Brightness
The SP-F10M is rated at 1000 lumens. To discern any differences between the digital and analog inputs, we first connected the SP-F10M to my laptop using the standard PC input, and then compared that to the HDMI input. There also was an increase in output if Dynamic Contrast was turned on (more about that later), so it was on for all the measurements.
Using the Bright lamp mode, in Bright image mode (the brightest), we measured 953 lumens at mid-zoom range via the PC input and 988 lumens via the HDMI input. So, the SP-F10M certainly hits its lumen target, even if it is a bit low compared to the competition. All other measurements were made with the projector connected via the PC input.
As is usually the case with a 1.2X zoom, the output showed little variation throughout the zoom range. At full wide zoom (again in Bright mode), we got 991 lumens and at full telephoto zoom it was 912 lumens.
All further measurements were taken at the mid-zoom point. Using Dynamic mode, the output dropped almost 100 lumens to 868 lumens. Using Standard mode resulted in a drop to 780 lumens. Presentation mode was almost the same as Standard at 786 lumens. Continuing on, we got 700 lumens in Text mode, 762 lumens in Movie mode, 705 lumens in Game mode and User mode mirrored Dynamic mode at 868 lumens.
Above, the SP-F10M in Standard mode as described during measurements.
As mentioned previously, turning Dynamic Contrast on increased lumen output. There was an increase in Dynamic mode from 828 to 868 lumens (or about 5%) by turning Dynamic Contrast on. Changing the lamp mode from Bright to Eco brightness mode resulted in a drop of about 24% (from 868 to 666 in Dynamic mode). This drop from the brightest mode to the Eco mode is a bit more than what we’re used to for projectors in this class.
As the SP-F10M is not particularly bright to begin with, this makes Eco mode of questionable value for presentation use in anything but a small screen (60” diagonal or less) or a larger screen with well-controlled lighting.
Audible Noise
The Samsung SP-F10M is a quiet projector, particularly in Eco lamp mode, where it’s rated at 26 dB. Subjectively, it seems even quieter as there is very little fan noise. In Bright mode, the noise level rises to 30 dB, which is about what most of the competition achieves in Eco lamp mode.
In both cases, the SP-F10M’s noise level is not obtrusive for any of the projector’s intended uses and the 7-watt built-in speaker provides enough punch to overcome any fan noise. As a result, it’s unlikely that you’d have to use additional powered speakers for a sound presentation.
