Startup Valerion ended last year by claiming the crown for the most-funded projector campaign so far on Kickstarter with a bunch of affordable premium streaming projectors. We've been bathing in ultra-sharp 4K goodness recently as we tried out the VisionMaster Pro 2 model.
The first thing I'll say about Valerion's home entertainment hub is that's it's quite the boxy beauty – with its accordion-like sides made up of electroplated metal strips over a geometric plastic grille, dark-mirrored front and back, and overall high-end look and feel. A very subjective way to begin, but there it is.
Fortunately, its polished good looks are more than matched by its capabilities. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that projectors like the VisionMaster Pro 2 should – and probably do – have the makers of much more expensive home cinema models worried.
This projector was originally part of a Kickstarter campaign that launched in October 2024 and went on to make history as the platform's most-funded project of that year – raising almost US$10 million from eager backers. Shipping for this model began in December as promised, and it went on general sale in February of this year. It currently sits second highest in the VisionMaster lineup, behind the Max, and has recently become available through retailers in the UK – which is where I'm based.
Getting to know you
The Pro 2 measures 10.2 x 7.3 x 8.5 in (260 x 185 x 216 mm) and weighs in at 15.4 lb (7 kg). As such, it's probably going to look a bit odd hanging from the ceiling of a home theater – though you could certainly do that – but could easily take pride of place as a functional work of art in the living room.
The face and rear of each model in Valerion's lineup sports a different color – the Max model is black and the Plus is blue, for example, while the Pro 2 comes in "elegant gray." It can be placed flat on a coffee table or other living room furniture as is or even plonked atop the protective EPP foam carry case it travels with – the front end can be angled up slightly thanks to a built-in kickstand with reassuringly stiff hinges.
The Valerion VisionMaster series can also be optioned with a posh tripod stand sporting polished aluminum and wooden legs with walnut accenting. There's an alloy gimbal desktop stand available too, with horizontal twist and vertical tilt, as well as an alloy ceiling mount. Each option can support up to 22 lb (10 kg) – the Pro 2 tips the scales at 15.4 lb (7 kg) – and is secured to the tripod/stand/mount via the projector's 0.25-inch tripod mount hole on its underside.
I was sent the desktop stand with my review unit. The projector is secured and seated within a wide U-shaped component wearing silicone pads that add a useful layer of protection from scratches and impressions for the sides and bottom of the projector. This component is connected to a larger U frame at the top via 360-degree hinges. And this double-U structure is bolted to a square base that sits on a rotating support for 360-degree horizontal swivel.
Like the projector itself, this gimbal stand looked very well made and thoughtfully designed, providing a secure and stable base for the projector, with dual-axis adjustment for flexible picture positioning. In use, it proved to be a very smooth operator, inspiring set-and-forget confidence, and holding its tilt without needing to worry about frequently adjusting tension at the joints.
Going for the laser triple
Where some laser projectors at this price point make use of a single laser and a color wheel, the Pro 2 benefits from a triple-laser light source where each of the primary colors – red, green and blue – gets its own laser, and the beams are merged ahead of output through the optics.
This gives the projector the power to put out 3,000 ISO lumens, which I found plenty bright for daytime viewing with the blinds partially drawn or late evening watching with room lights on but slightly dimmed. Sunlight breaking through the glass barriers or very bright room lights will negatively impact viewing – but that's true of quite a lot of televisions, and that's not how most people consume visual content anyway.
The projection engine makes use of a large 0.47-inch DMD chip, and employs pixel-shifting to render 4K UHD resolution. Coverage of the BT.2020 color space comes in at an impressive 110%, though diving into the settings can open the door to other color profiles for tone control maestros – with DCI-P3 and BT.709 among the options.
It's also worth noting that there are a good number of modes available for massaging color profiles to suit personal preferences, with enough presets on tap for those who don't like to get under the hood for fine tuning. Of course, hue and temperature can also be tweaked behind the scenes, as can things like contrast, gamma and the output power of the lasers.
The projector has a 4,000:1 native contrast ratio, but this can be dynamically boosted to 15,000:1 – with Enhanced Black Level and Dark Detail settings improving clarity and definition in the shadows. Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HLG content are all supported too, along with IMAX Enhanced, and there's a FilmMaker mode for 24 frames per second cinematic viewing, as well as support for a 48-Hz refresh rate.
I found the HDR performance to be genuinely impressive, which gets something of a boost from onboard dynamic tone mapping – which adjusts scenes for brightness, contrast, color and clarity. A very nice addition at this price point.
The projector also boasts 0.9-1.5:1 optical zoom – relatively rare in lifestyle projectors – which helps give this model the installation flexibility edge over digital counterparts. I found that the unit delivered 100-diagonal-inch pictures when pulled back around 80 inches (200+ cm) from a wall or screen. The maximum display size is 300 inches.
Autofocus, auto keystone correction, fit-to-screen and resizing to avoid obstacles really do help make positioning and setup quick and easy. That's thanks to built-in processing smarts and data from both a CMOS vision camera and ToF sensor out front.
The autofocus provided wonderfully sharp visuals, but we did suffer the occasional keystone misfire. Those who prefer to take control and go manual might be a little frustrated by the somewhat large jumps between adjustments. It's kind of a similar story for manual zoom too.
Streaming entertainment, the GTV way
The VisionMaster Pro 2 runs Google TV, which means all of your favorites from other GTV devices can be loaded in or you can start afresh and choose from popular streaming and entertainment/gaming apps. There was even a basic browser included in my default options, which was a welcome addition.
GTV improves on the stock Android TV it's built on, providing a more streamlined and integrated user experience – you can open the Play Store if you really want to, for example, but GTV offers easy access to available apps through onscreen menu items. There's support for Airplay 2, Chromecast and Miracast for screen mirroring flexibility as well.
Wireless connectivity shapes up with Wi-Fi 6E, though there is Ethernet LAN available via the back panel if cabling is more your speed. This panel has a hinged cover to protect from dust when the unit is not in use, though I suspect that much of the time it will remain open as the power port is part of the connectivity strip. But I guess it's nice to have the option to close it up for aesthetic reasons, or when hefting it around in its case.
The I/O strip sports two HDMI 2.1 ports plus another HDMI 2.0 port that supports eARC (for lossless audio to home theater setups), one USB 3.0 Type-A and one USB 2.0 Type-A (both with power delivery). There are also S/PDIF and 3.5-mm audio connections here, though you may never need them.
That's because there's a 24-watt sound system supporting Dolby Atmos and DTS HD Master within the boxy walls of the VisionMaster Pro 2. This setup proved to have plenty of immersive output oomph, both in my home and in a larger public space. The speakers don't appear to be big-name branded like you'll find in some of the competition, but I found the sound quality to be top notch – rocking clear and well balanced across the whole frequency range. Plus there's a seven-band EQ for adjusting to personal tastes if needed.
Console gamers might appreciate the support for 21:9 and even 32:9 formats as well as up to 240-Hz refresh and 4-ms input lag at 1080p, and the ability to split-screen. I'm not such a person however, so didn't try out the projector's gaming chops during my review.
Tweaking a little bit, and tweaking more
There's a button on the backlit remote that overlays a shortcut strip on the viewing window for quick access to key settings, so you can refire keystone or autofocus or change presets and so on, or you can just hit the settings cog icon to go full manual for all-in parameter nerding.
Other options on that handy menu bar include a picture mode to switch between Dynamic, Cinema, Game/PC (and more) profiles; optimized sound for sports or music or theater etc (that last one proved the most engaging in my testing); and a sleep timer so the unit automatically shuts off after a set time.
There's also an option for launching AI features powered by the projector's MT9618 AI-system-on-chip, which you may like to tap into for an improved audiovisual experience – such as AI Scene for optimization based on scene analysis, AI Super Resolution for edge smoothing and image enhancement, and Dark Detail that pretty much does what it says on the tin.
I found myself using this shortcut menu quite a bit to quickly tweak options and parameters when watching different types of content. As such, I found it a useful addition to a well thought out remote that includes dedicated buttons for muting the audio, manual focus, voice assistant and AI features. There are also dedicated shortcuts for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and YouTube. Not all of the buttons are backlit though, which could lead to some interesting surprises after dark.
Going deeper and deeper into the settings puts an awful lot of fine-tuning and performance-boosting possibilities at your fingertips, including a DLP Turbo Mode for supercharging processing to reduce input lag, turning on eye protection so the laser output will dim if someone passes in front of the projector, dialing in noise reduction, setting up gesture control via the CMOS camera and much, much more.
The rather snazzy-looking remote runs on two AA-sized batteries (supplied) and, interestingly, operates out of the box in IR mode for basic operation. It can then be paired over Bluetooth for more functionality, including smart features like voice search – so you can literally talk to the hand – as well as the freedom to use it outside the range of the infrared sensor on the back of the projector.
The projector also has a hardware switch up top to enable or disable integrated far-field microphones for voice search without needing the remote. Four status LEDs between the mic ports offer a visual indication of active status.
Going big on wall and screen
Much of my watching during the review was via a regular 80-inch projection screen that's housed in a tube and pulls up on a frame for a relatively flat viewing area, or on a blank wall where I was able to produce visuals at just over 100 diagonal inches.
The image quality on the white wall was superb, even during daylight hours – with the onboard brightness chops managing to cut their way through the light coming in via slightly shaded windows for an enjoyable watch. Preventing more light from entering the space was rewarded with even better image quality – bright, sharp and color rich – with friends remarking that it was just like having a TV built straight into the wall.
Viewing on the regular projector screen bumped the visuals up a notch further, particularly for contrast and dynamics, but by far the most impressive experience was had with the 100-inch ambient-light-rejecting Fresnel screen for long-throw projectors that Valerion sent with the projector. Like the desktop stand shipped out to me, this is an optional extra but based on my pop-eyed experience, I'd definitely recommend saving up your pennies for a screen like this to get the best out of the VisionMaster Pro 2.
The ALR screen came in a 5-ft-long (1.5-m) cardboard coffin and needed to be assembled like a hybrid IKEA/Meccano set. I simply didn't have the floor space in my home to undertake this task, so I opted to do the assembly and testing at a local community hall – which meant that, given its temporary location, I hoisted it atop a table when built (making sure of tight right angles at the lower edge) rather than mounting to a wall, but I'm jumping ahead a little.
The screen was wrapped around a tube and the various frame components housed within that for transport – the kit even came with a screwdriver and protective sheet. A step-by-step build guide was included, but as more of a visual learner I was happy to find an official build video on Valerion's YouTube channel.
It took two of us about an hour and a half to put the frame and screen together, much of that going without a hitch apart from some minor alignment issues. But it was clear from the get-go that the designers behind this enormous self-assembly puzzle had very much earned their crust. At the conclusion of the build, we had what essentially looked like a flat-panel TV but with a gray display area between the thin bezels rather than a total blackout.
When we were building the frame, we had the projector throw the How To YouTube video on a nearby blank wall, with tube lighting glowing overhead. This served to drive home the arresting differences between visual clarity and definition on the wall and the Fresnel screen. Turning off the overhead lights (but leaving the blinds open) yielded simply breathtaking results. Daytime television without a TV – marvelous!
The darks were much more satisfying, the shadows included more detail, the onscreen colors popped like never before, and the image seemed even more defined – all without tweaking the settings I'd used for the earlier wall show.
I did try Enhanced Black Level here though, which offered low and high flavors to improve clarity in dark scenes. However, this mode did appear to mess with onscreen color delivery to a noticeable degree – not really a big deal unless you're in the habit of cycling through options while watching or have very exacting viewing preferences.
The visuals were stunning without activating this setting so you may not even need to engage it – jaws had very much dropped already in the community space I was testing this setup in. But it's worth a quick mention all the same, and I'd certainly recommend giving it a try if you're watch a moody movie or shade-packed show.
I also gave the Brightness Enhancer its time in the spotlight, but I honestly wasn't impressed. Again there are two levels here, and each radically altered the color profile of the onscreen visuals – with the high setting giving everything a nasty green hue. There might well be a use for this setting, but I didn't find it and was happy to disable it.
Rounding out my impressions, I found the internal cooling fan to be pretty quiet, and not really noticeable at all when audio was playing. In combination with the side dissipation vents it did a great job of keeping the projector from running hot. However, the large wall adapter did run hot so you may need to exercise caution when unplugging straight after use.
The bottom line
The build quality, superb visual delivery with ample opportunities for parameter tweaking, impressive GTV integration, and satisfying audio output give the impression that Valerion has been at the top of its game for years. But it's a relatively new kid on the block, launched just last year as a sister brand to AWOL Vision but now operating as one merged entity.
I've seen others online describe the VisionMaster series as game changing and giant killers, and I'd normally take such things with a huge grain of salt. But my review experience over the last few weeks certainly backs up much of that kind of enthusiastic hype talk.
You may have noticed that I didn't include any luminance measurements to validate Valerion's brightness claims, or dive into actual vs. claimed color or contrast metrics – this review is more about the user experience than geeking on every little detail. I'd recommend checking out the excellent deep dive over on Projector Central for such nitty gritties.
The Pro 2 punches well above its price tag of US$2,999 in terms of image quality, form factor and high-end looks. And that could include some tasty accessories if you're quick enough to be part of the company's first anniversary celebrations – though there doesn't seem to be a bundle that includes the ALR Fresnel screen we were sent, so that will cost you about a grand extra.
If you miss this promotion, then your optional ALR screen and a tripod or ceiling mount plus the cost of the projector will add up to a tidy sum, considerably more than if you go down the affordable 100-inch 4K TV route in the company of brands like Hisense and TCL.
Personally, as a mostly wall but sometimes screen kind of streaming entertainment consumer, I prefer the cinematic feel of a capable projector. And the VisionMaster Pro 2 delivers in spades. Highly recommended.
Product page: VisionMaster Pro 2