Technology Things
Talking about Gadgets and Gizmos and whatnot
Epson Life Studio Flex 4K Review
Due to the layout of my downstairs room I decided I wanted either a large TV or a projector on the wall above my record player. I knew a large TV would be a hassle, and I wasn't looking forward to seeing it all the time when I didn't need it, so I went with a projector.
I searched around reddit and youtube, but found most of the advice pretty bad, focusing around either Chinese branded projectors or 1080P ones that appear to have remained unchanged since the 2010s, with big bulbs and loud fans. Eventually I settled on the Epson Life Studio, orginally almost 100% because of the styling and the form factor. I thought it looked cool, and the built in smart features meant I could theoretically move it around the house or take it places, without any additional hookups required. It didn't hurt that the Best Buy 15 minutes from my house had 1 in stock.
I've had it for about 2 months now, so I thought it was worth writing up my experiences in case anyone else was thinking of getting one.
Initial Setup Impressions
Unboxing and setup was extremely simple. The device only has 1 cable, and Google TV is not complicated to get going. Once I got to getting the image on my wall though, I found the automatic keystoning and obstable avoidance to be a little lacking. Maybe my situation is more difficult than most, with a door and a sliding window, but it never could seem to get it right. Once I switched to manual mode though it only took a minute to line everything up. I also ran the wall color correction process, which blasts various color lights at your wall to calibrate the colors if your surface is not pure white (like mine)
HDMI inputs were simple, though I do find that the picture looks much better at 1080P than 4k. I assume this is because of the digital keystoning, as it crops the sensor. Chromecast took a bit of fiddling to get operational, but I chalk that up to the fact I was projecting from an Apple laptop.
Image and Features
I have done exactly zero objective tests with the projector, but based on my subjective experience the image quality is extremely good. I'm projecting it onto a textured wall with a slightly yellowish tint, but its not something I can notice while its on. I mainly only watch Anime and play games with it, but when I have watched youtube videos with people they appear realistic. Colors overall are very realistic, and edges are sharp. I don't think it looks as good in photos as it does in life though.
Brightness is adequate, though the room its in does not get a lot of natural light. Still, even with multiple windows open during the day, or with lights on, it never becomes hard to see or washed out. I typically leave at least one light on while I'm using it to prevent eye strain. Supposedly it has 1000 lumens, but I have no way to test that. However if its good enough for daytime use in California (with windows open) then its likely good enough for most other situations.
For gaming I use a laptop running bazzite linux hooked up via HDMI, and have run into zero friction. As mentioned earlier, I do downscale it to 1080P, to make up for any pixels lost due to the keystoning and zoom. When doing so the picture is extremely crisp, and I have no issues reading even small text. I have not tried the gaming mode, or run it with keystoning off, but so far the regular mode has a low enough latency that I don't notice a difference, even in rather fast paced games like Hades II or Star of Providence. However I am by no means a pro gamer, so if every millesecond matters you may want to stick to traditional screen.
Misc Thoughts
- It does look cool, and it has mode lighting you can turn on that light it from underneath, making it work as a very expensive lamp. The base is very solid, and lets you swivel and tilt it without needing to readjust the whole device. It also has the ability to go completely vertical and point up at the ceiling. I actually used this at a party recently to project Koi on the ceiling which was a cool and trippy effect.
- Speakers are adequate and the fact that they're going to be sitting closer to you than TV speakers helps. Obviously they're not going to be as good as a dedicated soundsystem, but I think most people will find them "good enough".
- The built in google TV makes it pretty convenient to take with you places or move around.
- It's sharp enough that my wife uses it to project sewing patterns on the wall, so she can trace them on large sheets of paper. Otherwise she'd have to get them printed at a print shop or tape a bunch of smaller pieces of paper together.
- The fans are quiet enough that you don't notice them when media or sound is playing.
- It is heavier than I expected, and it makes my Ikea shelf tilt downwards slightly, but that might just be because I didn't secure it well enough.
- One small annoyance is that even with keystoning, you can always see the outline of the projector's full output. It's especially noticeable in a dark room. I'm not sure if this is the case with all projectors with digital keystoning. I've outlined it in red in the image below.
Conclusion
Overall I'm extremely happy with this projector. Its met my expectation in all areas, and it looks good while doing it. Its making me rethink if I need TVs in the future, as they take up a bunch of space and look ugly.
Costwise it was expensive, but not compared to buying and mounting a decent 75 inch TV, and unlike that TV it's portable.
If you're thinking of trying a projector, but haven't messed with them for a decade or two, and just want want something nice and functional, this is the one to pick. If you're trying to cinema quality home theater, there are probably better options.
NatScore: 5/5 Excellent in all respects
