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I liked the last projector I reviewed from Studio Experience, I decided to buy it. Although I've seen some terrific projectors over the last few years, the 13-HD from Studio Experience fit the performance/value bill for me quite nicely and for my money at least, seemed to improve slightly upon the original Sanyo PLV-60 upon which it is based. I would expect that by the time you're reading this, there should be little if any difference between the two machines, spec-wise. Despite being tickled pink with my personal projector of choice, that doesn't mean I'm going to stick my head in the sand and ignore all the other offerings that are out there. Particularly because competition is driving manufacturers to keep pushing the envelope. They just seem to keep improving. The quality is getting better and the prices are coming down.
It would appear that the 3-chip DLP projectors, insofar as the consumer market is concerned, are still outside the grasp of most home theater enthusiasts. Fortunately, some significant strides have been made in the last couple of years, and the improvements of this machine over the last DLP projector I reviewed are significant.
I don't intend for this review to be a comparison with the 13-HD, since the Cinema 12-SF is not only a DLP unit, but also distinguishes itself in a few other important ways.
For one thing, this projector is exceptionally small and light, weighing in at just 6.1 pounds, arriving with it's own soft, padded carrying case. So small and easy to carry is the 12-SF that no handle is required. Just clamp your hand around the side of the thing and carry it like a book. This makes the 12-SF a perfect companion for the busy executive or anyone who enjoys their video wherever they're apt to spend the weekend. A perfect companion for the vacation home in the woods or by the lake. Just set up a screen, plug this pup into the wall and enjoy the show.
Another distinguishing factor is the built-in Faroudja circuitry, which in layman's terms, means that this box is quit adept at tricking your eyes into thinking that the 800 x 600 native resolution (or 848 x 480 for 16:9) is on par with projectors featuring much higher resolution. No kidding, the image produced is surprisingly smooth.
The first thing I noticed aside from the small size and sexy styling was the fairly spartan looking back panel. Then, looking further, I discovered something very unusual; a docking mechanism that provides all the component and RGB inputs you could want. So what's the deal on the modular approach?
According to the folks at Studio Experience, the module is designed to provide custom connectivity solutions dependent on the application. Future compatibility is also taken into consideration. For instance, a separate docking panel is currently being engineered (and should be available soon) to include Schedule 5 connections. So when you move into that house of the future someday, you can literally turn every room into a home theater, to suit your mood, time of day, whatever. While most of us may not require that kind of connectivity, I'm sure that there is someone out there reading this who will appreciate that for once, a projector is actually being designed to thwart early obsolescence. What a concept!
That's always been the thing that's bothered me about CRT, and a great many LCD projectors. It seems that they have a high mortality rate after just a few years of excellent service. Call me a tightwad, but I'm of the opinion that a home theater projector should be able to outlast as many bulb changes as you care to invest in. Certainly four or five, representing maybe 10,000 hours on the outside. That's not too much to ask for is it?
Well, enough of my pontificating. After all, this is a review, not an editorial.
Studio Experience, in addition to the padded carrying case (still, try not to drop it!), includes something that everyone should appreciate -- a quick setup instruction card, so you can get that thing out of the box and into play FAST! And that's precisely what I used to figure out that strange docking gizmo that fits on the back...
After about thirty seconds, the projector was assembled, plugged in and ready to rock and roll. My last experience with a DLP projector (from a company that has since gone bust, I believe) hadn't fared too well, so I was a bit skeptical over what to expect from this small, lightweight box. Turning on the projector, I was startled by a fairly loud audible blip, which I cannot imagine the need nor the purpose for. But it's there and intentional. BLIP! (I've since learned that the keypad volume can be turned down or muted.) After a period of bulb warmup, a bright picture came into focus. Manual focus, that is. I hate to nitpick, but the zoom collar is mighty small and it's hard for my pudgy (yet medium) sized fingers to adjust the zoom ring without bumping the focus ring. A small price for portability, perhaps. But not a deal breaker. Once your zoom and focus are set once, you're done. At least in each location... The 12-SF also features digital zoom, as one would expect these days, but unless you're using this as a presentation device, this is one feature that would see seldom, if any use in a typical home theater setup.
Tilt adjustments are limited on this projector, but with the help of a hardback book and the built-in electronic keystone adjustment, I had the projector just where I wanted it, as opposed to where it prefers to be, which is just above or below the horizontal axis (within a few inches) with the top or bottom edge of your screen's image area, respectively. The overall image offset is 125.5% in the default 16:9 mode.
For my own convenience the projector is roughly four feet off the floor, whereas the lower edge of my screen is less than two feet, if memory serves... Once I had the light pointed to where it needed to be (namely the screen), I popped in a DVD and if you had been standing beside me, you would have noticed my jaw drop. Really. I caught myself with my mouth agape, impressed by the bright, clear, colorful and contrasty images I was seeing. The best looking DVD that I've seen recently is TRAINING DAY, so I wanted to give this projector something good to start with, as viewed via a 480p signal.
Two things immediately struck me. Well, okay, three. The 600:1 contrast ratio delivers an outstanding and very satisfying black level without adjustment to the factory defaults. But what really got to me was the exceptional smoothness of the image for an XGA resolution projector. I was expecting to see big, blotchy pixel structure but 98% of the time, I couldn't see it at normal seating distances at all, except when the feature showed bright, intense white images. Then, I could make out the pixel structure slightly. After a couple of weeks of viewing, I really (honestly) don't notice the pixel structure at all. I was afraid that I would, but I don't.
The third thing about this projector that blew me away (and perhaps impressed me the most) was the whisper-quiet fan. Oh sure, you've heard THAT one before, right? Well, let me give you my definition of whisper-quiet. It means that standing just a few feet (or less than a meter for our European readers) from the projector, the sound of my own whispering voice completely masks the sound produced by the projector. The Cinema 12-SF is the quietest home theater projector I've ever experienced right out of the box. Noise has never been a distraction while using this demo unit. Not ever. There's extra fan horsepower on tap if it's ever called for, and it was only pressed into service once and only for a moment. I'm sorry that I don't recall what precipitated that moment, but I was rather surprised by it.
The 12-SF vents out the front, which means that it's quite comfortable as close as 6" to your rear wall. It also means that there is some light spillage out the front, which frankly, only looks troubling when you're looking right at the front of the projector. Between you and I, I typically fix my gaze to the screen when watching a movie, so this really didn't turn out to be much of a problem. The manual warns against using unauthorized ceiling mounts due to ventilation concerns, and suggests disposing of any edible food under the projector in the unlikely event that the bulb should "rupture". That sounds better than shatter... The bulb is a 220 watt SHP lamp, and I must confess that this is the first "SHP" lamp that I've encountered. According to the manual, it will in fact gradually dim over time, and 2,000 hours is what it's rated for.
Now that I've revealed the major positive attributes of this projector, here are other observations that you can expect to make on your own with the 12-SF.
Being a single-chip DLP projector, there are some visual issues which must be addressed. If you are highly susceptible to the "rainbow effect" (the visualization of rainbow colors when your eyes are scanning across the entire screen at a high rate of speed), you will be pleased to learn that Studio Experience claims that the effect has been reduced approximately 50% by what you've seen in other DLP projectors. This has been achieved by some electronic mumbo jumbo that sounds good and makes sense, but I'm not the one to try and explain it to you (let your salesman earn his commission, eh?). I know that one of the things that's been done is to double the speed of the color wheel. But that's just part of it.
It's only fair to ask yourself "Will I be bothered by this? Will I notice?" In all candor, you'll really need to see and decide for yourself. But I will tell you this: I really didn't notice the effect until I began looking for it actively, racing my eye track from one side of the screen to the other. This is not how one normally watches movies, but on rare occasion, the action on the screen may jump quickly enough for you to catch the effect in the blink of an eye -- but ONLY if you don't blink -- and ONLY if there is a small patch of bright white imagery on the screen at the time. Most visitors to our screening room have not noticed the rainbow effect at all, even after watching the screen for extended periods, unless I specifically tell them how to look for it. I consider this a significant factor.
Additionally, it seems that the more time I spend with the 12-SF, the less often I can see the rainbow myself, even when I am looking for it. For example, I recently watched all of BEN-HUR and made a mental note that I never observed the rainbow effect at all. Not even once. About the time the chariot races rolled around, I thought "huh"! So in summation, if you know what to look for and are susceptible to seeing it, you will notice some rainbow artifacts on occasion. But not unless you try to see it. And even then, maybe not for long. With the 12-SF, the rainbow artifact is something you have to make an active effort to see.
A healthy dose of introspection and common sense is called for. Most people don't watch movies one frame at a time or wildly darting their eyes from one side of the screen to another. I know that I sure don't. The important questions can only be answered by you, however. By the way, the only time I could ever really see the effect at all is when a small bright white area is on the screen, like a pair of car headlamps, for instance.
The remote control that comes with the Cinema 12-SF is small and too difficult to use. I would suggest ditching the thing as fast as you can program the codes into a proper, back-lit remote. By the way, I'm still loving every second of using the Philips Pronto Pro color remote purchased and reviewed awhile back. I also don't care much for the menu system of the projector itself. It's much more limited if you're using the computer input than what us projector tweaks are used to, but maybe that can be construed as a good thing. Too often, too many controls can be confusing or downright detrimental to optimum image quality. Perhaps there aren't as many adjustments permitted to the 12-SF for a good reason. Perhaps it doesn't need as many.
Rest assured however, that if you're using component, S-Video or composite inputs, a wide variety of tweaks are there for you to explore and enjoy.
I personally found no time in which I desired to fuss with the color temperature, brightness or contrast settings. Which is real unusual for me. From edge to edge, color uniformity and brightness appeared excellent on my review unit, with very smooth gradients and exceptionally little banding. Grayscale looked wonderful.
There have been times when I've wished for the "standby" mode offered on the 12-SF. Configurable for several different time intervals (the default is 15 minutes), the projector will continue to run, but without projecting an image, before turning itself off at the predesignated time. Nice if the doorbell rings in the middle of the movie or you want to take a few minutes to go make another batch of popcorn.
Another selling point for the 12-SF has been the auto-aspect selector, but so far, when being fed a progressive signal, at least, this function has been... uh... non-functional. I need to put a call in to the factory about this. Why this feature should be disabled when viewing progressive scan content is beyond my reasoning. I seem to recall a similar limitation with the Sony VPL-W400Q, and never quite understood it on that one, either. Hurrumph.
Maintenance for the 12-SF seems fairly straightforward, with one unusual exception. The dust filters are actually integrated with the bulb assembly, necessitating the physical removal of the bulb to vacuum off the filters and daub them with a bit of isopropyl alcohol on a Q-tip. Personally, I'm not wild about the idea of having to remove the bulb to clean the filters and I would be concerned that the filters would therefore not be cleaned as often as they should be. But that's just my phobia. I don't like handling expensive light bulbs. Like any projector, cigarette or cigar smoking in the vicinity is a no-no. The manufacture warns to wait 30-minutes for cooling after power down before removing the bulb to avoid burns.
All in all, I've spent a solid three weeks watching a wide variety of source material with the 12-SF using both the internal scaler via component input and my Quadscan Elite scaler. Both yielded surprisingly satisfying results. In some ways, the reduced resolution of the 12-SF almost seems like a benefit. Films that exhibit a fair amount of grain actually look better on this unit than on others I've seen, since the Faroudja circuitry seems more forgiving with these kind of artifacts. This is never at the expense of detail, however. The images are sharp with good source material and the colors are vibrant and natural appearing. Please take my words to heart when I say the more time I spent with this projector, the better I liked it. This is important, because if my experience is any indication, the opposite usually holds to be true.
The only odd artifact I noticed (and I don't have the correct term for it for awhile) was most noticed with the external scaler. Basically, in large dark fields on the screen, during rapid motion, I would see what I can only describe as little blobs of motion artifacts concentrated in the black area of the screen, that took on the appearance of boiling black porridge. The best way to pick up on this artifact is to watch a nighttime scene on a movie and stand a few feet from the screen, rocking back and forth. It almost looks like the black areas of the screen are coming alive. Now granted, this is NOT how anyone watches a movie, and 99.875% of the time (okay, that's just an estimate), I couldn't see this artifact when actually sitting down watching a film, but I would be remiss not to at least mention it.
I've since been informed by one of our esteemed Front Row members (confirmed by our Studio Experience contact) that this artifact is dithering, and that this is a trait common to all single-chip DLP projectors. The dithering apparently affects large areas of flat color, but I seldom noticed it on anything but black areas with the exception of once or twice while I was watching SPY GAMES, a film that uses a lot of rapid camera panning and quick edits. At one point, Robert Redford's face seemed to turn a little lumpy as the camera quickly panned to the left while Redford was moving to the right.
Then again, with all due respect, Mr. Redford's face has been looking a little ...uh... lumpy for some time now.
The bottom line with the DLP dithering is that you pretty much have to be looking for it, and even when you are, you won't see it often, and then, for no more than a second or so. For reference, nobody else that viewed DVDs with this projector in our screening room ever noticed it at all. Chances are, it probably won't be an issue for most.
I used our 119" (ten foot diagonally measured) Stewart Grayhawk screen for the review, and the projector could be no further than 15' away in order to fill the screen without excess spillage outside the designated image area. The minimum distance that the projector can be from any screen surface is 6.5'. The maximum distance is 33' which would yield a 240" image (16:9). This image throw seems to be consistent with most projectors we've seen from other manufacturers as well.
In summary, the Studio Experience Cinema 12-SF is a solid DLP performer, with plenty of brightness for most home theater environments, even with a reasonable amount of ambient light. The projector also features impressive connectivity and installation options, which include rear projection and ceiling mount capabilities. The strongest attributes, aside from the Faroudja processing, are it's portability and truly whisper-quiet fan. The only real downside is the price in comparison to other LCD projectors that offer additional convenience features like picture freeze (I like to use this one when Catherine Zeta Jones appears in the frame), power zoom and power focus. But like anything, price is always subject to change, too. Another factor to consider is the longevity edge that DLP micro-mirror technology may have over LCD. The future connectivity options that the 12-SF 
promises may in fact be ones that the projector can last long enough to actually employ. For the exceptionally well-heeled, this may not be an important factor. But for the rest of us who want to see our home theater investments last more than a few years, it very well could be.
My best recommendation is that you locate a reputable dealer in your area that can properly demo this projector for you, so you can see it in action for yourself.
If you have more questions and would enjoy further objective discussion about the Studio Experience/Boxlight 12-SF, enter our DLP projector forum here at TheBIGPictureDVD.com and let's talk about it!