Well, during the day a frame around a black piece of glass is just plain fugly. A great looking aquarium, waterfall, or even your favorite photos really adds to the character. Yes, I agree about longevity. Mine goes into sleep mode around midnight and wakes up around 6. But between those hours it remains on. Now, once there is event control over it in CQC I can turn it off when system armed, based on motion, etc.