I lastly discovered a projector that delivers each model and substance

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

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

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

With the Valerion VisionMaster Professional 2, the corporate is doing extra of the identical. I’ve spent a couple of 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 worth class. Nonetheless, it would 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 the moment on sale for $2,550). Regardless of its non-bulky look, the VisionMaster Professional 2 isn’t one of the best in the case of portability, with its 15.4 lb weight making it higher fitted to a hard and fast 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.

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 a number of other top-of-the-line options that aren’t usually anticipated with $3,000 way of life projector.

Execs & Cons

• Premium construct that is a deal with to take a look at even when off
• Wonderful efficiency for gaming with low enter lag
• Spectacular brightness and a deep distinction (with Enhanced Black Stage mode)

• Minor rainbow impact seen in some shiny modes
• Startup time is slower than conventional TVs

Associated

Projectors will ultimately overtake good TVs. Here is why

A well-liked various to a sensible TV provides versatility, measurement, and comfort.

Value, availability, and specs

Obtainable throughout the US, the projector sequence was first introduced by way of a Kickstarter marketing campaign again in October 2024, and it rapidly raised over 10 million {dollars} from backers world wide.

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

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

For this evaluate, I used the Valerion VisionMaster Professional 2 with desktop gimbal stand and a devoted 120-inch ambient light-rejecting display, 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 embrace real-time optimizations like AI Scene Recognition, Darkish Element, Tremendous Decision, and extra. I left these off for the aim of this evaluate.

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

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

What I appreciated in regards to 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 advantageous particulars, evident proper from the very first impression.

The gadget ships in a protecting case that additionally doubles as a handy carrying case for those who intend to take the projector round for the occasional film evening at a good friend’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 embrace 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 provides 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 steel 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 obligatory for a projector that’s both going to be ceiling mounted or positioned on a tripod? Effectively, I actually don’t know, however you’ll by no means discover me complaining about further sturdiness, particularly when it provides persona to the gadget in query.

A lot 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 contemporary 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 actually need a devoted tripod or ceiling mount to get operating. The gadget has a sturdy leg that may be retracted, permitting you to attain the proper angle to your wall/display 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 encompasses 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 spotlight 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 provide 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.

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

Talking of automated calibrations, the projector additionally boasts an auto content material detection function, which is able to mechanically change image modes to HDR when it detects suitable content material, primarily making certain that you simply’re at all times getting one of the best image high quality with out you having to manually dive into menus.

The projector is Energetic 3D suitable too, which implies common DLP glasses from Amazon ought to work for an immersive 3D expertise with suitable 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 Stage set to max, and a 9-point grid sample projected on the display, 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.

Customary 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. Theater mode, however, emerged because the candy spot. It was essentially 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 range relying in your calibrations. Nonetheless, I can confidently say that the VisionMaster Professional 2’s mild output is shiny sufficient to simply replenish screens larger than my 120-inch setup, with even daytime ambient mild not posing a risk in any respect. The picture beneath was taken through the daytime with blinds partially open.

It’s value noting the ISO normal usually follows stricter measuring necessities when in comparison with the ANSI normal. My mild meter assessments had been performed 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 essential to any good projector, distinction is what actually makes the picture pop. In line with Valerion, the VisionMaster Professional 2 boasts a 15,000:1 distinction ratio. This primarily signifies that the brightest white the projector can show might be roughly 15,000 instances brighter than the darkest black it may well show. It’s value 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 attain the 15,000:1 determine. Primarily laser dimming, EBL dynamically adjusts the laser energy when it detects a predominantly darkish scene, all whereas stopping shiny components from trying washed by quickly adjusting the ability. That is in contrast to native dimming on TVs, the place particular person zones might be dimmed or brightened relying on the scene.

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

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 seemed this actually deep on the massive display, with the darks trying actually huge, and shiny objects likes galaxies and colourful nebulae standing out and shining shiny.

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 larger 15ms enter lag. Let’s be sincere right here – you’re not enjoying precision-based aggressive shooters like Counter Strike or Valorant on 4K. And if you’re about that life, you’d most positively favor your gaming monitor over a projector display.

For many different titles, the 15ms delay wasn’t actually noticeable in any respect, making the VisionMaster Professional 2 a dependable selection 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 beautiful expertise with no hiccups.

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

What I didn’t like in regards to the Valerion VisionMaster Professional 2

Seeing purple (and inexperienced and blue)

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

The projector’s brighter modes — Customary 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 seen the RBE artifacts now and again. 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 among 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 properly be a ‘me’ subject, however one that might have been averted with larger button press zones.

I additionally seen that the projector, regardless of its in any other case speedy efficiency, typically takes a bit longer than conventional TVs to start out up. It typically takes roughly 10 to fifteen seconds for the projector to completely 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 dwelling interface, it takes a couple of further seconds to turn out to be totally responsive. Once more, a fast startup doesn’t essentially make or break the general expertise, but it surely definitely is an expectation if you’re shelling out $2,500 to $3,000 on a tool.

Do you have to purchase the Valerion VisionMaster Professional 2?

You want to consider further prices

The reply to that query actually is dependent upon your wants. Though reasonably priced, contemplating its premium construct high quality, efficiency, and the sheer variety of options it provides, that worth level is already knocking on the door of some actually high-end TVs.

If the VisionMaster Professional 2 might be your first projector, you additionally need to consider further prices for a good display, a projector mount (Should you don’t intend to position the gadget on a desk), and doubtlessly even blackout curtains.

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

There are a number of dependable projectors in the marketplace 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 awesome and easy ‘level and look at’ expertise for a lot of customers.

These, nonetheless, wouldn’t at all times provide a picture as shiny because the VisionMaster Professional 2, nor would they usually function the identical deep distinction. They definitely wouldn’t ship the exceptionally low enter delay the VisionMaster boasts.

Elsewhere, for those who plan to make the projector a central attraction in your dwelling or dwelling theater room, there are hardly some other projectors that may match the Valerion providing’s trendy aesthetic.

The VisionMaster Professional 2 retails for $3,000, however it’s at the moment discounted by $450, which brings its worth 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 a number of other top-of-the-line options that aren’t usually anticipated with $3,000 way of life projector.