TheEF12checks a flock of boxes for on - the - go projector need , but it cost about as much as some OLED goggle box . So , is it worth it ?
That depends . I ’ve spent weeks testing the operation ofEpson ’s EF12 portable optical maser projector , and I found myself raving about it to friends and colleagues — with a couple of caveats . It has build up - in Android TV for leisurely content cyclosis ( with some illustrious exception that we ’ll discuss more in contingent below ) , it ’s surprisingly loud and packs quite a bit of bass for a comparatively small gadget , and it ’s brilliant enough that you’re able to get away with some forcing out during daytime hours , depending on what you ’re watch and where . Its portability gain it a great option for family who need a streaming solution that can move with them , or for someone who does n’t want something as bulky and permanent as a 65 - column inch screen in a way where they only now and then watch movies or tv set .
But for all that it does , the Epson EF12 will set you back a grand , and that ’s a decent chunk of change for a projector that ’s intended to be hale around and might be subject to rougher treatment than something that ’s stationary . It does do things that other projector do not , but it ’s also not inevitably the best and bright word picture for what you ’re pay . All that said , I still think it ’s a gravid machine for the right variety of buyer , and it ’s been a delight to use as a cyclosis box in a small , TV - uncongenial room in my plate .
Photo: Catie Keck/Gizmodo
Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 Smart Streaming Laser Projector
What is it ?
A portable 1080p laser projector with Android television bake into the loge .
Photo: Catie Keck/Gizmodo
Price
$ 1,000
Like
Photo: Catie Keck/Gizmodo
dandy sound , lowly size of it make it perfect for tight spaces and apartments .
Dislike
It ’s expensive , and likewise price projector can get much brilliant .
Now , there ’s flock to roll in the hay about this 1080p projector . First , its motion-picture show can hand up to 150 in and does n’t demand a concealment . I cast only onto the wall of my home without any bother . The size of the picture will approximately equal its distance from the paries , give or take . Positioned about 26 inches from the rampart or screen , the image sizing will be about 30 inch . At 133 inches from the wall , the image will be about 150 inches . As for the sound projection itself , it ’s reasonably various so long as the box seat has a monotonic surface to rest on . The picture can be tilted upwards by up to 9 arcdegree thanks to an adjustable foot toward the front of the box . It can also be placed on its can to project onto the ceiling . We love options !
You will , however , have to fiddle with it a fleck to get the screen position just right , especially when it ’s not beaming a word-painting straight - on . I found that externalize from an angle slightly tip the moving-picture show to one side or the other . But the projector ’s on - distant alignment clit usually fixed this issue , and manual adjustments can be made to get your picture just properly . As for the EF12 ’s size , I find out that it fit most places I needed it to . It ’s about the height and breadth of a shoebox , which think it could gouge easily onto a java table , bedside mesa , or shelf without much number . You will , however , have to plug it into a power outlet , and an university extension cord amount in ready to hand for me when I was reviewing this unit in dissimilar way in my home .
Brightness was decent , but it unquestionably performed well in some outer space than in others . And this is likely to be the biggest issue for projector shoppers eyeing the EF12 ’s $ 1,000 Leontyne Price tag . Epson suppose this box projects up to 1000 lumen of colour and white luminousness , which was enough for me to do some daytime watch without blackout curtains in a moderately by nature fall bedroom with an east - facing windowpane , though the picture was a little ball up out . It emphatically was n’t bright enough for me to get a clear picture in a bread and butter room with big , Confederate States of America - facing windows during daytime hours ( even when some of that light was filtered with Ellen Price Wood spline blinds drawn ) .
In other words , this projector in spades is n’t a great pick for someone who desire an ultra - clear cinematic screening experience any prison term of day . If luminance is more significant to you than portability , you might debate an pick like Epson ’s likewise pricedHome Cinema 22503LCD Full HD 1080p Projector , which can give rise up to 2,700 lumen of color and white brightness level .
One of the thing I loved about this projector was that I did n’t have to plug away a pour machine into the boxful for most content , realize set up a bunch less of a job . You may want to , though . build up - in Android boob tube and Chromecast made streaming very well-off , but Netflix , for object lesson , is a fairly major omission from the EF12 ’s app batting order . ( An Epson representative told me the company was “ puzzle out on ironware certifications and licensing agreement ” with the rain cats and dogs giant star . ) If app livelihood is an issue for you , a streaming stick or dongle can be plugged into one of its two HDMI ports ( both are HDMI 1.4 ) . It ’s kind of a pain in the butt to have to wrestle with a dongle on a gadget that ’s meant to be portable , but it ’s less of a headache if the box sit in one place most of the time when in use .
Speaking of HDMI ports , one of the two is an HDMI ARC port that can support external audio . That ’s fantastic if , again , you ’ve got this box fructify up in one place and do n’t plan to be moving it around so much . But I was actually impress by the quality of the on - gimmick audio from its 5W , 2 - channel Yamaha speaker organization — so much so , in fact , that I did n’t bother at all with international sound . I was definitely surprised by this projector ’s ability to palm deep , textural bass even at lower volumes . When I was streaming late at night , I really prefer to turn its freshwater bass - hike up feature film off so it would n’t vex others .
And this speaker system handled meridian passably well too , consider all sound is coming from a single source . retaliator : Endgame sound fantastic without any help from extraneous speakers . You ’re still endure to get far better immersive audio recording with a soundbar - and - subwoofer duo or surround system any day , and the projector will definitely sound its best directly in front of or behind you rather than positioned off to one side . But overall , I was pleasantly surprised , particularly when compared to chunkier projectors I ’ve used in the past . Plus , the loge doubles as a Bluetooth utterer , which eliminates the motive to have an extra gadget in your distance if you hold up in , say , a smaller apartment . In terms of additional port , the EF12 also sports a USB Type A and USB Type mini - B.
finally , the soul who this is for is someone who wants a streaming box that fathom dandy and can image from just about anywhere with a power outlet nearby , principally in dimmer elbow room , quad without a lot of ambient light , or just in the eve ( maybe out of doors ) . Again , this is not the gadget for someone who wants the good and brightest projector for the money . But it ’s a great resolution for consumers who do n’t want to commit to a large TV concealment but still want a decently sized motion-picture show . Ideally , if you may find it at a discount , I consider this bantam cyclosis boxwood is a good solution for tighter spaces and folks who want the tv set experience sans expose .
README
The Mini EF12 is a portable 1080p laser projector with Android TV baked into the box .
It supports pictures up to 150 in , making it a good option for folks who want a larger display experience but may not have space for a TV .
Audio calibre is great for such a lilliputian gimmick , and it doubles as a Bluetooth speaker .
It ’s expensive , and you’re able to definitely get a good picture for the terms with other , more stationary projectors .
Portability is the good purpose case here , though it does take a power outlet .
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