Samsung ships $129 SPF-87H 8-inch digiframe / secondary monitor

Samsung's been dousing just about anything it can get its paws on with that 'Touch of Color' design scheme, and even the outfit's latest digiframe wasn't able to dodge the madness. The 8-inch SPF-87H, which was originally introduced to the world back in April, is now shipping to those scouting a multifaceted digital photo frame. Unlike traditional alternatives, this 0.91-inch thick frame can double as a secondary display (via USB), and the respectable 800 x 480 resolution panel ensures that you can fit more than just a weather widget on there. Other specs include 1GB of built-in storage, an SD expansion slot, 500:1 contrast ratio and a $129 price tag.

[Via HotHardware]

Gallery: Samsung ships $129 SPF-87H 8-inch digiframe / secondary monitor

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[Michael Fidler @ May 24th 2009 7:19AM]

I like the price point for an extra monitor. Actually a third in my case, but it might be perfect for email or something like that.

[Dez @ May 24th 2009 9:23AM]

using a nanovision MIMO myself, the touchscreen makes the extra display a little more useful, but at the resolution and screen size, its not great for email. I suppose you could use it like that, but i most just toss my media player on the secondary screen to play a video, or the zune software to control music.

[Invisiblemoose @ May 25th 2009 1:28AM]

Yeah, a third monitor is the only way one of these makes sense. I hope one dips below $50.

[loopyoyo @ May 24th 2009 7:32AM]

mmmm..gotta love usb host capability

[Argot @ May 24th 2009 1:19PM]

Yeah, but the "Samsung" logo on the bottom is pretty ugly if your going to use it as a digital picture frame?

[BrettA @ May 24th 2009 7:45AM]

The 'Touch of Color' thingy is a complete show-stopper for me... I assume others like it, but it'll never grace my office or home/office. I've seen some nice monitor specs in this line and have suggested that they put out the same thing with a simple non-curvy matte black surround, but no such luck. (Yeah, I'm picky, but I gotta look at it more than any other single object on the planet and it's just plain uuuuuuuugggggly, IMHO!)

[jarofchris @ May 24th 2009 3:56PM]

Agreed about the Touch of Color Red...I hate it and have altered my purchasing choices because of it (e.g. got a Dell monitor instead of a Samsung due to the ToC red). However, The ToC Charcoal to me looks equivalent to a plain black bezel and as such I am planning on getting a ToC Charcoal Samsung LCD TV. If this picture frame is a ToC charcoal as it appears to be from the engadget image above then I have no issue with it.

Honestly Samsung, if you are going to be so gung ho about ToC, then at least offer other colors such as charcoal on ALL your products rather than one or two here or there. You are guaranteed to increase sales. Also, get new focus groups.

[Hmm @ May 24th 2009 8:05AM]

secondary netbook screen? :)

[Brynn @ May 24th 2009 8:19AM]

This could be the perfect answer to my PIP woes - since I combined my monitor and TV with a T260HD TOC monitor, I've been trying to find a way to be able to talk on IM and watch TV at the same time.

[ShadowMaker @ May 24th 2009 8:22AM]

Yes, there's nothing like not being able to focus on only one thing at a time.

[Hoof @ May 24th 2009 8:39AM]

hmmmm any way to mount this to an existing monitor?

[rcarm @ May 24th 2009 8:54AM]

Ugh, duct tape?

[BrettA @ May 24th 2009 8:54AM]

LOL, ShadowMaker... Dual monitor systems have been effectively and very productively used for decades in a wide variety of appropriate situations and all your mind can come up with is *that*? ROTF...

[Sam @ May 24th 2009 9:26AM]

Reply fail.

[ShadowMaker @ May 24th 2009 2:05PM]

Well, when I IM with someone I'd like him or her to give me some undivided attention. Saying you want to IM and watch TV at the same time doesn't really appeal to me. It's like watching TV and talking on the phone simultaneously. It's just bad etiquette.

[The Heretic @ May 24th 2009 9:37AM]

Awesome little monitor, Id love to lay it next to my keyboard.

This would make for an amazing recession antidote!

[mrklaw @ May 24th 2009 9:40AM]

When will manufacturers understand that I don't want a photo frame with a giant company logo on it, or big light up buttons, or anything else. I want it to look like a photo frame!

I'd consider it for a USB monitor though

[Chronosan @ May 24th 2009 10:03AM]

I already own an SPF-75H, so my immediate questions are:


Is it still going to suck?

Although pretty, the controls are unresponsive, its flaky FrameManager software pretends to detect it when it isn't even there and can't when it is.

Will it have a refresh rate of more that 15fps?
Will it be able to be managed by my video card control software so I can use it to clone another display?
Will it support 3D acceleration, so I don't have to kill Aero in Vista and all accelerated features like video in Media Center?


If so, count me in, if not, it's just another Sammy destined for the garbage heap.

[T-D @ May 24th 2009 1:36PM]

I've got a SPF85H, and I've got the exact same problem - 15 FPS makes it all but useless for anything other than Pandora.

[warpzero @ May 24th 2009 3:51PM]

This is the same crappy in-house USB monitor technology by Samsung. It's annoying because for their other products (like the LD190G/LD220G and U70) they use DisplayLink, which has great performance proper support for Vista Aero/3D but for their picture frames they use this garbage.

These things really aren't usable as second monitors, as you've seen with the SPF-75H.

If you want to get a mini-monitor, get a Nanovision monitor, Samsung U70, or some other DisplayLink-powered monitor. It won't have picture frame capability but it will be WAY better as a mini-monitor.

[Kevin @ May 24th 2009 10:51AM]

8 Inch Digital Photo Frame - Picture + Video + Music + Bluetooth http://atxelectronics.com/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=172.

[kcdk99 @ May 24th 2009 11:38AM]

EXACTLY what I was thinking. Flat screen TV's don't even have logos
that big on them.

[kcdk99 @ May 24th 2009 11:40AM]

Oops, that was meant as a reply to mrklaw about the logo on the frame.

[momotarosan @ May 24th 2009 12:31PM]

I'd be all over this if "touch of color" also meant touch screen

[Nohone @ May 24th 2009 1:47PM]

Why would anyone want to use this as anything but a photo frame? Engadget told us a couple days ago that using small, secondary, mounted monitors was being desperate.

[stafford @ May 24th 2009 7:55PM]

Nice. Dedicated screen for Nambu / Tweetdeck etc.

[BrettA @ May 24th 2009 9:02PM]

Nonsense, Shadow... you're grosslt unclear on the concept and your analogy points to a lack of logic. IM is dealing with an individual, while using two monitors to be more effective in a process is not - therefore etiquette doesn't enter into it and you're hurting no one's feelings.

But by your response, I now assume you've never developed anything like programs, and never written anything like web pages, nor perhaps used a computer as a primary tool in the workplace. So for the two examples I just mentioned, you can effectively use the second monitor to visualize the results of writing/fine-tuning a program, the look and feel of a web site after a change to html (or other), perhaps even at a different resolution.

There are huge numbers of scenarios where two monitors work far better than one and I'd suggest that you're in an extreme minority if you never cross-reference or corelate data, processes, result sets or anything else... worse given you've never heard of other doing this if you in the workforce. For another common usage, I can pretty well guarantee you won't find a stock broker or other financial analyst ('cept perhaps a few one man shows or the tiniest of not-well-off companies) that doesn't run dual or quad monitors. Same with CAD/CAM and lots more. Just for ATI's 2D graphics solutions, try Googling 'FireMV' (or FireGL for 3D, I gather).

[O.H. @ May 25th 2009 6:17PM]

It would be great if it had a VGA/DVI port (industry standard) as opposed to using a USB port to be a secondary monitor and possible having to install drivers and such to make it work. I'd love to just plug it in the VGA port in front of a server,check status and unplug. DONE.