|
|
Sponsored in part by:
It's always baffled me how some companies will licence their products out to different companies to sell under a different name. OEM sales are nothing new, mind you, but I've never thought very highly of the practice. That is, until now. My impressions of this marketing technique don't make the topic any less confusing for consumers, however.
Several months ago, I wrote a review for the Sanyo PLV-60. This projector is now being sold as a Sanyo unit (naturally) and is also appearing as both the Studio Experience and Boxlite 13-HD. In fact, both names appear on my review unit.
Setting the semantics of branding aside, I was quite curious to see what, if any changes and or improvements were made with this unit since I first reviewed the PLV-60.
There is only one cosmetic difference separating the Sanyo from the Studio Experience unit reviewed here -- even their remote controls are identical in function and appearance. The PLV-60 has a sexy silver metallic skin and the 13-HD case is a rather pedestrian appearing off-white case. Looking at the two projectors side by side, my racy half-Italian designer side would reach for the Sanyo. But my more practical side would immediately appreciate how the 13-HD would blend in better against the Arizona white ceiling paint in my media room if I were to mount it that way, which I think might be a pretty good idea.
Everyone has their own taste, but I'm definitely of the mind that I couldn't care less what the projector case looks like. In fact, I prefer not to see it at all. What I care about is the picture that emanates from that case. While I initially prefer the good looks of the Sanyo, the Studio Experience box wins out because it would disappear better against the ceiling, which is where I would probably mount it if I couldn't hide it behind the rear wall (the way all projectors should be if possible, in my humble opinion).
I've had several weeks to evaluate the 13-HD -- and I'm exceptionally impressed. Rated at 1200 ANSI lumens, the 13-HD makes for very enjoyable daytime viewing with ample ambient light spilling into the room unlike just about any other front projector I've had the pleasure of using, which came as somewhat of a surprise to me, considering that I had been using a 1500 ANSI lumen projector prior to connecting the 13-HD..
Up until the demo unit arrived, I had been using a professionally calibrated JVC-G15U D-ILA projector for my serious movie watching (still, a real benchmark for visual quality). But how could a 1200 ANSI projector appear brighter than a 1500 ANSI projector, you ask? Well, there are actually two reasons. That's because to obtain the best possible contrast ratio, brightness on the G15 was reduced slightly to probably somewhere around 1200 ANSI lumens, which is spread out over a 4:3 panel, much of which goes unused on my 16:9 screen. The 13-HD also appears brighter because all of it's light generating energy is being concentrated entirely on my 16:9 viewing field, with no spillover above and 
below my screen the way 4:3 projectors must when filling the horizontal viewing plane when shining on a 16:9 screen. So this came as a real surprise to me. A pleasant one. The above left and right photos were taken to illustrate just how serious the ambient light can be pouring into the room, yet an enjoyable experience can still be obtained. Note that I closed the blinds on the window closest to the screen, but no attempt was made to block the light entering from the sliding glass door to the left (of which you're only seeing half).
My second cause for joy came when I discovered that Studio Experience has done away with the two-stage fan that Sanyo uses for the PLV-60. I found the change in pitch that the fan made when ramping up and down posed quite a distraction. I also noted during my Sanyo review that the service menu allows you to run the fan in single speed mode only, which may be all that Studio Experience has done here. But the change is most appreciated and welcome. I haven't been able to ascertain whether or not the 13-HD's fan is permanently set to "low" or "high", but I suspect the former since the unit is so whisper quiet. This truly has got to be one of the quietest projectors I've tested in awhile.
If the fan is locked into a slower speed position, though my ears heartily approve, I would have to question as to whether or not this is such a good thing insofar as the inner workings of the projector are concerned. We all know that heat is nobody's friend when it comes to electrical components -- especially ones as complex and interdependent as those found inside a tightly packed video projector. Two mitigating factors here might be the ample size of the case and the lower watt UHP bulb found here than in some other projectors where high wattage bulb heat has wreaked havoc with polarizer plates and the like, such as with Sony's venerable (and discontinued) VLP-W400Q.
Only long term testing would reveal whether or not bulb life or internal components are adversely affected by heat from the seemingly slower (hence quieter) fan speed (this is of course my blatant hint to Studio Experience that they should leave the 13-HD with me for several months in the name of consumer confidence building). One thing is certain, however. After several weeks of regular use, I can see no adverse reaction so far to the picture quality, but have sure received a lot of praise from the movie posse that assembles over here frequently to watch DVD's.
Indeed, for the entire time I've had the 13-HD (nearly two months), I've only experienced one unusual glitch. Upon power up, a countdown timer begins at 30. By the time it reaches zero, voila! Showtime. But recently, the projector powered up, the bulb came on -- but no countdown and no picture. Just a gremlin? I think so, as the anamoly hasn't returned.
So, what else is different between the PLV-60 by Sanyo and the Sanyo- manufactured-for-Studio Experience 13-HD? Not a whole heck of a lot. But generally speaking, that's a good thing. Shortly after my review of the PLV-60, I noticed some owners complaining of an artifact which became known as posterizing. Gradient banding, if you will, where the gradual fade of grayscale, primarily, is replaced by distinctive bands of solid color which eventually fade to black in incremental shades.
I have come to believe that this problem is greatly affected by the quality of the source material. Is it present on the 13-HD? Yes, but then again if I looked closely enough, I could see the same thing to a somewhat lesser degree on my calibrated G15 D-ILA projector. In my experience, the higher resolution and bit rate the source material is, the less this artifact comes into play. In fact, I can honestly say that it's rarely, if ever a distraction for me since I tend to watch primarily high quality content -- and thanks to websites like The BIG Picture that report to consumers and the intense competition for those consumer dollars between the studios -- more and more discs are looking better than ever.
I've been feeding the 13-HD with a progressive signal generated by a Quadscan Elite primarily, but I understand that even greater results are now available from the folks at Quadscan via their latest scaler which takes full advantage of the 13-HD's native 1366 x 768 resolution. The use of the Quadscan seems to soften the effects of the dreaded screen door to the point where I really don't see one at all, which is why I chose this route as my preferred method of viewing even though I couldn't take advantage of all the real estate on those three 16:9 LCD panels. The new scaler from Quadscan will though, and I regret not being able to try one with this projector in time for this review.
While the special circuitry in the Quadscan Elite eliminates the screen door at normal viewing distances (for me, about 12 feet from a 119" diagonal screen), it in no way hampers what I consider to be one of the absolute sharpest, detailed pictures I've yet to see on a video projector. With the right source material, the clarity exhibited from the 13-HD is truly breathtaking. Even standard DVD looks dangerously close to hi-def on this thing. Again, depending on the quality of your source material, this projector is capable of producing absolutely stunning, accurate colors and a surprisingly good contrast ratio despite the bright picture. While other projectors may produce a deeper black level, they typically do so at the expense of any possible ambient light ruining the picture. The 13-HD strikes a very nice balance between providing good black level and very good shadow detail, in a projector you can even watch with the lights on (but be reasonable).
Like the PLV-60, color uniformity is excellent, making the viewing of black and white classic films for instance, a real joy, free from distraction of shifting grayscales. Whenever you're evaluating a projector, always pop in a black and white film as it will reveal color uniformity problems much better than a color film will, at least in some respects. Gradual shifts from one side of the screen to the other are much easier to spot when viewing grayscale. The 13-HD is rock-solid in this important area. After about two months of some pretty consistent use, I've only noticed one pixel that seems to be out, but I have to approach the screen to see it. I cannot spot it during normal viewing.
All other pertinent aspects of the 13-HD including general specifications, remote control, etc. are shared with the Sanyo PLV-60, so rather than plagiarize my own review, I'll simply refer you to that one. Additionally, here are direct links to PDF files from Studio Experience for:
Level One Tech Support (troubleshooting guide)
There is one more important distinction to draw between the Sanyo PLV-60 and it's clone. Studio Experience, in addition to providing the same 3-year parts and labor warranty (and usually at a lower price than what Sanyo sells the basic same projector for), also seems to have a better dealer support plan. So why should you care about that? Easy. Say you take delivery on your new projector and discover to your dismay a dead pixel or two. Sanyo won't take any returns from their dealers, but at least some dealers have told us that Studio Experience provides their dealers with a liberal return policy, meaning that if your projector is off-kilter one way or the other right out of the box, your dealer has sufficient recourse to replace your unit with little or no hassle. Sanyo on the other hand, might just tell you that your projector is "within spec" and since your dealer isn't allowed to return the projector on that basis, you're going to be S.O.L.
Moral of the story: When it comes down to choices in these matters (you know, the ones that concern thousands of your dollars), it's best to:
1. Purchase from a knowledgable, customer service oriented dealer with liberal return policies (just in case) AND
2. Make certain that the manufacturer will stand by their product in case you have a problem within the first two or three weeks after you take delivery -- and preferably longer...
In summary, as much as I loved the PLV-60, I think I might like the 13-HD even more, thanks to the subtle refinements that were made along the way, but not all of my disappointments regarding the PLV-60 have been mitigated. For instance, it's still way too many steps from the menu to switch aspect ratios, and the small remote is not particularly well laid out or easy to see in the dark. Fortunately, both of these objections are remedied by my Pronto Pro Color remote, but it would sure be nice to simplify matters like aspect ratio changing with a single button on the standard remote.
Nevertheless, I like this projector so much that I'm strongly considering the purchase of one for my own personal and professional use. Keep an eye on my DVD reviews here at TheBIGPictureDVD.com to see if I do, as I always list the projection equipment used for each review. For the last several weeks, it's been the 13-HD. Will I stick with it? Only time will tell... But for now, I haven't seen any projector in this price range that I like any better.
For more questions and further objective discussion about the Studio Experience/Boxlight 13-HD, enter our Sanyo (and clones) LCD projector forum here at TheBIGPictureDVD.com.