HD video. You can mix both photos (JPEG) and videos (MPEG-4) in the same slideshow. With a choice between USB Drive, SD and SDHC card ports, as well as 8GB Thumb Portable Drive Memory Included, and it comes with an easy to use remote control that has a grippy textured back to stop it skidding around on the desk. It is easy to set up: literally plug in and play. You can navigate the settings via the remote or the control panel on the back, you can shuffle all photos, play them by date or in A-Z order and choose from a variety of photo transitions.

The Hu-Motion Sensor turns on when you enter the room and turns off when you leave, you can choose the frame to switch off after sensing no movement for 5minutes or up to 1hour. The Advance only had a desk top stand and there are no options to wall mount, stand the frame in portrait or use batteries instead of plugging into the mains, making it rather limited. However, the picture quality is superb, crystal clear and sharp, with acceptable audio.

The build quality is a bit naff: the plastic frame is thin, plain black and looks rather dull, and the quality of the cable and plug is thin and flimsy. Don’t get me wrong the pictures look great, but for the price it is rather limited in features and I would like to see a stronger build quality and more interesting frame options in the future. £109.99

3.8 out of 5

Buy now

Pros

Clean, sharp pictures

Good audio

Easy to use

Hu-motion sensor

Plug in and play

Cons

Only sits on horizonal position

No options for batteries or wall mounts

Cheap plastic construction