I lastly discovered a projector that delivers each type and substance

Valerion’s VisionMaster Professional 2 has one clear intention – to disrupt the high-end projector market, and, nicely, it’s doing so fairly nicely.

The projector-maker, a sub-brand of AWOL Imaginative and prescient, which is understood for its Extremely-Brief Throw (UST) projectors, burst onto the scene in 2024.

The model is lifestyle-centric, specializing in delivering a premium expertise inside fashionable and compact designs that really feel proper at residence in your front room.

With the Valerion VisionMaster Professional 2, the corporate is doing extra of the identical. I’ve spent just a few weeks with the projector now, and I can confidently say that it blends a good measurement and a premium look with options that punch above its value class. Nonetheless, it does not come with out some minor hiccups.

Although the projector is cheaper than others in its class, particularly when in comparison with higher-end alternate options just like the JVC NZ8, it’s nonetheless a hefty $3,000 funding (at present on sale for $2,550). Regardless of its non-bulky look, the VisionMaster Professional 2 isn’t the perfect in terms of portability, with its 15.4 lb weight making it higher fitted to a set place.

As is the case with DLP projectors, the VisionMaster Professional 2 additionally suffers from the occasional rainbow impact, although it’s minor sufficient to not make or break the core expertise.

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Value, availability, and specs

Obtainable throughout the US, the projector collection was first introduced through a Kickstarter marketing campaign again in October 2024, and it rapidly raised over 10 million {dollars} from backers all over the world.

Subsequently, the VisionMaster Professional 2 grew to become broadly obtainable early in 2025, bringing entry to top-of-the-line projector options like an EBL (Enhanced Black Degree) mode, an RGB Triple Laser mild supply, HDR10+, low enter lag for gaming, a 3,000 ISO Lumen max brightness score, and extra.

The projector is accompanied by a higher-end (and pricier) VisionMaster Max with increased peak brightness, a superior distinction ratio, and hardware-related upgrades like vertical lens shift and a dynamic iris. Which one of many two you finally get relies upon solely in your wants and finances.

For this overview, I used the Valerion VisionMaster Professional 2 with desktop gimbal stand and a devoted 120-inch ambient light-rejecting display screen, although these equipment aren’t strictly important to understand the projector’s prowess.

On the specs entrance, the projector depends on the late 2022-released MediaTek quad-core MT9618 that powers a number of of the projector’s AI-powered options. These embody real-time optimizations like AI Scene Recognition, Darkish Element, Tremendous Decision, and extra. I left these off for the aim of this overview.

The chip, paired with 4GB of RAM, presents a largely speedy expertise, with no noticeable lag or slowdown throughout navigation or app utilization in my expertise.

The projector additionally boasts 128GB of inside storage, which is greater than adequate so that you can retailer an enormous library of apps, offline content material, and all of the system information. It runs Android 12, which takes up roughly 20GB of the full storage.

What I favored concerning the Valerion VisionMaster Professional 2

Buckle up

Earlier than entering into the nitty-gritty, I’m going to take a second to understand the producer’s consideration to some tremendous particulars, evident proper from the very first impression.

The system ships in a protecting case that additionally doubles as a handy carrying case in the event you intend to take the projector round for the occasional film night time at a pal’s place. The case neatly holds the projector, its distant and the ability cable.

Talking of the distant, it comes with 2 AAA batteries, is backlit, and easily well-designed with fast entry to YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney. Different fast entry buttons embody one for Google Assistant/voice management, enter, a shortcut to the aforementioned AI instruments, autofocus, and extra.

The distant is mostly very responsive, barring the arrow keys. In my expertise, efficiently registering a press on the left/proper/up/down arrow keys required exact finger placement instantly on the arrow dots. If my finger was even barely off-center, the distant wouldn’t register the enter. I might usually blame this on muscle reminiscence, particularly since my TV’s distant presents rather more lenient button press zones. Nonetheless, after spending over a month with the projector, I nonetheless haven’t adjusted to the exact enter requirement.

Transferring on to the projector itself, it actually stands out with its premium electroplated ribbed metallic design that’s wrapped across the projector’s physique. Reportedly, the metal-plated design is to assist the VisionMaster Professional 2 face up to a great deal of as much as 100 kg. Why that’s mandatory for a projector that’s both going to be ceiling mounted or positioned on a tripod? Nicely, I actually don’t know, however you’ll by no means discover me complaining about further sturdiness, particularly when it provides character to the system in query.

Many of the projectors I’ve used prior to now have featured a plasticky outer design, so the VisionMaster Professional 2 is clearly a breath of recent air that may seamlessly combine into my front room with out protruding like a sore thumb.

Whether or not this prompts the trade to undertake extra aesthetically pleasing designs stays to be seen.

Organising the VisionMaster Professional 2 is a seamless expertise. Technically, you don’t really want a devoted tripod or ceiling mount to get working. The system has a sturdy leg that may be retracted, permitting you to realize the right angle to your wall/display screen in minutes. I personally used the projector with a desktop gimbal stand, although the built-in leg supplies greater than sufficient stability for many non-mounted setups.

Energy cable goes within the again, with its port, alongside two HDMI 2.1, one HDMI 2.0 with eARC, one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, one optical S/PDIF, one 3.5mm audio jack, and one ethernet LAN port recessed behind a fold-down flap. The flap itself incorporates a soft-close/soft-open hinge, making certain it lowers gently and silently. This, once more, is a minor contact that provides to the projector’s total premium really feel and a focus to element.

All of that, although, comes second to the projector’s efficiency – and that’s one space the place the VisionMaster Professional 2 doesn’t disappoint.

The projector’s sensors work in tandem to present you a calibrated begin from the get-go, and in my expertise, its auto-keystone and autofocus capabilities gave me a pointy and completely aligned picture each time.

In case you personal a devoted projector display screen, your expertise needs to be even smoother. The VisionMaster Professional 2 has auto-screen detection, which basically adjusts the keystone and focus to evolve to your display screen’s borders. For me, this labored as supposed about 9/10 instances, and when it didn’t, I simply needed to make very minor guide focus changes to get the right picture high quality. Theoretically, this could work with as much as a 300-inch display screen.

Talking of computerized calibrations, the projector additionally boasts an auto content material detection characteristic, which can routinely change image modes to HDR when it detects appropriate content material, basically making certain that you simply’re all the time getting the perfect image high quality with out you having to manually dive into menus.

The projector is Lively 3D appropriate too, which implies common DLP glasses from Amazon ought to work for an immersive 3D expertise with appropriate content material. I didn’t get an opportunity to check this out. Nonetheless, what I used to be capable of put to the take a look at is the VisionMaster Professional 2’s brightness declare.

With the Laser Luminance Degree set to max, and a 9-point grid sample projected on the display screen, I used to be capable of confirm Valerion’s brightness claims. For reference, the VisionMaster Professional 2 is rated at 3,000 ISO lumens. In my testing, the projector was solely capable of obtain that worth (and better) with its ‘Brightness Enhancer’ set to excessive. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t suggest utilizing the projector on this mode, because it introduces a inexperienced bias that’s disagreeable to take a look at for prolonged durations.

Commonplace and Vivid modes simply reached spectacular 2,400-2,500 ISO lumen ranges with Brightness Enhancer set to off. Once more, these modes had been nonetheless too overwhelming for my eyes, particularly for prolonged viewing periods in a darkish room. That too with a light-weight rejecting display screen. Theater mode, then again, emerged because the candy spot. It was probably the most nice to take a look at, clocking in at roughly 2,220 ISO lumens (for non-HDR content material) with Brightness Enhancer turned off.

Your outcomes could differ relying in your calibrations. Nonetheless, I can confidently say that the VisionMaster Professional 2’s mild output is vibrant sufficient to simply refill screens greater than my 120-inch setup, with even daytime ambient mild not posing a menace in any respect. The picture under was taken in the course of the daytime with blinds partially open.

It’s price noting the ISO commonplace usually follows stricter measuring necessities when in comparison with the ANSI commonplace. My mild meter checks had been carried out in a room with blackout blinds and no different synthetic lights. The partitions within the projector room, nonetheless, are off-white, which might have launched a minute quantity of reflection to affect the readings.

Whereas brightness is vital to any good projector, distinction is what really makes the picture pop. In response to Valerion, the VisionMaster Professional 2 boasts a 15,000:1 distinction ratio. This basically signifies that the brightest white the projector can show can be roughly 15,000 instances brighter than the darkest black it could actually show. It’s price noting, although, that this isn’t the projector’s native distinction ratio.

The projector boasts an already spectacular 4,000:1 native distinction ratio, with the aforementioned EBL mode required to dynamically deepen black ranges to realize the 15,000:1 determine. Basically laser dimming, EBL dynamically adjusts the laser energy when it detects a predominantly darkish scene, all whereas stopping vibrant parts from trying washed by quickly adjusting the ability. That is not like native dimming on TVs, the place particular person zones could be dimmed or brightened relying on the scene.

I usually solely utilized EBL at night time — on film nights, to be particular. It additionally presents a drastic shade shift, so I usually needed to allow the mode roughly quarter-hour earlier than beginning the film, simply to present my eyes sufficient time to regulate to the modified shade temperature. The professionals, nonetheless, outweigh the cons, particularly when paired with a light-rejecting display screen.

I wouldn’t go so far as to check the distinction stage to high-end OLED TVs with native dimming, however I can confidently say that astronomy movies (that I typically go to sleep to) haven’t appeared this really deep on the large display screen, with the darks trying really huge, and vibrant objects likes galaxies and colourful nebulae standing out and shining vibrant.

Okay, so, nice design? Test. Ample brightness? Test. Spectacular distinction ratio? Test. However what about when the controllers come out? Though not marketed as a ‘gaming projector,’ the VisionMaster Professional 2 can simply maintain its personal. It achieves a 4ms enter lag at 1080p@240Hz. 4K gaming is capped at 60Hz with a barely increased 15ms enter lag. Let’s be sincere right here – you’re not taking part in precision-based aggressive shooters like Counter Strike or Valorant on 4K. And in case you are about that life, you’ll most undoubtedly want your gaming monitor over a projector display screen.

For many different titles, the 15ms delay wasn’t actually noticeable in any respect, making the VisionMaster Professional 2 a dependable alternative for an immersive big-screen gaming expertise. I platinum-ed FromSoftware’s new Elden Ring Nightreign in its entirety on the projector, and it was a very seamless, responsive, and visually gorgeous expertise with no hiccups.

HDR gaming is supported for appropriate titles, and the identical goes for the EBL mode (I largely saved it disabled whereas gaming). Moreover, the projector routinely goes into its Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) when it detects that you simply’ve plugged in and turned on a linked system like a PlayStation, saving you the effort of diving into menus to manually change modes.

What I didn’t like concerning the Valerion VisionMaster Professional 2

Seeing pink (and inexperienced and blue)

There really isn’t one single factor that breaks the VisionMaster Professional 2, however there are a number of tiny ones that, in my view, might have additional polished the expertise.

The projector’s brighter modes — Commonplace and Vivid, for instance, undergo from the occasional rainbow impact (RBE), which I primarily noticed when rapidly navigating by way of the projector’s menus.

Sensitivity to perceiving the impact differs from individual to individual, and I’d contemplate myself not notably delicate to it. Nonetheless, I nonetheless observed the RBE artifacts infrequently. What’s vital, although, is that the impact didn’t actually appear to kick whereas viewing content material. That’s possible as a result of my unit is positioned on the optimum distance the place I don’t want main keystone corrections, which appears to be making RBE worse for some customers.

Utilizing the projector in a few of the ‘less-bright’ modes like Theater additionally appeared to just about make the rainbow impact disappear.

Elsewhere, the distant, albeit well-designed, requires exact button enter for the arrow keys. This might very nicely be a ‘me’ concern, however one that would have been prevented with greater button press zones.

I additionally observed that the projector, regardless of its in any other case speedy efficiency, typically takes a bit longer than conventional TVs to begin up. It typically takes roughly 10 to fifteen seconds for the projector to totally energy on and show a picture, and though that isn’t an enormous inconvenience, this hasn’t been a problem on cheaper and fewer highly effective projectors I’ve examined prior to now.

Moreover, even after the VisionMaster Professional 2 begins projecting Google TV’s residence interface, it takes just a few further seconds to develop into totally responsive. Once more, a fast startup doesn’t essentially make or break the general expertise, but it surely actually is an expectation whenever you’re shelling out $2,500 to $3,000 on a tool.

Do you have to purchase the Valerion VisionMaster Professional 2?

It is advisable to consider extra prices

The reply to that query really relies on your wants. Though inexpensive, contemplating its premium construct high quality, efficiency, and the sheer variety of options it presents, that value level is already knocking on the door of some really high-end TVs.

If the VisionMaster Professional 2 can be your first projector, you additionally should consider extra prices for a good display screen, a projector mount (In case you don’t intend to position the system on a desk), and doubtlessly even blackout curtains.

If you have already got the extras, or have already factored within the extra prices, the VisionMaster Professional 2 is a compelling various to conventional TVs. Nonetheless, you additionally want to contemplate whether or not you want all of the VisionMaster Professional 2’s superior options.

There are a number of dependable projectors available on the market that sit considerably decrease than the $3,000 price ticket – even ones from Valerion, just like the StreamMaster Plus and Plus 2, that don’t essentially provide all of VisionMaster Professional 2’s top-of-the-line options, however can nonetheless present an important and easy ‘level and look at’ expertise for a lot of customers.

These, nonetheless, wouldn’t all the time provide a picture as vibrant because the VisionMaster Professional 2, nor would they usually characteristic the identical deep distinction. They actually wouldn’t ship the exceptionally low enter delay the VisionMaster boasts.

Elsewhere, in the event you plan to make the projector a central attraction in your residing or residence theater room, there are hardly another projectors that may match the Valerion providing’s fashionable aesthetic.

The VisionMaster Professional 2 retails for $3,000, however it’s at present discounted by $450, which brings its value all the way down to $2,550.

Model

Valerion

Native Decision

4K

Projection Know-how

DLP with an RGB Triple Laser mild supply

Valerion VisionMaster Professional 2 is a premium projector providing that boasts an RGB Triple Laser mild supply, HDR10+ visuals, 3,000 ISO Lumen max brightness, and several other top-of-the-line options that aren’t usually anticipated with $3,000 way of life projector.