I am mulling over getting a large wall TV for my study to display art and photography. I have been investigating Samsung’s ‘The Frame’ TV model which is optimised for this purpose. It serves as a normal TV when not in art mode.
The TV is very slim and has a matte screen to mimic artwork better.
Does anyone have experience of these TVs or getting art/photographs to display in general?
Would I be better with a normal TV and using an app to create a rotating display? If so what TV and what app?
I can’t speak to the Frame TV specifically, but most any TV with a USB port can display digital images in a slideshow from a directory in a thumb drive plugged into the USB port. No additional hardware or software needed.
One thing I will note is that TV manufactures don’t like to honor warranties when they learn that a TV has been left on contiguously. They sell “commercial” TVs for that (what you will typically find in stores, restaurants, etc.), which are much more expensive. I’m not suggesting you need to buy a commercial model for your home study, but just warning you that a typical TV may not hold up as well as you might hope for this use case. At a minimum, you would want to avoid anything with even a hint of image burn-in.
All I can say is that I saw one in picture mode at a store and was impressed. I had to do a double-take to realise it was a TV. My circumstances don’t allow one for now, but my wife would kill for one.
We had family get The Frame TV recently and it looks amazing. Even the art pieces you can get through them (there might be a fee??) is a great selection.
I have one I got in a refurb deal. Hate the remote and the UI. Can be hard to mount due to its wall hugging mount. Uses a remote box for connections with a thick cable. I ended up mounting it in my workshop with an older Apple TV so I can watch stuff while working.
My LG OLED in the living room can display art work, pictures, but we like the Apple TV aerial screen savers. The LG display is much better.
My son got that one some years back, and it looks nice. It even sometimes displays artwork between the long sessions of Peppa Pig and Gabby’s Dollhouse
One thing to note is that, yes the frame and panel is very slim, but (at least his model) has the receiver and power supply separated out into its own little box that needs a space in a cabinet close by the screen.
My in-laws have one. The art looks really realistic and the matte screen is pretty unique among TVs. It also looks very nice flush against the wall. The panel itself is not very good (not OLED or anything) but most “normal” people don’t care/notice. I’ve seen some good deals recently on the Frame too. I would say if you want a TV for displaying art and photos, this is the one to get.
