ALBUM
Frequently Asked Questions
1 ALBUM display does not show whole photograph, why?
2 Download of photographs from digital camera is slow, why?
3 Does ALBUM store photographs in their original size?
4 Is it possible to play short videos using ALBUM?
5 ALBUM does not work with my camera, why?
6 Photographs from ALBUM cannot be saved to connected memory device, why?
7 ALBUM does not react to connection of external memory device, why?
8 My camera uses micro SD card, does ALBUM support it?
9 Does ALBUM support SDHC?
10 Does ALBUM support XD card?
11 Computer does not work with ALBUM, why?
12 Is it possible to store data other than photographs in ALBUM?
13 Can I display other than JPG image formats in ALBUM?
14 Battery-powered operation time is short, why?
15 How to prepare photographs for viewing in desired order?
16 How to create another FAVORITES gallery?
17 How to save photographs from Internet to and from ALBUM?
18 It is impossible to save other photographs in my ALBUM, why?
19 Photographs from connected external memory device are displayed immediately, why?
20 What about using ALBUM with mobile phone?
21 Is it possible to optimize photographs originally stored in ALBUM in high resolution?
22 ALBUM does not display photographs immediately when switched on, why?
23 The ALBUM seems not working, why?
24 Previously saved photographs repeat in ALBUM, why?
25 Can ALBUM display PowerPoint presentations?
26 How to update ALBUM firmware?
27 ALBUM is malfunctioning, why?
28 Question mark “?” is displayed, why?
29 Does ALBUM display subfolders?
30 How many characters can be used to name individual photographs/directories?
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#1 ALBUM DISPLAY DOES NOT SHOW THE WHOLE PHOTOGRAPH, WHY?
If the “FULL SCREEN” command is ON, the format of photographs is adjusted to fit the screen. This means that:
• if the photograph is in the portrait orientation, it is turned 90 degrees counter-clockwise
• if the photograph has a different width or height that the screen, ALBUM enlarges the photograph to fit its smaller dimension exactly in the screen. Its larger dimension is equally cropped on both sides; the two edges of the photograph are hidden
• since the photographs in ALBUM are always stored in their original formats (width and height ratio), if you wish to display photographs in the original full format, turn off the “FULL SCREEN” command in the ADVANCED SETTINGS menu. The original format of photographs is then displayed and unused screen space remains black
#2 DOES ALBUM STORE PHOTOGRAPHS IN THEIR ORIGINAL SIZE?
The factory setting of ALBUM is such that the original resolution of photographs (data size) is maintained. Be careful, larger the photographs, fewer can be stored to ALBUM. If you download photographs that are too large, their viewing may be noticeably slower; some extremely large photographs will not displayed at all. If you want to maximize the storage capacity of ALBUM, turn the command “OPTIMIZE PHOTOS while DOWNLOADING” in the advanced menu on. The photographs are then automatically optimized for ALBUM screen during a download – larger dimension is downsized to 800 pixels and the shorter one is calculated to keep the photograph original format.
This reduces the data size while the quality of preview on ALBUM display remains unchanged. In this mode, ALBUM can typically store more than 20 thousand photographs.
#3 DOWNLOAD OF PHOTOGRAPHS FROM A DIGITAL CAMERA IS SLOW, WHY?
Image data processing is time-consuming. ALBUM optimizes the photographs during the download to achieve faster navigation and higher quality viewing. To do that it needs time to process each photograph.
The processing time depends also on how fast the digital camera is able to transfer photographs from its memory by the USB cable, and on how large individual photographs are. To speed up the transfer of photographs, we recommend the following:
• if your digital camera allows various modes of operating the USB connector, select the MASS STORAGE (DATA STORAGE) mode
• if your digital camera features an SD or an MMC memory card, do not connect it using the cable but insert the card right into ALBUM; this is effective specifically with cameras, which have low speed of data transfer using the USB cable
• set your digital camera to take photographs in a lower resolution. To achieve good quality photographs for viewing in ALBUM, set the shooting resolution to 1600 x 1200 (or 1280 x 960). This will considerably increase the speed of downloading the photographs and you will also be able to store more photographs in your digital camera memory. Be careful when setting lower resolution of photographs – it will not be possible to resize them to large formats in future.
Tip: If you plan to download photographs to ALBUM frequently, have no more than about 200 photographs per download (a new directory is created for every downloading session).
#4 IS IT POSSIBLE TO PLAY SHORT VIDEOS USING ALBUM?
No, ALBUM can display photographs in a standard JPG format only.
#5 ALBUM DOES NOT WORK WITH MY CAMERA, WHY?
ALBUM is able to work with most digital cameras, which have the USB connection cable and behave like a USB Mass Storage Device (fl ash disk) or use the USB image interface with the PTP protocol. If your camera offers a choice, select the Mass Storage mode. To connect the camera, always use the original USB connection cable supplied with the camera. If your digital camera complies with the above and ALBUM does not react to it:
• check if the camera is connected and switch it on and off again
• if the camera uses an SD or an MMC memory card, insert the card directly into ALBUM and avoid the use a connection cable
Note: If your camera does not have a suitable USB mode and does not use an SD or an MMC memory card, you can transfer photographs to ALBUM via a computer.
#6 PHOTOGRAPHS FROM ALBUM CANNOT BE SAVED TO A CONNECTED MEMORY DEVICE, WHY? Check whether there is enough free space in a connected memory device or if the memory device is not locked (against data storage). Note: The memory device (SD card) must be formatted (FAT32 format).
If ALBUM does not offer the option of saving photographs to the connected memory device at all, these commands may be disabled by ALBUM “LOCK” feature – see ADVANCED SETTINGS.
#7 ALBUM DOES NOT REACT TO CONNECTION OF USB DISK OR SD CARD, WHY?
If you connect an SD card and a USB device to ALBUM, the USB device has a higher priority and the SD card is ignored. To work with a USB device or an SD card, they must be formatted (FAT32 format). The factory setting of such devices usually includes this type of formatting. If not, it is usually possible to format these devices using a computer or a digital camera.
#8 MY CAMERA USES MICRO SD CARD, IS IT COMPATIBLE WITH ALBUM?
Some cameras, especially those in mobile phones, use an SD card with smaller physical dimensions. Such card can be inserted to ALBUM using an insert piece, which is either included with the micro SD card or can be bought separately.
#9 DOES ALBUM SUPPORT SDHC?
Yes, ALBUM can work with a standard SDHC card (up to 16GB). Such card can also be used to extend the internal memory of ALBUM in case you prefer to store large resolution photographs.
#10 DOES ALBUM SUPPORT AN XD CARD?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to connect an XD card to ALBUM. The use is restricted by the license policy of Fuji (Olympus) company. There are XD card to USB interface adapters on the market. However, such adapters usually have not been licensed by Fuji and their function is not guaranteed. Cameras, which use XD cards, must be connected to ALBUM with the USB cable.
#11 COMPUTER DOES NOT WORK WITH ALBUM, WHY?
If a switched-on ALBUM is not recognized as a USB disk after connection to a computer with a USB cable, your computer might not have the necessary mass storage device driver installed.
#12 IS IT POSSIBLE TO STORE DATA OTHER THAN PHOTOGRAPHS IN ALBUM?
ALBUM operates like a standard USB memory device. When connected to a computer it can be used to store any data. However, ALBUM does not display any data other than .jpg photographs.
Note: if you store a large volume of other data in the Album, the capacity for photographs will be reduced.
If you perform a “CLEAN-UP” - see ADVANCED SETTINGS – all data other than JPG photographs, even those marked “read only”, are deleted.
#13 CAN I DISPLAY OTHER THAN JPG FORMATS IN ALBUM?
ALBUM supports photographs in JPG format (classic, not progressive). Note that the JPG format has historically had many standards and not all of them are compatible. If ALBUM displays a question mark instead of a photograph, this means you have data-incompatible photograph format or data in that
file has been damaged. If you want to view photographs or documents in other formats (e.g. TIFF, GIF, BMP, etc.), use a suitable program in your computer to convert them into the JPG format of maximum
size of 1MB; saving must be done in classic JPG format, not the progressive one. Then transfer the new JPG photographs to ALBUM.
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#14 IS THE BATTERY-POWERED OPERATION TIME SHORT?
To work correctly in the battery-powered mode, the battery must be fully charged. Check the battery condition by plugging in the power adaptor. If the indicator located next to the adapter connector blinks red, charging is in progress. The battery is fully charged when the red indicator stops blinking. Setting screen brightness to higher levels shortens the battery powered operation time. Operating ALBUM at low temperatures (in winter) also shortens the battery-powered operation time. If the battery is running low, the screen displays the red battery symbol and the screen brightness is reduced. In such case, connect the power adapter.
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#15 HOW TO PREPARE PHOTOGRAPHS TO VIEW THEM IN A PARTICULAR ORDER?
ALBUM sorts the photographs by their names and/or numbers. Therefore, when preparing a directory of photographs on the computer to be viewed in a specific c sequence on ALBUM, it is necessary to use the same number of characters (numbers and letters) when sorting the photographs. For example, the correct numbering logic for photographs displayed in a sequence is 001, 002, 003… 010 or PIC0001, PIC0002, etc., not 1, 2, 3…10, 11. Some computer programs are able to create such ordered groups of photographs automatically (e.g. Total Commander).
#16 HOW TO CREATE ANOTHER FAVORITES DIRECTORY (GALLERY)?
ALBUM features a directory called “FAVORITES”, which can store anyone’s favourite photographs. An individual photograph can be copied to “FAVORITES” using the “ADD PHOTO to FAVORITES” command from the control menu. If you have too many photographs in “FAVORITES” directory and do not want to delete them, you can add this directory to other galleries on ALBUM and create a new “FAVORITES” directory. The easiest way is to connect ALBUM to a computer and rename “FAVORITES” directory to e.g. FAVORITES 1. A new “FAVORITES” directory is created automatically by ALBUM upon the first use of the “ADD PHOTO (or COPY PHOTO) to FAVORITES” command.
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#17 HOW TO SAVE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE INTERNET TO AND FROM ALBUM? If you want to save photographs from the Internet to ALBUM, connect ALBUM to a computer. It behaves like a standard USB disk. If you want to transfer photographs from ALBUM to the Internet, you must first copy selected photographs from ALBUM to a specific destination on a computer. Note: To transfer photographs from a computer to ALBUM, we recommend saving them first to a USB disk or an SD card. The advantage of this procedure is that when downloading from external memory device, ALBUM automatically checks the size
of photographs and may perform their optimization - see the ADVANCED SETTINGS menu.
If you have a mobile phone with a built-in digital camera, it is, in most cases, possible to view or download photographs directly to/from ALBUM:
• if a mobile phone offers a choice of USB interface modes, choose Data Storage, or Printing & Media (PTP protocol)
• connect a switched-on mobile phone to a switched-on ALBUM using a USB cable
• ALBUM offers the same commands as when connected to a digital camera. If you cannot connect your mobile phone in the abovementioned way, you can still transfer the photographs from the phone to ALBUM via computer.
Note: Some mobile phones use SD cards to store photographs. In such case, it is possible to transfer photographs to ALBUM using the card. If the phone SD card is of a smaller dimension, it can be connected using a dedicated insert, which is either supplied with the phone or can be bought as a separate accessory.
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#18 IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAVE OTHER PHOTOGRAPHS IN MY ALBUM, WHY?
If ALBUM reports full memory and it is impossible to save more photographs to it, perform the “CLEAN-UP” operation with the “RESIZE PHOTOS while DOWNLOADING” command on. If there were other data than photographs in ALBUM, or if some of the saved photographs were not optimized for ALBUM, this process will free space for saving additional photographs. See ADVANCED SETTINGS for further details.
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#19 THE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM AN EXTERNAL MEMORY DEVICE ARE DISPLAYED IMMEDIATELY, WHY?
To display photographs from an external memory device immediately after connection to ALBUM and without any further dialogue, name such memory device “ALBUM”. This way it is possible to send an SD card with photographs of your children to your friends, for example, so when they insert the card into their ALBUM the photographs are displayed immediately. This feature may also be used when distributing offers of products, services, package tours, etc.
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#20 WHAT ABOUT USING ALBUM WITH A MOBILE PHONE?
If you have a mobile phone with a built-in digital camera, it is, in most cases, possible to view or download photographs directly to/from ALBUM:
• if a mobile phone offers a choice of USB interface modes, choose Data Storage, or Printing & Media (PTP protocol)
• connect a switched-on mobile phone to a switched-on ALBUM using a USB cable
• ALBUM offers the same commands as when connected to a digital camera.
If you cannot connect your mobile phone in the abovementioned away, you can still transfer the photographs from the phone to ALBUM via computer.
Note: Some mobile phones use SD cards to store photographs. In such case, it is possible to transfer photographs to ALBUM using the card. If the phone SD card is of smaller dimensions, it can be connected using a dedicated insert, which is either supplied with the phone or can be bought as a separate accessory.
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#21 IS IT POSSIBLE TO OPTIMIZE PHOTOGRAPHS ORIGINALLY STORED IN ALBUM IN HIGH RESOLUTION?
A high resolution photographs already stored in ALBUM can be optimized by using the combination of “CLEAN-UP” and “RESIZE PHOTOS while DOWNLOADING” commands from the ADVANCED SETTINGS menu. First turn the “RESIZE PHOTOS while DOWNLOADING” command on, then select “CLEAN-UP”. See ADVANCED SETTINGS for further details.
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#22 ALBUM DOES NOT DISPLAY PHOTOGRAPHS IMMEDIATELY WHEN SWITCHED ON, WHY?
When turned on, ALBUM needs some time to create the internal map of photographs. While this is in progress, a white “ALBUM” logo appears on the screen. The time necessary to create such map increases proportionally to the number of photographs store in ALBUM. With 40,000 photographs in ALBUM, the process can take up to 30 seconds. After certain operations (e.g. disconnecting a computer or an external memory device, after downloading a new directory, etc.) ALBUM must update the map. In such cases, a white “ALBUM” logo re-appears on the screen similarly to ALBUM start-up. When the internal map update is completed, ALBUM resumes normal operation.
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#23 THE ALBUM SEEMS NOT WORKING, WHY?
When a function, which takes more time to complete, is performed, it is not possible to initiate any other function. While processing the command, ALBUM indicates this state by displaying a symbol of a clock on the screen. If a command is from the control menu, its name is displayed in the white field. A command in progress cannot be interrupted, except by switching ALBUM off (e.g. when you initiate a function by mistake). If the white “ALBUM” logo appears on the screen for some time, similarly to ALBUM start-up, ALBUM is updating its internal map of photographs. It is not recommended to use photographs larger than 2 MB in ALBUM. Processing very large photographs slows navigation through ALBUM.
#24 PREVIOUSLY SAVED PHOTOGRAPHS REPEAT IN ALBUM, WHY?
If you download photographs from a digital camera to ALBUM and do not delete the photographs from the camera, the same photographs will repeat in the next download. To avoid this do one of the following:
• after connecting an external device, select the “VIEW PHOTOS from CONNECTED” command and use arrow buttons to choose the last in a sequence of already downloaded photographs. Choose the “COPY ALL PHOTOS BEYOND THIS PHOTO” command from “COPY” menu to download only the new photographs to ALBUM
• turn on the “DELETE PHOTOS while DOWNLOADING” command in the ADVANCED SETTINGS menu; the photographs transferred to ALBUM will be automatically deleted from a camera, and therefore will not show next time you download.
#25 CAN ALBUM DISPLAY A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION?
A PowerPoint presentation can be saved on a PC as a set of JPG images. In PowerPoint SW choose File > Save as >Format > JPEG File Interchange Format. When creating or modifying a presentation to be shown on ALBUM:
• set up the slide size to 16:9 format. This way the slides will best match the album’s screen.
• make sure, that the JPG files have names in format Slide001, Slide020... Slide010, not Slide1, Slide2… Slide10. If the slides do not have the right name format, they will be shown in a wrong order. ALBUM can only show static slides without sounds and animations.
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#26 DOES ALBUM DISPLAY SUBFOLDERS?
If folders stored in an external device have a tree architecture (contain subfolders) and are viewed or copied to ALBUM, the folders and relevant subfolders that contain any photographs will be displayed on the start screen in the same level.
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#27 HOW MANY CHARACTERS CAN BE USED TO NAME INDIVIDUAL PHOTOGRAPHS AND DIRECTORIES?
Folder name + file name = maximum of 250 characters Directory name + photograph name = maximum of 250 characters
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#28 ALBUM IS MALFUNCTIONING, WHY?
If ALBUM performs oddly, turn it off and on again. The malfunction can appear especially if a USB cable or an external memory device was disconnected during a data transfer in process.
#29 QUESTION MARK “?” IS DISPLAYED, WHY?
If ALBUM displays a question mark instead of a photograph, the file is either invalid or it uses a non compatible JPG format (i.e. progressive JPG). Such a fi le can not be visualized, but it can be deleted.
Rarely the question mark can also appear after a USB cable or an external memory device was disconnected during a data transfer in process. In this case turn ALBUM off and on again.
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#30 HOW TO UPDATE ALBUM FIRMWARE?
To update ALBUM internal software – Firmware:
• check your ALBUM Firmware version in the advanced settings menu (for example FW1.2).
• go to www.album-life.com to download the most recent FW version
• follow the simple online FW update instructions
The Firmware update is also available on an SD card.
Please contact ALBUMteam at support@album-team.com.
FIRMWARE UPDATE PROCESS:
1. Download the new FW file to your computer from www.album-life.com
2. Make sure ALBUM is powered from the supplied power adaptor.
3. Connect ALBUM to your PC using the supplied USB cable.
4. Turn ALBUM on.
5. Save the firmware upgrade file to ALBUM root directory called „GALLERY“.
6. Disconnect ALBUM from the computer.
7. Turn ALBUM off & on again.
8. Firmware upgrade begins - process status is shown on ALBUM display.
9. When asked “REBOOT NOW” turn ALBUM off & on again.
10. Firmware is now upgraded.
Alternatively to step 1.- 6. you can copy the new FW file to ALBUM root directory from a supplied SD card.
WARNING:
• never turn ALBUM off during the FW upgrade
• although the update preserves all photographs stored in ALBUM, it is recommended to create a back-up
