This Guangdong city comes out on top of a booming industry through its expertise in media players and large auxillary enterprises.

Shenzhen is offering China's most-developed services for digital photo frames, playing on its strength in electronics manufacturing amid the surging popularity of the new line.

Backed by a potent local EMS industry, suppliers in the hub provide a range of PCBs, LCD modules and solutions. Such components are made in-house or procured from Innolux, AUO, LG, Samsung and Sony, which operate factories in this city of Guangdong province.

With 100 exporters of digital photo frames or 90 percent of China's supplier base, Shenzhen also houses several electronics design firms, which usually perform R&D for makers. Some of the more established companies in the line, however, already carry out ODM, owing to their experience in the production of DAP and DVD players.

Fueled by this strong support network, the hub yields at least 500,000 units each month, even though most enterprises launched their first digital photo frames only in 2006. Further, the city's status as a special economic zone allows suppliers to offer models for various formats and multimedia interface at competitive prices in all market segments.

Shenzhen's strong manufacturing capability extends to comprehensive QC services. Quality tests cover PCB and LCD performance, as well as product compatibility with removable media devices and connectivity application.

Since the city is also a major hub for industrial equipment, most suppliers have systems in place for computerized large-scale toxic content analysis of electronic components. High-tech lead-free instruments that solder at the EU required temperature of 220 to 260 C are widely employed as well.

In addition, vibration machines that simulate rough shipping conditions are typically used in durability tests. Apart from this, automated lines wrap finished digital photo frames in anti-static bags.

Models from Shenzhen are available across all price points. Low-end designs are 5.6- or 7-inch types that go for $40 to $70. The midrange segment consists mostly of 8-inch designs, which are $80 to $110.

High-end products come in 10.4-, 15-, 17- or 21-inch sizes. These start at $110. Versions that exceed $170 already boast broadcast-quality resolution.

Furnishing buyers a basis for choice beyond price and screen dimension, Shenzhen suppliers offer an array of component options that apply to all market segments.

Models may be equipped with Zoran, MXIC, mLogic, ESS, Rockchip, MTK, SigmaTel or even Intel solutions.

Depending on the chipsets used, products can support JPEG, M-JPEG, MP3, WMA, MPEG-1/2/4, AVI, DivX and TXT files. A number of releases can play DVD-format volumes.

Some digital photo frames, such as those from Shenzhen Chnon Technology Co. Ltd, can receive TV broadcast signals such as DVB-T.

Units can be made compatible with one or several memory cards, including SD, SM, MMC, xD, CF, IDE I/O Model, NAND and MS variants. They also accommodate USB and HDD flash drives.

In addition, releases from Shenzhen may have single-, twin- or multiple-slot card readers and a built-in 16MB to 2GB storage capacity.

Clients can choose from a variety of LCD types as well. TFT or CSTN modules are widely available, in digital or analog interface. Buyers can further specify the brand to be used, such as Innolux, AUO, CPT, Samsung, Sony, LG, Toshiba, SVA and SMO.

Built-in stereo speakers, audio recorders, earphone sockets and remote controls are also offered for the low-end, midrange and high-end models.

Aside from electronic accessories, releases may come with changeable acrylic or wooden frames.

The majority of companies in Shenzhen launched the line only in 2006. One of them, Senyen Group Ltd, rolled out its first models as late as September.

Even so, Senyen, along with most manufacturers in the hub, has already exported at least $2 million worth, yielding a minimum of 10,000 units each month. About 30 makers in the city devote more than 30 percent of production to digital photo frames, with a few even specializing in the line.

A number of companies, in fact, now perform all manufacturing procedures in-house. Among them, Dahua Electronic (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd has even established an industrial park, where frame molding, LCD construction, SMT soldering and plastic injection take place.

As most of the city's digital photo frames are exported to the EU, makers implement production processes that ensure compliance with the region's RoHS directive.

Soldering points, printing lines and surface treatment in PCBs are examined thoroughly by hand or machine. Material safety data sheets are required for outsourced circuit boards.

In addition, large-scale X-ray fluorescence spectrometers that detail the makeup of components and alert technicians of toxic content are widely used in the hub. Reflow soldering ovens are also set at EU-required temperatures.

A number of companies even devote separate production lines to RoHS-compliant models. Fittings of such units are lead-free. Several large suppliers of digital photo frames are already EU-accredited to perform the in-house tests recommended by the directive.