Valerion VisionMaster Pro2
Pros
- Plenty of light
- Chrome ribs offers a unique look
Cons
- Color accuracy is fairly poor
- Chrome finish isn't for everyone
Valerion VisionMaster Pro2 has a mirrored, "chrome" aesthetic that looks like someone crushed a 1958 Buick into a cube. Then, they somehow managed to fit three multigigawatt (not really) lasers inside it, resulting in an impressively bright image. Like most of the best projectors, it also has Android TV for streaming, as well as HDMI connections for devices such as game consoles and cable and satellite boxes. There's even an impressive zoom control.
Performance, however, is somewhat mixed. The projector is exceptionally bright, and its contrast is well above average, but that's offset by mediocre color accuracy. So while it holds its own against other higher-end 4K projectors, it doesn't quite stand out. That is, unless you really like chrome.
Specs and such
- Resolution: 4K
- HDR-compatible: Yes
- Lumens spec: 3,000
- Zoom: 0.9-1.5
- Lens shift: No
- Light source type and claimed lifespan: At least 25,000 hours
The VisionMaster Pro2 is a 4K projector with RGB lasers and Android TV. Despite its compact -- though boxy -- size, it has an impressive optical zoom. Disappointingly, there are no zoom range presets. This means that if you have a 2.35:1 screen, you'll need to manually zoom out to fill it when you watch movies with that aspect ratio. Not a huge deal, but presets would be nice.
The Pro2 is rated at 3,000 lumens. I measured an impressive 2,301 in its most accurate mode and an eye-watering 3,206 in its far less accurate (and green) Vivid mode with Brightness Enhancer on. This makes it one of the few projectors I've measured that actually beats its own brightness spec. It's also the second-brightest projector I've measured, after the Anker Nebula X1.
Determining the projector's native contrast ratio proved unnecessarily challenging as it automatically dims the lasers when it detects a full black, 0 IRE signal. The brightness settings in the picture menu that appeared to disable this feature did not, in fact, do so. Feeding the Pro2 a mostly 0 IRE signal -- with just enough above 0 to prevent ramping -- resulted in a contrast ratio of about 1,577:1, which should be fairly close to an accurate measurement. In side-by-side testing (explained below), its image looked less punchy than the Anker X1, which has a similar contrast ratio, and closer to the BenQ W4100i, which has slightly lower contrast.
Regardless of the exact number, this falls into the "good" category-- above average and well above the median for what I've measured at CNET. It's notably better than the vast majority of higher-end 4K projectors, which have long struggled with contrast ratio. The next significant jump in contrast ratio is only found in far more expensive LCOS projectors from Sony and JVC.
The RGB lasers are rated for, essentially, the life of the projector. If you use the Pro2 for four hours a night, you'll still get over 17 years out of it before the lasers could give out. That's assuming, of course, that 1) the rest of it lasts that long, and 2) you haven't upgraded to some futuristic holo-imaging, 3D photon-o-rizer -- or whatever we'll all be using in the 2040s (or maybe sooner).
Connections
- HDMI inputs: 3
- USB port: 2
- Audio output: eARC, optical, 3.5mm analog, Bluetooth
- Internet: Wi-fi, wired
- Remote: Partially backlit
Most projectors in this category have a single HDMI input, largely due to the expectation that you'll use the internal streaming instead of anything external. So the three on this device seem almost generous. I always recommend using a receiver to switch your sources for any projector setup.
If you just want to send audio to a soundbar, there's eARC, optical and even a 3.5mm headphone jack. USB ports allow you to connect and power a Roku or Amazon Fire TV Stick without the need for additional cables. And speaking of connections, a wired Ethernet port on the back is fairly rare these days.
The remote has a lovely design that matches the mirror/chrome aesthetic of the projector. It's a nice touch that puts the bland remote Anker ships with all their projectors (cheap and expensive) to shame. A few of the important buttons are also backlit.
Picture quality comparisons
I compared the Valerion against two close competitors: the BenQ is the newest and most expensive, but the Anker had a similar price to the Valerion when it was introduced. All three projectors are exceptionally bright. The Anker is the brightest projector I've ever measured, and this Pro2 is a close second. The BenQ is the dimmest of the three, but still brighter than most other projectors I've reviewed. I compared all three on a 1.0-gain screen using a distribution amplifier (aka an HDMI splitter).
Thanks to lasers and LEDs, the average projector has never been brighter. All three of these projectors take that notion to an extreme. While the Anker's nearly 2,400 lumens (in its accurate mode) is the brightest I've tested, the Valerion's 2,300 is not far behind. Side by side, this difference is small enough not to matter. These are both extremely bright -- and if you have a dark room or a smaller screen, you'll likely need to adjust the laser power.
The BenQ, with "only" 1,700 lumens, would have been the brightest projector I've reviewed in over two years if it weren't for these other two. Is it dimmer than the other two? Yes, and that is noticeable side by side, but for most setups, I don't think you'll find even 1,700 lumens insufficient. No projector can yet compete with ambient light, and the BenQ can fill an enormous screen, so let's just say that these are all more than enough.
With contrast, things start to separate out a bit. A projector's contrast ratio is crucial to its visual quality, with many projectors still appearing quite washed out compared to even budget-friendly TVs. The Anker looks a little punchier compared to the Valerion and BenQ. It has a roughly 50% better contrast ratio, and side by side, you can see that, in addition to one of the better contrast ratios I've measured in a while. That 50% improvement sounds huge, but it's not some subjective "50% better."
Really high-end projectors could have 10x any of these projectors' contrast ratios -- this is a step, but not a leap. The Valerion and BenQ, though not quite as punchy as the Anker, are still better than average. They're a lot better than most recent 4K projectors, which typically look quite flat. As mentioned above, the Pro2's contrast is difficult to measure, but subjectively, it looks somewhere between the Anker and BenQ.
The biggest difference between the three is how they handle color. Both BenQ and Anker produce quite good colors. While they aren't the most accurate projectors I've measured, they're close, producing vibrant, natural-looking images across a variety of content. The BenQ looks a bit more realistic overall, though the Anker's colors are still very pleasing to watch.
The Valerion stumbles here. Its colors are less true-to-life. Not in a huge, distracting way, but worse than any home projector I've reviewed recently. Compared to the others here, every color was a bit wrong, leading to an image that just didn't look as natural as the BenQ or Anker. Yellows and skin tones, for instance, were slightly on the green side, while reds weren't as deep or as rich.
Lastly, as I've mentioned in other reviews, the Valerion shares an issue common to RGB laser projectors: If you wear glasses, you may notice chromatic aberration, or color fringing, along the edges of objects -- especially white objects against a dark background -- where the image splits into its component colors. This results in a sort of single-color "shadow" or edge. This is separate from the DLP rainbows some people see with certain DLP projectors. It won't affect everyone who wears glasses -- and it won't affect those who don't -- but if you do notice it, the competing BenQ model doesn't have this issue.
Overall, I'd rank them: Anker first, followed by BenQ and then Valerion.
Chrome fins and RGB lasers
I'm always a fan of projectors with creative, distinctive designs -- a nice change from the endless smooth-edged boxes in varying shades of gray. Image quality matters more, of course, but for most of the day, this thing is just going to be sitting in your room. It might as well look nice while it does that. Epson's Lifestudio Flex Plus ran with this idea, just as an example, though that projector is in a much lower performance class (and price) than the projectors we're talking about here. I dig the Valerion's looks, though a few friends saw it while I was testing, and their reaction was split. To each their own, I suppose.
Performance-wise, the Pro2 is impressively bright. There's no doubt about that, though light output is just one aspect of a projector's overall performance. Typically, color accuracy comes at the expense of brightness, so it's entirely possible that a version of the Pro2 that's more accurate can't compete with the Anker in terms of light output. But then again, the Anker is more accurate and even brighter. So in the end, the Valerion is good, but just misses out on a spot on our list of best projectors.
One last thing, the movie Valerian (I assume the company's name is a riff on that ancient name) is bad in remarkably unimpressive and boring ways, but its opening sequence is a delight, and I'll take any excuse to share it. The movie goes rapidly downhill from there. Thankfully, the projector doesn't do the same.