It comes as no surprise that Kodak, a name almost synonymous with photography, has a line of digital photo frames. The EasyShare SV710 is the low-cost entry point of Kodak’s line of digital picture frames. Higher-priced versions offer internal memory, larger screens and Wi-Fi connectivity to your home network.

Product Tour

Front view of the EasyShare SV710

The EasyShare SV710 features a 7" (diagonal) LCD panel with a widescreen 16:9 format. My test model had a black frame, but optional frame templates are available that just snap on, to customize the frame to your décor. It ships with a 21-button remote control that gives you complete control over all of the SV710’s features. You are not going to want to lose the control as not all of the functions can be performed with the seven buttons on the rear of the frame. Some functions are only available using the remote control.

Rear view of the EasyShare SV710

On the back of the frame there are seven buttons that give you access to some, but not all of the functions. There’s a traditional picture frame stand that allows you to orient the frame vertically or horizontally as well as hanger holes for both vertical and horizontal wall mounting. The small stereo speakers also play the music and video audio tracks out of the back of the frame.

Hands On

Using the EasyShare frame couldn’t be simpler. You just plug in one of the supported memory cards or USB flash drive and turn on the power. You can insert memory into each of the three memory slots and the frame will find all of the media content on each card (or flash drive). By default, the SV710 starts displaying your images in a slideshow and then plays any of the supported video files. While you can’t associate a particular music file with a slideshow, you can select music through the menu system, start playing a track and then start up the slide show.

One feature we especially liked allows you to select which images to include in your slide show. In the thumbnail view, you merely hit the "check mark" button on the remote to include the currently highlighted image in your slide show. Set-up options include configuring the slide duration (from three seconds to one hour), frame orientation, transitions and fitting the image to the screen or filling the screen with the image. You can also configure the mini USB port to connect either to your computer or your printer. The SV710 supports Pict Bridge and printing directly to your printer without using a computer. Another unique feature allows you to schedule when the frame turns on and off. This might be handy if you had the photo frame in your bedroom and wanted to shut it off at night.

The music player on the SV710 is very basic - you can elect to play all tracks, or just an individual track. However, you can’t select individual tracks the same way you can with images for your slide show. I was also disappointed by the movie player. A video file in .avi format shot at 640x480 at 30 FPS did not play smoothly. Both the audio and video were jerky. However, files shot at 640 X 480 at lower frame rates, or video shot at 320X240 at 30 FPS, played smoothly.

The SV710 ships with version 6.2 of Kodak’s EasyShare software. It lets you easily organize, edit and share your photos online through the Kodak Gallery.

Overall, the SV710 is easy to use and has a fairly small learning curve. The displayed images looked good with no adjustment to the default brightness setting. It’s a solid performer from a company that is a household name.