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As equipment has started getting more and more affordable over the years, home theater setups have gotten increasingly popular. I’ve dabbled with a handful of projectors in the past, but I’ve never had an experience gaming with one that felt easier than simply plugging my consoles into a TV. That is, until I got my hands on the Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2.
Technical Specs
The VisionMaster Pro 2 packs a lot of punch. It projects a native 4K UHD resolution (3840×2160) and offers real-time AI upscaling to 4K using Valerion’s AI Super Resolution tech. It’s extremely versatile as a projector, offering projections from 40-300 inches, but it’ll work on larger or smaller surfaces as long as you’re okay with potentially sacrificing image quality. That said, I can’t imagine a home theater situation where that size range would be too limited.
Powered by the MediaTek Pentonic 700 SoC (MT9618) and making use of 4GB of RAM, the VisionMaster Pro 2 offers a relatively fluid experience when navigating through the Google TV OS that comes preinstalled. I experienced some lag between pushing buttons on the remote and the inputs being registered on the projector, which may come as a result of the low RAM capacity, but it didn’t feel out of place when compared to the 2021 LG OLED TV I use as my main screen. If you’re looking for a completely seamless experience when navigating the UI when picking this projector up, you may need to temper your expectations some.
I was most impressed by the 3000 ISO lumens of brightness that the VisionMaster uses for its projected image. I’ve only ever tested projectors that use under 3000 lumens (most residing closer to 2000 lumens), so the clarity and brightness of the projected image from the VisionMaster are spectacular. Since it uses a higher-intensity brightness, it doesn’t need to be used exclusively in low-light environments.
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The image does lighten up a fair amount and loses contrast depending on how much direct light is shining on the projection area. However, I played some dark sections of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle during that testing session and didn’t struggle much to see what was going on. In terms of the specs for its projected images, the VisionMaster Pro 2 boasts a color gamut of 110 percent Rec. 2020, meaning that the depth of color is incredibly accurate and diverse.
The main difference between using the VisionMaster Pro 2 in different light environments is how deep the darker projected colors will be. A lot more contrast is lost when the projection area is in a well-lit room, while in the dark it can rival any contemporary movie theater. As I mentioned, I still found it to be entirely usable during the day, but that limitation is something to consider if the VisionMaster Pro 2 is going to be used in rooms with lots of windows. One of the ads for the VisionMaster series shows one of the projectors being used in a very well-lit art studio and while that’s certainly possible to do, the projected image will likely not be as crisp as it’s shown in the video.
Design and Build
The VisionMaster Pro 2 weighs 15.4 lbs making it pretty robust, if a little hefty, while it measures a fairly average 10.2 x 7.3 x 8.5 inches. Its ribbed design makes it look modern while also providing plenty of ventilation for its fans which make about as much noise as a modern gaming computer or console. The sleek design of the projector also makes it easy to clean. Because of its fairly discreet design, it can be hidden quite easily out of sight, but its weight means that it can be difficult to suspend from ceilings without a substantial mount. The stand the projector uses to prop itself up for projection is sturdy, so there’s no need to worry about any sort of slippage either during use or in between projection sessions.
On the rear side of the projector, you’ll find all of its ports: a power port, two HDMI 2.1 ports, a single HDMI 2.0 (eARC) port, a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, a Sony/Philips Digital Interface port, a Fast Ethernet (LAN RJ45) port, and an audio jack. For wireless connectivity, the VisionMaster Pro 2 supports WiFi 6e and Bluetooth 5.2. The projector sports two internal 10W DTS Virtual:X speakers that I was surprised to find were excellent at filling a small room with sound and comparable to the speakers found in most modern TVs. Obviously, those going for a full home theater setup will need additional speakers and sound equipment, but anyone simply looking to use the VisionMaster as a stand-in for a TV should be satisfied.
Gaming Performance and Software
The VisionMaster Pro 2 is runs Google TV OS which means that users are required to sign into their Google accounts. As someone who primarily uses Google for the bulk of my streaming content, this wasn’t a problem for me, but anyone who might be a little less Google-reliant might want to consider that before buying. The Google integration makes it pretty simple to cast videos from phones and other connected devices which is how I did the bulk of my video browsing on account of the lackluster remote performance.
The projector’s auto focus, auto keystone, and auto screen alignment make getting set up extremely simple. There are manual settings for each of those things, but I didn’t feel the need to ever use them since the projector was able to accurately project on my walls without any issue.
Gaming with the VisionMaster Pro 2 is also excellent. I connected both my Xbox Series X and PS5 to the projector and found the experience to be as seamless and solid as using my TV. The projector uses multiple HDR formats (HDR 10, HLG, HDR 10+, and Dolby Vision) meaning that the visuals were extremely sharp with very solid color accuracy. The contrast took a hit when in lighter environments, as discussed above, but I found most games to look pristine. I tested a handful of recent games with varying art styles such as Marvel Rivals, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Call of Duty Black Ops 6, and Sonic X Shadow Generations and they all looked as good as ever.
Similarly, the games played very well on account of the VisionMaster Pro 2’s refresh rate options and low input latency. The options are as follows:
4ms at 1080P@240Hz
8ms at 1080P@120Hz
15ms at 4K@60Hz
I intentionally wanted to try out games that required quick reflexes and precise controls to make sure that the projector was making good on its low latency promises and, sure enough, I found the games to be very responsive.
Take note that there is some mental adjustment that needs to be made when playing games on larger screens that might feel like input lag, but it’s not, it’s just a response to seeing a game played on a different scale than a player might have been used to. That was a problem I had in the first half hour or so when testing the projector, but I quickly made the adjustment.
Final Thoughts
The VisionMaster Pro 2 is the upper midrange projector in Valerion’s VisionMaster series, meaning that its specs are impressive. However, there are some compromises made to help keep the cost down when compared to the flagship VisionMaster Max. That said, I was impressed at nearly every turn when using the VisionMaster Pro 2, so I’m not sure how much more value I would get out of the highest-end features from the VisionMaster Max, especially for an additional $1,000.
I primarily use the projector for gaming and in that regard, I couldn’t ask for much else. The projector has input low latency (especially when considering the fact that it’s not made for competitive gaming circuits), crisp visuals, and a solid built-in speaker, so there’s not much more I need out of a projector. There are some issues with the remote’s responsiveness and the loss of contrast when playing games in high-light environments, but for my gaming habits, those things don’t matter much.
At $3,499, the VisionMaster Pro 2 is an expensive piece of projection equipment, but it definitely delivers a high-quality experience that’s second only to the even higher-end projectors in the VisionMaster series. For me, my budget and my uses for a projector of this kind, that’s an extremely high price for something that serves a similar purpose to my LG OLED TV that I bought for about a third of the price.
Those who are looking to complete a home theater and are looking for a projector with a wide variety of options for projection, however, should heavily consider the VisionMaster Pro 2. My time with the projector left me thoroughly impressed and I am quick to recommend it to anyone who’s in the market and able to accept the high price tag.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2
The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 is a 4K UHD RGB triple-laser projector offering 3000 ANSI lumens, Dolby Vision, and 110% Rec.2020 coverage. It supports up to 300-inch screens with exceptional brightness, contrast, and color accuracy.