Digital Picture Frame or Photo Albums?

My parents are almost Luddites -- my mother, for example cannot and will not use the computer.  She claims that she "cannot double-click".  My dad is more computer-savvy, but there are still limits to what he knows how to do, and he's conservative in that he doesn't venture into uncharted water.

So my wife and I would like to share pictures with them.  We've previously sent them prints, even having reprints made just for that purpose.  But now we've up and gone digital.

The thought at present is between (a) buying them a digital picture frame (and periodically sending them a new CompactFlash card to pop into it) and (b) just having photo albums made of selected photos.  On that latter option, it seems Shutterbug and others offer these things for fairly cheap, and the old-school among us (read: my folks) might better like the notion of the hard-bound, tangible album that they can store in the closet and never look at.

The d-frame would probably run about $170-$200 and last maybe 6-7 years (60,000 hours at always-on); the albums are about $30-$40 each and last ... ?  Based on cost, we'd spend in 2-3 years on photo albums what the digital frame would set us back.  But it's not like we can't afford $35 every four months.

Comments?  Recommendations?  We don't want to buy technology for technology's sake -- we want to buy what will best help them both to view the damn pictures.

And then how does dear old mum see them?

Clive,

I'm no expert(duh), but I like the digital photo frame idea.  Those things are neat.  They can display the images, in a slide show manner, and there is no real learning curve.  Even if you buy new flash cards, just to send them, I say you are miles ahead.

A little spendy, but as you pointed out, relative.  Cool idea.  In fact I have already stolen it, along with some other of your intellectual property. 

If you decide to go this route, re post, and let us know how how it was received.

size/brand/cards, etc.

burn em onto a dvd-r - and play them on tv ?

Let me paint a picture:

They have a VCR (from way back in the day) and a drawer full of tapes.  I have never seen them use the VCR, which resides under a snappy and nearly opaque dust cover.

My folks had a 20" TV until my sibs and I pooled resources and bought them a 25" TV.  They still use it, some 15 years later.

My brother got them a cheap VCR/DVD combo machine for Christmas 2005.  They NEVER watch DVDs -- can't figure out how to work it, even after being instructed >1 times and having us a phone call away to walk them through it.


The digital frame, bless its tiny electronic heart, requires only placement of the CF card within it and the toggling of an on-off switch.  I believe my dad can handle those two tasks. 

wow, it REALLY is that bad.
 

D'oh!  I started my post before seeing your response to Aske.

If the VCD use involves nothing more than opening the tray, placing the disc on it, and pressing "Play", that might work.  (DVD menus tend to trip them up.)

I'll have to check and see if their DVD player will handle VCDs.