Tokenframe is building a strong reputation as one of the best NFT frames for displaying digital art and video. The NFT screen brand has been making waves by offering NFT collectors and art galleries digital art frames for all uses.
I sat down with Tokenframe’s founder to dig a little deeper into this new approach to NFT art displays – for more read our guide to the best NFT displays. As Samsung has moved into this space with its The Frame, and LG will support NFTs on all its new OLED TVs using the app, LG Art Lab, NFT displays are becoming a mainstay in homes, galleries and offices.
The difference between Tokenframe and the global tech brands, according to Tokenframe founder Damian Medina, is that his NFT display is one for NFT collectors, designed by an NFT collector. Medina tells me he buys NFTs regularly, even daily, and collects from “AND NFT artists” as well as discovering new artists who have “credibility”.
Tokenframe Specifications
• 10-55 inch screens
• Anti-reflective coating
• Both 16:9 and square ratio
• 1080p – 4K display, depending on size
• Auto-Switch Orientation, rotate 90 degrees
• Detachable stand
• Built-in speakers
• Wood finishes, including oak, redwood and mahogany
Medina tells me that his idea for Tokenframe came about in 2001, shortly after Beeple sold his NFT artwork for an auction record $69.3 million. “Tokenframe is based around 100 percent authenticity at all times,” says Medina. “Tokenframe will not allow you to display just any uploaded media files, it will only allow you to display NFTs you own in your wallet.”
This approach means Tokenframe becomes a “for those core NFT collectors” where only verified NFTs can be thrown to the screen. This is not like The Frame or other digital art displays that allow you to send digital images to a screen. The Tokenframe finish is tactile and has a wooden frame; a traditional feel that hides the Web3 technology, and for good reason.
“I think it’s something that reflects the traditional sense of art,” says Medina. “When someone who doesn’t know what an NFT is walks through your house and they see one of these things, they understand that this is art.”
Tokenframe: software
Tokenframe is controlled by a custom app, which allows a user to connect to their crypto wallet and throw a collection to the digital screen. It makes Tokenframe a personal gallery, and one unique to a user and their art collection. The NFT screen is run from a dashboard and NFTs can be sent to multiple Tokenframes; it can display curated sequences, schedules and the screen can be adjusted from the app (this even includes power saving settings).
This ease of use across many verified screens is what makes Tokenframe ideal for galleries, but also an excellent option for the home. Sizes range from 10 to 55 inches, in 16:9 and square ratios, at 2K to 4K, ensuring a mix of sizes. The screens have an anti-reflective coating to give a matte, tactile finish.
A new and elegant feature that places Tokenframe at the heart of Web3 digital displays is the ability to share your display with other NFT collectors. You can add anyone, from anywhere in the world, to your screen as a guest and let them cast their NFT to your Tokenframe.
Medina enthused: “We have a very robust system here that is integrated with Web3 technology, the authentication is through the wallet login. So that’s what allows you to remain 100 percent verifiably authentic, we don’t allow you to throw away anything else, there’s no way to cast something else that is not an NFT.”
Tokenframe: gallery use
“I think we’re the only product out there that has real wood frames even Samsung’s The Frame, they have nice frames but they’re plastic and there’s a big difference if you’ve seen this in person. You can feel the sturdiness of the product and the quality,” says Medina.
I’ve been lucky enough to see a Tokenframe in a gallery. A visit to the NFT Gallery (opens in a new tab) in London revealed how these NFT displays fit nicely into a setting that combined digital and traditional NFTs. In this case, it’s a new NFT collection by photographer William John Kennedy (opens in a new tab).
NFT Gallery co-owner Lilien Hornung-Mary tells me she “loves Tokenframe” and has been using them since NFT Gallery opened its doors in June. The frames have a white mat around the screen and this fits well into a real wooden frame, and it matches perfectly with the traditional frames in the gallery room.
The gallery’s co-owner cradles a small dog, an adorable little animal that just seems excited to be here. “Tokenframes are so easy to use,” Hornung-Mary explains as she reaches up with one hand and begins to swing a large 55-inch Tokenframe from portrait to landscape. The dog in her arms doesn’t move, not a jot.
Down the road London Mayfair restaurant IT (opens in a new tab) has a number of Tokenframe screens installed displaying NFT art by 3D artist Aitana Basquiat (opens in a new tab) and painter Silia Ka Tung (opens in a new tab), which has audio/video artwork displayed. We go for a walk, Hornung-Mary takes the gallery dog with her – a lively little puppy who is excited about everything. At IT, I see how Tokenframe can work in a busy, busy environment – the art is alive and pure.
Tokenframe: what next?
“NFTs as a technology are going to be around for the rest of our human existence,” says Medina. “As long as computers still exist, and the internet is just a way to verify that a digital asset is owned by a particular person, and it also allows you to trade, sell, transfer that digital asset, […] So now we can own digital things […] And it’s not going anywhere.”
As for the types of NFTs that will exist in the coming years and be popular with collectors and all types of users, “that could change,” Medina says, explaining, “It might not be art NFTs; it maybe not. silly cartoon pictures of animals. In the future your house deed may be a NFT, with a picture attached, and you can show that.”
Medina continues: “We’re positioning ourselves in line with the future of NFTs and not necessarily with the boom that everybody thought were dumb NFTs like dumb animal pictures. But yeah, the technology, it’s not going anywhere.”
If you are new to NFTs, you can read about them in our guide, “What are NFTs?” or try making one yourself in our feature, “How to Make and Sell an NFT”.
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