-----Original Message-----

Date:    Tue, 25 Dec 2007 21:04:13 -0600
From:    "Dean K. Kukral" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Organizing, storing, and viewing digital images?

Several years ago I purchased a digital camera and have been taking
digital images exclusively ever since then.

Naturally, I would rather not lose these, so I frequently have written
them to cd's for storage.  Also, printed them off, generally four to an
eight by ten sheet.  (I bought a nice cutter for cutting them up into
four by five photos, but have never bothered.)  So now, I have stacks of
sheets of photos, cd's, and image files that I transfer from build to
build when I build a new computer or change a hard drive.

(It is slides all over again.  I have boxes and boxes of old slides
sitting in their trays that I "ought to" organize some way.  At our last
road trip in April we looked at the images on the camera screen in the
motel at night, and I have not even bothered to copy them to the
computer!)

I am not up-to-date with all the stuff out there, and I am hoping that
somebody can give me a recommendation for storing and viewing my current
crop of digital images.

Here are some of the things that I have thought about:

A. A 16GB iPod with the touch screen.  This would be ideal, since it has
the file structure for handling and organizing the images.  (I would
still want to back them up to a cd.)  The trouble with an iPod is that
the screen is a bit small.  And, it is an expensive way to go. And, I am
not sure if iTunes will let me sync images onto one iPod and music onto
another. (?)

B. A digital image viewer.  The kind of thing that sits on your end
table and gives an endless slideshow.  These are very nice and not too
expensive.  However, I don't think that they have the appropriate file
structure for archival purposes.  They are limited to a few hundred
megabytes.  And, they tend to be a bit bulky with some having to be
plugged in.

C. A portable dvd player.  I don't own one, but one could view images
that were stored on cd's.


The iPod looks to be the absolutely coolest way to do this, but it seems
like crushing an acorn with a sledgehammer.  And, the screen is a bit
smaller than I want.

Has anybody run across some new product that will do what I want done?
Store all my images in a nice, organized place, be able to carry them
around and force them on unwilling victims (I have to look at pictures
of their grandkids!), and have a screen big enough for senior citizens
(my friends) to view without eyestrain?  It seems like an opportunity
for a new product.

Dean Kukral
------------------------------

Looking at the specs for an iPod classic with a storage capacity of 80GB
(and the price) this viewer -
http://www.digitalfoci.com/picture_porter_elite.html - is a bit more
expensive, but does have a larger lcd screen. It also handles quite a few
image file formats as well as music. I don't own one, but it looks very
nice, even if it is a little pricey. Other than the "picture frames" you
describe the options look a little limited! I found a few card readers that
hook up to a TV (limited to what is on the memory stick). There is even one
that will display photos on an HD TV in 1080i format!

Seems like the market is ripe for innovation.

I wonder what other readers will find?

Chris Ryan

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