I have been using an iPad 2 as a picture frame and local video player ever since I bought it, but sadly I cracked it last week. I am looking for a replacement iPad, but don't want to spend a lot of money. All I really need is a good display/speakers. iOS support doesn't matter because it does not go online anyway. I'd like to stay at 9.7" on the screen size, I would love to have the 12.9 but as of right now it's out of my price range.
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Best iPad as picture frame/local video player
- Thread starter retta283
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I'm curious. What software did you use?
Mind you, it's too late for us now since I gave away our iPad 2.
Mind you, it's too late for us now since I gave away our iPad 2.
I mostly just used the built-in video and photo apps and synced from iTunes. Haven't used it with Wi-Fi since the iOS 6 days.
I am not aware of any other software that would store video/photos locally. iPhoto was a thing on iOS for a while, but not anymore
Used 9.7 pro, Refurb 10.5 pro or 10.5 Air.
The base iPad doesn’t support p3, which all iPhones and many cameras shoot in now, so unless you pay a bit more you’ll lose some color and detail in the pictures it’s displaying. The laminated displays will also significant reduce the reflection on the display.
First iPad to support p3 was the 9.7 pro.
The base iPad doesn’t support p3, which all iPhones and many cameras shoot in now, so unless you pay a bit more you’ll lose some color and detail in the pictures it’s displaying. The laminated displays will also significant reduce the reflection on the display.
First iPad to support p3 was the 9.7 pro.
Personally, for picture frame purposes, I prefer the older style iPads with the larger (evenly-sized) bezels. 
If you want nice speakers though, then you'd need one of the Pro models.
If you want nice speakers though, then you'd need one of the Pro models.
The bezels on the older iPads always reminded me of a picture frame. The iPad 4 has a Retina display and isn't a laggy mess like the iPad 3.Personally, for picture frame purposes, I prefer the older style iPads with the larger (evenly-sized) bezels.
iPad 4 then. Could probably get it for under $100. Lightning connector, retina display and the A6 actually handles iOS 10 much better than the iPad 2 did iOS 7-9.
Thanks but that's a lot to do just to show photos. Yeah I will look around the App store for one. Or lets hope Apple will bring it back.
The iPad Air 1 can run iOS 12 and has dual speakers (which I assume are slightly better in terms of sound). It also has a very slightly better A7 chip compared to the A6X chip in the iPad 4.
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I was mainly thinking in terms of the ability to install newer iOS and apps. But A6X to A7 could make a difference depending on the quality and codec of the video files.
Sadly an Amazon product is off the list because it won't sync well with all the files I have, and I use iPhoto still to manage/sync photos. Also, i really don't want to deal with Android on a tablet if I don't have to. Apparently the Fire 10 is a new product, so it would probably cost more than the iPads I am looking at.
iPad Air display has thinner glass and actually feels cheap and hollow compared to the iPad 4. Otherwise, they both look equally nice to me.
Here's a more objective comparison:
https://www.anandtech.com/show/7460/apple-ipad-air-review/5
Yep, like I said I understand the apprehension. It's new yes but on sale for mother's day for $120 for a 32gb model with microSD expansion capability up to 256gb.
If one's used to syncing with iTunes and iPhoto etc. then it's a no-brainer to stick with the iOS ecosystem, simply get another iPad and continue on with your current workflow.