Valerion VisionMaster Pro2 review – a triple laser projector perfect for gaming

If you want a serious big-screen gaming experience but don’t have the budget or space for a giant TV, or you simply want the versatility of a projector, the Valerion VisionMaster Pro2 is a truly excellent option. Thanks to its triple laser projection system, it delivers top-tier sharpness, brightness, colors, contrast, and, crucially for gaming, response time, all while not needing to replace bulbs every few years.

This overall prowess easily makes this our current pick for the best gaming projector available right now. To learn exactly where it does and doesn’t excel, though, read on below to find out more.

Specs

Features

The core of the Valerion VisionMaster Pro2 is its DLP laser projection system. Like a normal DLP projector, it uses an array of tiny mirrors to create its image, as opposed to the other most common form of digital projection, which uses an LCD. However, instead of a standard light bulb/LED and a color wheel (or a trio of bulbs with fixed RGB color filters), it uses lasers as its light source.

This combination of triple RGB lasers and DLP (which is known for its fast response time and high brightness) means you get a very bright, fast-reacting image. Valerion also takes advantage of the power of these lasers to boost contrast significantly compared to normal DLP projectors.

To do this, it has a technology called Enhanced Black Level (EBL), which effectively works a bit like a normal dynamic contrast setting, where a projector/TV/monitor will alter the overall brightness of the image from frame to frame, in order to boost the perceived overall contrast. However, normal dynamic contrast can result in noticeable changes in overall brightness and in bright objects on an otherwise dark image looking dull and dark parts of an otherwise bright image appearing bright/gray.

EBL gets around this by dynamically altering the laser brightness, but then also changing the gamma curve of the image so that typical peak brightness remains the same, but black levels are greatly reduced. The net effect is Valerion claims the VisionMaster Pro2 can hit a massive 15,000:1 contrast level without having the obvious changes in overall brightness or lack of brightness in bright highlights that can affect typical dynamic contrast systems.

Along with this impressive brightness/contrast performance, the triple RGB laser setup used here also allows for incredibly wide color space coverage, with a massive 110% Rec. 2020 coverage rating. For comparison, a typical non-HDR LCD monitor has less than 50% Rec. 2020 color space coverage. When combined with that high contrast, this means HDR looks incredible on this projector.

Other key features include a motorized and automated lens system that will automatically do keystone correction (where the projector straightens the image to fit your screen – as per the image above) and focus, plus it offers a throw ratio range of 0.9-1.5:1. This means that, to project a 100-inch screen, the projector can be placed between 90 inches and 150 inches from the screen. If you need to project from closer than this while still wanting a large image, you’ll need a specialized short-throw projector, such as the range offered here by Valerion’s sister company, AWOL Vision.

Talking of screen sizes, Valerion claims this projector will cope with up to 300-inch screens, with the focus system able to stretch that far, and it having enough brightness to deliver a watchable image on such a massive screen.

As for resolution and refresh rate, despite talk of 8K TVs now becoming an option, this potentially 300-inch screen-creating projector is only 4K, and tops out at 60Hz. It can also drop to 1080p and run at 240Hz or 120Hz, but there’s no option to run, say, 1440p at 120Hz, which would have been a nice compromise between refresh rate and resolution.

For connections, you get a decently generous selection of three HDMI ports, with one offering eARC support (the system that lets your home theater gear communicate when to turn on, etc). There are also two USB ports along with Ethernet, WiFi 6e, and Bluetooth connections, as well as digital and analog audio outputs.

Inside, there is also a 2 x 12W speaker system, which is a setup that sounds like it would be a waste of time. However, thanks to its virtual surround capability, it’s actually really good, depending on the position of the projector. Temporarily setting up the projector on the floor, in front of my sofa, and projecting up to the screen, I regularly used the projector just with these speakers, happily watching whole movies on it. For a ‘proper’ setup, you’ll want some external speakers, but for temporary/outdoor/party use, they really do hold up.

The projector ships inside a really nice case that’s made from tough foam with integrated locks and a hinge. Inside, there’s room for the projector, its power cable, a spare HDMI cable, and its remote control.

The latter is a nicely feature-packed unit with dedicated controls for smart TV features, including shortcuts for Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube, as well as input selection, volume, and a d-pad for navigating menus. The remote also has a mic that can be used for smart assistant voice input.

Design

The Valerion VisionMaster Pro2 is a seriously slick-looking unit. With its polished metal ribs running down its top and sides, it brings to mind old bellows cameras and other classic imaging equipment – it’s a far cry from the plain white plastic build of some basic projectors.

This projector is relatively compact but very dense. It measures 260 x 185 x 216 mm (10.2 x 7.3 x 8.5 inches) but weighs in at 7kg (15.4 lbs), making it fairly tricky to manhandle, given its shiny, slippery, and straight exterior. Simply getting it out of its box is no easy feat.

Inside this cuboid form are all the projector’s features, with no external extras. This makes for a sleek look, but it does come with a few downsides. The complete lack of manual controls for the lens means you don’t have that option to fall back on, while the connectivity is hidden behind a flap that then just is permanently left hanging open and resting on or under your cables, once you’ve got the unit installed.

Valerion ships the projector either completely on its own, or you can buy it with one of three stands. There’s the gimbal-style stand I’ve tested here, which screws into the mounting screw on the base of the projector, then offers 360° of pitch/vertical movement as well as 360° of yaw/horizontal spin too. This beautifully made, solid metal unit is a $139 extra. Valerion also offers a stunning-looking walnut wood tripod stand ($254) or a ceiling mount ($149).

In operation, this projector remains remarkably cool and quiet. From 20cm away, it registered just 35dB on my decibel meter. This greatly aids setups where you’re just relying on the projector’s speakers.

Meanwhile, it stays cool to the touch even after hours of use. While testing with it on the floor in front of my sofa, it even got slightly covered by a blanket on a few occasions, and only after an hour or so did the fan noticeably ramp up as it tried to deal with the reduced airflow through the unit. It’s a night-and-day difference from old lamp-based projectors.

Screen options

Valerion offers a range of screens to use with its projectors. It has several basic white screens, from 100-inch to 220-inch, an outdoor screen, a motorized anti-speckle one, a drop-down outdoor option, and the Fresnel ambient light-rejecting screen I tested. The latter is available in 100-inch or 120-inch options, and I tested the 100-inch variant.

This screen caught me by surprise, as I didn’t realise it would be a fixed, rigid frame (I just asked for their smallest screen to be sent with the projector for review). It also takes some intricate assembly requiring the use of included white gloves, lots of nuts and bolts, and plastic sheets to be laid on the floor. Then, once assembled, it’s, well, a 100-inch screen, so it is quite a thing to handle and maneuver, though it is reasonably light.

This screen uses thousands of tiny lenses on its surface to reduce the amount of light reflection from light sources not facing directly towards it, effectively boosting the black levels and contrast of the setup when used in rooms that aren’t completely dark.

It worked very well, noticeably reducing the washout from light coming in through a window and onto the screen, for instance, as demonstrated above when compared to the projector shining on two pieces of white foam core board. However, it’s a pricey option at $849. If you have any sort of dedicated home theater space within which you can block most ambient light, you can definitely make some big savings by opting for a simpler screen.

Software/interface

The VisionMaster Pro2 can be used as a ‘simple’ projector, relying on external video inputs and the core image quality and audio controls of the unit. However, you can also just fire it up as a standalone device, as not only does it have those built-in speakers, but it also has a GoogleTV interface.

This means you can just connect the projector to your Wi-Fi (or Ethernet), create or log into a Google account, and jump straight into the preinstalled apps for Netflix, etc. The interface is really fast, intuitive, and generally easy to use, and ended up being what I most often used to casually browse and watch shows with this projector.

A couple of points to note, though, are that this interface didn’t seem to offer the same range of image quality settings as the normal inputs. So, for watching movies using the best movie modes, I would use the regular HDMI inputs.

Depending on your setup, sound might not be routed properly to your TV, either. When connected to my regular AV receiver setup, audio from sources connected to the receiver would come through my regular speakers, but audio from the GoogleTV interface would come through the projector’s speakers. This is to be expected but it’s worth noting that there will be some extra setup/cable routing to get audio from the projector to your receiver.

Image quality

The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 produces a truly impressive image. From the crispness of its 4K resolution to the vividness of its colors and the punchiness of its EBL-assisted contrast, there’s not a lot it can’t do, and do very impressively.

What’s more, it delivers this image quality pretty much straight out of the box. It had a slight tendency to have a red cast to the image in its Standard mode, but swapping to its Cinema mode resolved this.

Contrast, meanwhile, is only at its best when using EBL, which does require the screen to be set to 100% laser brightness. Some people might find this a bit too bright for some situations, such as using the projector with a smaller screen (100-inch or less) and in a completely dark room. However, I didn’t find it to be an issue.

Without EBL, the screen hits around 1,600:1 contrast (Valerion’s claimed 4,000:1 still employs a degree of dynamic brightness adjustment), which is still decent and comparable to a typical LCD TV or monitor, but EBL genuinely does result in an image that feels like at least a 10,000:1 contrast display.

One factor I did notice about the image of this projector is that it does suffer a little bit from the shimmering rainbow effect that DLP projectors are known for. For bright, solid blocks of color – particularly white – you can almost make out the individual RGB pixels flickering away to create the overall white color. It’s seldom a problem for movies and games, but if you happen to want to use this for a PowerPoint presentation or for working at all day, you might find the shimmering a bit distracting.

Gaming

As you’d expect, gaming on this projector was most captivating when running it at 4K@60Hz and diving into a stunning, cinematic game, such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The detail and immersion are just incredible, with the 60Hz of the screen more than enough for controller-based games such as this. Note that the colored banding shown below and in some other images isn’t seen in person.

Switching to 1080p@240Hz and firing up some faster-paced titles, the drop in resolution is very noticeable, making me again wish that this display had a 1440p@120Hz mode. However, you can still feel the benefit of 120Hz when using a controller for more competitive titles, and 240Hz feels great for keyboard and mouse setups.

Responsiveness is good, too. Valerion doesn’t state a response time, but DLP typically has a sub-millisecond response time, and Valerion claims an 8ms input lag at 120Hz and 4ms at 240Hz, both of which are very impressive numbers. Sure enough, in-game, there was very little evidence of a feeling of latency or any visible evidence of ghosting. You will need to switch to the game display mode to get the best response from the projector, though.

Price

The Valerion VisionMaster Pro2 price is $2,999, though it’s currently available for $2,699. This makes it an expensive option that’s clearly aimed at home theater setups that can double as gaming spaces, rather than any sort of replacement for a conventional gaming monitor or just as a casual, occasional-use or travel projector. However, as such projectors go, it’s very competitively priced for the image quality and features that it offers.

Verdict

The Valerion VisionMaster Pro2 might be from a relatively new company in the projector space, but it arrives with a serious splash. Its combination of design, features, image quality, and value really makes it stand out from the crowd and is an easy recommendation for a home theater or large-scale gaming setup.

It would be ideal if it could offer 120Hz at 4K, or at the very least at 1440p, but the option to run at 1080p at 240Hz means you can get some serious gaming done, in between being utterly absorbed by this display’s 4K image quality.

The fact that you get a really easy-to-use GoogleTV interface and decent speakers is also a major boon for anyone who can foresee themselves taking their projector outside for game night or otherwise using it in a more ad hoc manner than a fully permanent home theater/gaming space setup. That’s especially true if you opt for the lovely walnut tripod stand.

The VisionMaster Pro2 won’t be a replacement for a 240Hz, 4K OLED gaming monitor or TV, but if you want an ultra-sized display or the versatility of a projector, I can strongly recommend this one.