Wespro WP173C DPF

Wespro has tried their hand at DPFs before, which didn’t fare too well in our tests. Now their latest offering in this segment is out, the WP173C DPF, and here’s what I have to say about it…

Form Factor
How different can you design a photo frame? The answer is – not too much. You have a display, a frame supporting it, and the stand at the rear. A digital version is of course a lot bulkier, with a DC socket and slots for memory cards and USB drives, integrated speakers, and a set of operation keys.

The Wespro WP173C is quite average. It has a 7-inch TFT LCD and supports SD, MMC, MS, XD and CF cards (two slots, so you may want to have adapters on hand), a standard USB and an AV-out port. Sadly this model doesn’t come with an internal power source, so it has a DC socket of connecting the bundled adapter. The inbuilt speaker is located at the rear of the device, along with a power switch and multiple operation keys. An IR sensor is located just under the display for the bundled remote control.

It’s quite lightweight and while the simple black frame may not be too elegant, it is somewhat appealing if placed appropriately. Thankfully, the rear stand is easy to adjust for ideal viewing.

Features and Performance
The WP173C has, like other DPFs, plenty of relevant features. Let’s start off with the media capabilities. It reads MP3 files with no issues from either a memory card or USB drive. The absence of any internal memory brings the rating down in my book, since one has to rely on external devices all the time.

The good thing is you can hook up the player to a TV via the AV-out, but this doesn’t work too well with earphones. The internal speakers sound a bit tinny, but if you’re listening to any orchestra music while viewing a slide show… that works.

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Videos need to be in MPEG-1 or 4 formats. Some videos I took off of a mobile phone and a digicam worked just fine. In this case it’s a lot easier as you simply have to plug in the memory card from the capture device and you’re good to go. Other features include a calendar with a clock that also allows users to set an alarm.

Now for the most relevant feature; viewing your pictures. Firstly, if you’re pictures aren’t scaled down a bit, slide shows are going to be a real drag as transitions will take unduly long. Your level of patience will have to quite high. On the whole the image quality was not very impressive and if the viewing angle of the DPF isn’t ‘just right’ your photos are going to look quite dark and not very appealing. Once you’ve adjusted the stand, the colors, and the contrast and brightness levels, it’s not too bad.

Having a full-function remote is really handy. At least you won’t have to worry about having to get up all the time to adjust anything. The remote allows you to access all facets of the DPF, from music control to switching images and watching videos.

The Bottomline
Although I like the simple black design of the WP173C DPF, I was not very impressed by the overall performance. One weird thing is that the price of the DPF, at least on the box is Rs 10,000 (MRP), which I find outrageously overpriced. On the other hand, my sources tell me it’s available for a street price of just Rs 3999 in certain places. This drastic discrepancy bothers me a bit, but even at Rs 4000 I’d hesitate to put down my money, considering the lack of internal memory.