Valerion VisionMaster Pro2 Review – Can Good Things Really Come in Small Packages?

By Starvos

INTRODUCTION
RBG laser engines made their consumer debut in UST projectors several years ago and have become a huge player in the projection market. Many home theatre enthusiasts who were accustomed to standard throw projectors made the switch, being enticed by the many advantages these tri-laser projectors offered-the main one being the significantly expanded colour gamut without the need for lumen-robbing special filters. However, the main trade-off to switching to a UST was the loss of the placement flexibility that most standard throw projectors afford.
With the passage of time, there have been continual advances in the picture quality of these trilaser USTs, and as many of us watched model after model being released, many enthusiasts, me included, were wondering, “Are we ever going to see this light engine and its refinements incorporated into a traditional, standard throw projector?” A testament to this pent up demand is how much buzz the Valerion VisionMaster series has garnered on the AVS Forum(not to mention its immense success on its Kickstarter page). Not that the Pro2 is the first traditional throw tri-laser projector to hit the market; however, on paper, it sure does look like it has the potential to be the best one yet.
I have been closely following the AVS Forum thread from day one, and thanks to some early reviewers(whom we should all be thankful to, the likes of Nikos(Projektor Junkies)-shared early results of the Plus2, Peter(@FenceMan)-has tirelessly gone above and beyond to answer all our questions, and Rob(from the Hook-up-anticipation of his exhaustive comparative videos turn us into little kids impatiently waiting for Santa on Christmas day), it would appear that indeed, the Pro2 is a very special projector. The review to follow is intended primarily for the AVSForum audience, as I try to focus on areas that matter most to this very dedicated community.
Finally, I just wanted to disclose that I am not a professional projector reviewer, You tuber, or social media influencer (and also am not financially affiliated with any electronics company)-- I am an optometrist by profession, always in the pursuit of the best vision for my patients. Achieving our ultimate potential when it comes to vision has always been my passion. This carries over to my decades old pursuit of the ultimate theatrical image and trying to squeeze the best out of any display device that our retinas are to behold. And this is my intent with the Pro2—and thus would like to thank the team at Valerion for being so kind and sending me a sample of the Pro2 to review. My mission is to provide fellow enthusiasts with a thorough armamentarium of objective measurements, followed by honest, unbiased subjective observations.
My set up is a 150” Elite 16:9 Cinetension White unity gain screen. The measuring devices that I used are an X-rite Colormunki Photo spectrophotometer(High Resolution Mode) for colourimetry and a Sper Scientific 840022 light meter for contrast and lumen measurements. The software used is HCFR. A Sony UBP-X700 fires up the test patterns, and a Sony NEX-3N does duty for the photos.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
The Pro2 arrived very securely packaged in not only double cardboard, but also in a unique, slick carrying case-not so important for those who will ceiling mount the Pro2; but for those planning on having it serve multiple duties, the carrying case is a nice touch. As anticipated, in that cool case fit the Pro2, separate power supply, remote, and a multi-language user manual, all packaged efficiently to fit in the case. A few things to note-interesting to see the power supply external from the projector-perhaps to decrease heat and thus fan noise inside the projector, and should it fail, it would prove much easier to replace. The remote(both blutetooth and IR) is nicely crated, with an upscale aluminum front, with several back lit buttons-a small detail, but welcomed for sure by enthusiasts. It fits comfortably in the hand, thanks to a gentle convex backside. For those worried about line of sight issues with the remote, the team at Valerion has included an innovative Bluetooth wakeup feature in the projector. This means that Bluetooth will remain powered on and actively broadcasting even when the projector is turned off. Thus, the Pro2 can be turned on, even without line of sight. Finally, please note that the unit sent to me is an Engineering Sample, as witnessed by the attached labels.

The projector itself, though not resembling a typical home theatre projector in size and shape, is very aesthetically pleasing; so much so that it caught my wife’s eye as a thing of beauty, something she would have no issue putting even in the family room. Needless to say, this compliment of high praise has never befallen any of my previous projectors(bodes well for all worried about the WAF). Though it is quite a small cube size-wise, it does carry a hefty weight, hopefully promising good things inside too. The glossy front panel is a beautiful Elegant Grey colour, not quite black, but close enough for those who prefer it to disappear in their bat cave.
The initial boot up time is about 38 seconds. Subsequent start-ups harness full laser power in about seven seconds-gone are the days of waiting and waiting for bulbs(and even tubes) to warm up. It runs on the Google TV platform, with all usual apps, bells and whistles. Responses from the remote are instantaneous, with absolutely no lag in navigation. As far as placement goes, the 0.9-1.5 throw ratio powered zoom lens provides a good amount of flexibility. The Pro2 is the first projector I have owned with zero vertical offset—I suspect to allow it to be placed low/on the floor(as it has its roots as a Lifestyle Projector). As I am sure most reading this review are aware of, the much anticipated Max will greatly enhance vertical placement as it will include a generous amount of vertical lens shift. For those not too worried about ‘digital image adjustments’, the Pro2 is endowed with front sensors that can automatically place (and focus) your image inside your screen—for those looking for plug and play, I am sure it will put a smile on their face. However, those of us who prefer to avoid digital interference, full manual controls are on board too.

LENS/FOCUS/SHARPNESS
Speaking of focus, a button on the remote calls up the auto focusing procedure and afterwards, allows fine tuning from the remote to dial in the focus optimally(the auto focus mechanism gets you either spot on, or very close to it) Though the lens ‘only’ has a 40mm diameter, the fabricator(s) deserve high praise. The images it produces are among the sharpest I have ever seen(at both 0.9 and 1.5 TR). As you are all aware, the corners are the toughest to keep tack sharp, as aberrations more readily rear their ugly head as we move to the periphery. There is an ever so slight hint of softening in the corners which is unresolvable by our visual system at any proper viewing distance. The same can be said for chromatic aberration(CA)-as I have tried to show in the photos, it was exceedingly minimal, and also not an issue at all at typical viewing distances. The combo of this exceptional lens with what must also be exceptional image processing render an image that is super sharp and detailed, devoid of any noise. I was also impressed at the level of delineation of my 2160TVL pattern(vertical shown below)-the best rendering that I have ever seen to date(from an XPR projector). A final note; in the Projector settings, the option labelled ‘Ultra Sharp Mode’ turns the XPR actuator off and on, allowing one to choose between native 1080p and 4K.

Motion Handling
Home theatre enthusiasts will be pleased to see that Valerion endowed the Pro2 with the ability to show 24p without 3:2 pulldown(as can be seen by the clean pattern below). Most 0.47” DMD XPR projectors are fixed at 4K at 60 frames per second(60P). This can lead to judder when converting 24P to 60P(as there needs to be a 3:2 pulldown). For those who prefer to further smoothen their image by reducing stutter in motion in frame rates under 60p, the Pro2 does include several MEMC settings, including one where you can customize the amount of smoothening and blur reduction. This system intelligently inserts frames in between real frames in attempts to smooth out motion.

RBE – I am not overly sensitive to RBE, but do notice it occasionally on ‘culprit’ scenes(dark scenes with small bright objects in them.) The Pro2 does show some RBE, but it is very minimal. Apart from those that are very sensitive to RBE, I do not believe it will be an issue for most.

Speckle & Noise – projectors using tri-lasers as their light source can be prone to screen artifacts that look like speckles. The amount depends on laser and screen type. I can confirm that on my flat white, slightly textured vinyl screen, there indeed is no visible laser speckle. In terms of video noise, as I already mentioned, I could not discern any at my 10’ viewing distance—the images were pristinely clean.

Audible fan noise – the Pro2 is very quiet, virtually silent from my 10’ viewing distance. I measured an approximate 30dB max noise level at a 1 m distance(Laser luminance at max-10).

3D – stereopsis is a phenomenal thing—utilizing disparities in the images the left and right eyes receive, the brain constructs a three-dimensional space from two, two-dimensional images. Utilizing this fact is how 3D projectors work. However, having to create a 3D image from on screen disparities taxes our binocular vision system, and some viewers suffer strain, headaches and even nausea. Unfortunately for me, I happen to be one of them, and so I avoid 3D viewing or keep it to a minimum. (My apologies to all the 3D enthusiasts.) That being said, I believe Valerion is still refining their 3D implementation and I am sure we will hear a lot more about it in time.

USB Support- I am happy to report that NTFS drives are supported. The built in Media Player app played every file I threw at it, video and audio. I suspect that most enthusiasts have an assortment of favourite external players on hand which they prefer to use, possibly freeing up internal horsepower to use for snappier image processing.

Gaming – though I am not myself a gamer, I reckon that gamers would approve of the Pro2. It has a special Turbo Mode, claiming lags as low as 4ms @1080p at 240fps, 8ms @1080p at 120fps and15ms @4K at 60fps.

CMS & Greyscale Adjustment – I was pleased to see a complete CMS included(as well as 2 point and 20 point grey scale controls, and even a 20 point Gamma Calibration). For those who like to tweak their image, Valerion has provided the requisite tools to do just that.

The Actual Numbers

ANSI Lumens & Uniformity
Valerion rates the Pro2 at 3,000 ANSI lumens, and although in the chart above, the maximum reached was 2724, the Pro2 achieved 3024 maximum ANSI lumens by setting the Brightness Enhancer to High in the HDR Vivid mode. However, this mode induces an unsightly green cast to the image, rendering it unusable. Fully calibrated, almost 2300 lumens remain—an excellent showing. Effectively, this nets you around 115 nits on a 150” screen, and roughly 275 nits on a 100” screen(unity gain, 16:9), All of the above measurements were taken with the Laser Luminance level set to its max, 10. The lens position was at its longest throw position, 1.5. Moving the projector as close as possible to the screen, at its 0.9 throw, brought an approximate 9% gain in lumens. In terms of screen uniformity, there was only about a 100K difference from top to bottom of the screen, which is imperceptible. Luminance uniformity came in at around 91.7%--a fantastic result. Overall screen uniformity is superb.

Contrast
As mentioned, the Pro2 uses TI’s 0.47” DMD device with XPR technology to derive its 4K resolution. The typical sequential contrast these DMDs produce in standard throw projectors is around 1,000:1(with the best USTs having reached over 3,000:1). And so, the 2,167:1 achieved in best calibrated DV is a commendable accomplishment. However, that number is still relatively low when we compare it to other imaging technologies. Fortunately, to immensely improve low ADL scenes, Valerion includes an aggressive dynamic dimming technology which they name EBL(Enhanced Black Level). Using intelligent algorithms to scrutinize scene brightness levels, instantaneous laser dimming along with gamma manipulation is used to “shift the scene's contrast across more of the projectors native contrast range.”(thank you @SirMaster) As the name suggests, it truly does enhance black levels, as witnessed by the ~15,0000:1 dynamic contrast ratio achieved, and the myriad of comparisons already on the forum—and a few more below. A few final notes-in order to eliminate the EBL system during sequential contrast testing, I used a single lit pixel pattern. A quick/modified ANSI contrast measurement at the lens(luxmeter as close to the lens as possible, sensor inside one of the checkerboard squares) yielded a 300:1 value—which is what I believe is the maximum measured for a 0.47” DMD. And finally, I used @PixelPusher15’s(thank you!) low ADL patterns to test low ADL contrast. My room is only partially treated, so measurements at the screen do not mean much and so I have not posted them. However, I will say that the results tell us that when I tested the Pro2 with EBL on, EBL was NOT active in any of those patterns, likely remaining absent due to the presence of 100 percent white in the patterns. And finally, in HDR10 best calibrated mode, the contrast ratio at 1.5 throw was 2079:1, as stated above, and dropped to around 1600:1 at the shortest 0.9 throw ratio—as is expected, at 0.9 throw, we gain lumens but lose contrast.

EBL
Dynamic laser dimming technology(and dynamic iris technology) have been around for a while and I have often wondered why they are not more aggressively implemented, particularly in projectors with relatively low contrast ratios. I commend Valerion for taking up the challenge to try to implement such a system optimally—aggressive enough to transparently lower black levels while not clipping highlights, on a scene by scene basis. Though this is not a ‘direct’ replacement for native contrast, it really is a game changer. Native contrast will always be king, and should be sought after. However, when up against hardware limitations, such as those imposed by the 0.47” DMD, systems like EBL allow the Pro2 to produce impressive black levels(as you know, a photo cannot perfectly recreate the projected image the eye sees--all comparison photos are taken with the same shutter speed/aperture/ISO and white balance to attempt to preserve accuracy):

I believe these pictures speak for themselves, similar to many we have seen posted in this thread. With EBL on, in low APL scenes, blacks become so much deeper, with the retention of shadow detail. By eliminating that haze or dullness associated with these challenging scenes on lower native contrast projectors, the picture takes on a whole new look. Essentially, EBL ‘saves’ those scenes from otherwise having to ‘grin and bear’ them. Mid to high APL scenes have always been DLP’s strong suit, and so EBL helps solve that Achilles’ DLP heal. Dimming all three lasers at the same intensity across the power spectrum is no small feat—if not done properly, changes in colour temperature can be noted and thus very distracting. Valerion has done a great job here; I never once noticed an obvious change from scene to scene, regardless of how drastic the APL change was. Out of curiosity, I measured the grey scale using my EBL off SDR best calibrated settings with EBL on, and the 100 IRE was 6214, the average delta E being only 1.68:

As you know, the two main artifacts that dynamic dimming systems can introduce are visible pumping as the light level changes, and the aforementioned highlight clipping. And while the Pro2 EBL implementation is exemplary, very occasionally, one can just slightly detect some pumping(if you know what to look for) and also, some clipping--again, if you know what to look for. Admittedly, I am sensitive to clipping, mainly when it occurs in ‘natural areas’, particularly in facial details. Here is an actual clip:

A close look at the tip of Agatha’s nose, and one can see some clipping—it was a little more obvious on screen than it is in the photos. This has been reported to Valerion to help improve their algorithm. I believe we have been told that they are working on selectable EBL levels—something enthusiasts would appreciate.
That being said, the above shot was taken from the last episode of Season 1 of “Agatha All Along-Dolby Vision” (as my daughter is a big Marvel fan, any time I can spend with her watching in our home theatre together is a win!). The first seven minutes or so sees Agatha wandering through a shadowy forest. Minor clipping aside, the entire scene was rendered spectacularly. So much so that my daughter leaned over to me half way through to say, “Dad, this projector is so life like”. After that comment, and out of curiosity, I turned on my current projector(also a 0.47” XPR trilaser, CR~1:700:1, no dynamic laser dimming), brightness matched them(!) and did a comparison:

My daughter was so right--I do not even need to label these pictures as to which is the Valerion, nor do I need to comment on them as I believe they speak for themselves.

Grey Scale/Colourimetry
Though as expected, none of the stock modes are perfectly accurate, it appears Valerion has set things up(again, this is an Engineering sample) such that the brighter(less accurate) modes are intended for ambient light viewing and the more accurate modes(Filmmaker and Theater) are for more critical viewing. Of course, enthusiasts will want to(and should) further calibrate their units which will yield them exceptional results for their efforts.

While not spot on, this mode is likely accurate enough for most, out of the box.

The results here are superb, with very low Delta Es for both grey scale colour sweeps. And for those who are looking to send BT2020 SDR to the Pro2 will enjoy full gamut, accurate colour, as shown in the above plot. I was happy to see that the Pro2 has a properly functioning Color Space setting, allowing one to select their desired space in SDR.

The results look similar to uncalibrated SDR-- While not spot on, this mode is likely accurate enough for most, out of the box.

Once again, the calibration tools included in the Pro2 come in clutch, delivering superb results. The above Colour Gamut was done with 50% luminance patterns. With these calibrated settings, I then measured the Gamut with 100% colours to see if luminance would hold up:

Indeed, the full gamut luminance holds up very well.

Once again, the results are good, but leave room for improvement. Fortunately, the full range of controls(except Gamma 20 point) are also available to tweak Dolby Vision.

Though I was not able to get Dolby Vision as accurate as HDR10, the results are still very good. For some of the colours, the luminance values were difficult to optimize. Again, nevertheless, we still end up with really nice looking Dolby Vision images. And do note that the Pro2 includes a screen size setting that can be set between 80-150”—this affect the accuracy of Dolby Vision tone mapping.

HDR Performance & DTM
The HDR standard moves our colour depth to 10 bits, allowing for smoother gradation between colours. Below is the test for just how smooth a display device can show us 10 bit colour. Ideally, we would like to see the 10 bit pattern as smooth as possible, with no banding. In the photo below, there is no visible banding. I will say, with nose to the screen, the Cr window did have a hint of banding, the Y and Cb being clean. I paid close attention to see if I could detect any banding during viewing—the open blue sky sequences in the Spears & Munsils demo footage are really good demo torture tests to detect banding. I am happy to report that I saw none and so was not surprised that in the hours of viewing various material, once again, banding was not detected.

Because of the limited luminance of projectors, HDR material must be tone mapped to compensate for this. HDR tone mapping in projectors has always been an area of wide ranging results. Accurate tone mapping makes a huge difference when watching HDR material. The Pro2 is compatible with the two dynamic tone mapped formats, HDR10+(the Pro2 offers 3 settings in HDR10+ mode: Theater, Standard and Vivid) and Dolby Vision, but also includes its own built-in proprietary Dynamic Tone Mapping(DTM) for HDR10. In home theatre projectors, DTM has been sort of a ‘luxury’ feature, and so to find it included on the Pro2 is commendable and a big bonus—particularly because it performs so well, as seen in the below comparison examples:

This dynamic range torture shot shows just how good the DTM is. The level of detail that is retained in the bright snow compared to no DTM and even Dolby Vision is outstanding-even at the 10,000 max nit level

We see similar results with this example too—the preservation of detail in the highlights—the scene with DTM on immediately seems more life like.

This shot was the most impressive for me. Though subtle here in these photos, in real life it was very obvious—there is a sun that is setting on the right side of the image. With DTM off, it was barely visible; with DV it was totally blown out, and with DTM on, it was plain to see. The above shot shows us that not only does DTM bring out detail in the highlights, but it does in the shadows too, as noted by the increase in detail in the mountain rock —again, more visible in person than on these photos.

My nieces introduced me to the Sing movies(and I suspect I enjoyed them even more than they did!)—looking at Rosita, she has whiskers painted on both cheeks. With DTM off, they are barely visible, but become visible with DTM On and in DV. Similarly, her cat suit and ears appear uniform white with DTM off, but subtle textures and details are visible in DTM On and in DV.

Please ignore the white balance issues here in the above two Sing shots—I am not sure why my camera did not get it right. With DTM on and in DV, one can see all the details in Buster Moon’s white fur—particularly on his chin and in his ears. With DTM off, they get blown out, leaving a soft white void.
As you can see, the addition of DTM is a big deal. It ensures that every detail becomes visible scene by scene, by adjusting the intra scene dynamic range to fit the Pro2’s capabilities. Images simply become more lifelike, more real.
Finally, a sequence of EBL and DTM working in tandem—I am sure, a no small software feat.

Hats off to the software engineering team here—these two features work synergistically to really enhance a very difficult low APL scene. The EBL + DTM seem to optimally adjust the scene's contrast across the projector’s native contrast range.

Discussion
Standard throw DLP enthusiasts have been waiting a long time now for a fix to low contrast 4K projectors. We have seen countless offerings, but little progress. Finally, I can say, Valerion has thrown us a bone, a bone with a lot of meat on it. Working within the confines of hardware limitation, they have squeezed out the most performance so far in terms of an affordable, DLP projector. They have patched up that hole that DLP has in low APL scenes, while maximizing the usual DLP tri-laser strengths—bright, punchy, colourful razor sharp images. One can now watch an entire movie or show and enjoy consistently beautiful images, regardless of APL level. Yes, there may be an occasional artifact here and there in the EBL to achieve this, but as witnessed in the Agatha scene compared to my current projector, it takes what is otherwise a dull and flat image to one that is so vibrant and rich-full of depth. It has been said so many times on this thread but I am fine to repeat it—it is very hard to believe just how much performance the Pro2 brings to the table, considering where it is priced at. In my 25 years of following projection technology, I do believe the Pro2 represents the pinnacle of performance to price ratio. It truly is a good time to be a home theatre lover.


In Closing
I would like to commend Valerion for bringing some excitement back to the traditional throw DLP community-they have given enthusiasts something to be enthused about. Sure, the Pro2 is targeted as a Lifestyle projector. Yes, the throw ratio could be greater. No matter--considering the phenomenal images it can produce, we will make it work for us, happily. I do believe Valerion has heard us. They must have, considering that, as I type this, the Kickstarter campaign is closely approaching $10,000,000 Cnd, with over 3000 backers. And I hope Valerion continues to hear us. There still is room for improvement. The Max will be coming mid next year and hopefully after that, they can offer us an extensive traditional throw line.
The year was 2001 when I first saw a full HD image projected by a 64” Zenith IQB64W10W. It was deservedly on a pedestal in a local ma and pa Electronics shop, back when they still existed. It was showing a sequence of nature shots, kind of a prehistoric Spears and Munsil Montage. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was no longer looking at a display, but out of a window. That feeling has returned when viewing the Pro2—its images are just that good.
The IQB weighed 390 lbs and barely fit through my doorway. The Pro2 weighs 15 lbs and can fit under my arm. Which brings us to the question in our title, “Can Good Things Really Come in Small Packages?” The Pro2 is proof that indeed good things, no, great things do come in small packages(as all you Kickstarter backers will soon find out!)

And, finally, below, a collection of photos from the well-known S&M demo clip, (retinal rush only possible when viewed on screen, in person) :

Commendable Qualities
- ~2,300 calibrated lumens
-super sharp 4K images-high quality power zoom lens
-full BT2020 colour gamut- even up to 100% luminance
-envelop pushing EBL laser dimming
-very effective HDR10 Dynamic Tone Mapping
-excellent screen uniformity
-zero laser speckle(on Cinetension white screen)
-low RBE
-full CMS/GS controls allowing for very accurate calibration
-24p material handled correctly
-respectable sequential/native contrast for standard throw 0.47” XPR DMD
-whisper quiet
-Dolby Vision compatible
-3D compatible
-OTA firmware support planned

Wish List
-increased sequential/native contrast

BEST CALIBRATED SETTINGS
Below are the settings that were used to achieve the calibrated results. I am happy to share them with you, but please do remember that these were achieved with an Engineering Sample, which may differ from production units(in which there can be unit to unit variation). Also, keep in mind these represent findings on a plain white screen.