Florida-based audiovisual hardware company AWOL Vision has launched its Pro Series Triple Laser TV system at IFA 2023 in Berlin's Messe. The UST projectors are capable of 150-inch Dolby Vision visuals on a suitable surface and rock integrated 36-watt Atmos sound.
AWOL Vision was founded in 2020, launched its first ultra-short-throw (UST) triple-laser project in June and followed that in September with the Vanish Laser TV – a stylish entertainment hub comprising a rollable 100- or 120-inch projection screen and 4K triple-laser projector that emerge from the smart cabinet at the touch of a button, and then "vanish" inside when movie night is over.
The UST projector at the heart of the system features a separate laser for red, green and blue output at 3,500 lumens and 4K UHD visuals at up to 150 diagonal inches from around 20 inches away, with support for HDR10+ and HLG content. The company flew into Berlin last week to reveal a pair of new UST projectors that will be available on their own, with an ambient-light-rejecting screen or as part of the Vanish TV system.
The LTV-3000 Pro and LTV-3500 Pro triple-laser models are both capable of throwing visuals between 80 and 150 inches at a maximum resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, and each features a F2.0 aperture glass lens developed by Ricoh. AWOL engineers have tweaked the firmware to enable a 2.5x contrast improvement over existing models – with that firmware revision rolling out to current LTV-2500 and LTV-3500 units via an over-the-air update.
The IFA 2023 reveal marks the debut of Control4 smart home integration courtesy of PJLink IP control protocol, which "ensures effortless control and management of high-end projectors, mirroring the ease of handling other connected devices within the household." Other smart home systems supported include Savant and Creston.
The Pro series projectors also gain Dolby Vision for "an enhanced viewing experience marked by stunning visuals, vivid colors and unparalleled realism." The press materials only included specs for the LTV-3500 Pro model, but the main difference between the two series members appears to be brightness output (with the numbers in the model names revealing the lumens achieved).
It's therefore a pretty safe bet that the specs for the LTV-3000 Pro flavor will be the same or very similar to the series topper. That shapes up as support for 107% of the wide BT.2020 color gamut and 147% of DCI-P3 as well as HDR10+/HLG content, the projector can accept source content at 24 frames per second for cinematic movie viewing, and there are three HDMI 2.0b ports for cabling to media devices (including two with eARC).
There's a Game Mode that gets input lag down to 15 milliseconds for 4K gaming at 60 Hz or 8 ms for 1080p at 120 Hz. The LTV-3500 Pro boasts 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for streaming potential, with an Amazon Fire TV stick included in the bundle. And there's a built-in 36-W sound system with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio.
At this time, we've no word on expected availability or pricing but the IFA 2023 reveal is reported to signal an expansion into the European market. As a guide though, the LTV-2500 UST laser projector costs US$2,399 while pricing for the Vanish Laser TV system rocking the LTV-3500 projector (not the new Pro) starts at $14,999.
Source: AWOL Vision