The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 offers cinematic-level picture quality in a consumer-friendly and incredibly well-engineered package.
Anyone wanting to put together a home cinema has to consider whether they want a projector or a large television. Most go for the latter, since a projector has inherent issues associated with home use.
For a start, you’re not going to necessarily get the same level of picture quality that you get at a movie theater with a home projector. Part of it is light management in the environment, but nearly all of it is shelling out for a good-enough projector in the first place.
To get a home projector that works at a high level, you can easily expect to pay $10,000 or more. In the case of Valerion’s VisionMaster Pro 2, we’re talking a base price of $3,499.
If you read nothing else past this line, at $3,499, the VisionMaster Pro 2 outperforms other units we’ve seen and tried that cost twice as much.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review – Out of the box
We don’t normally do unboxing experiences here. Most vendors are at least adequate at packaging.
We’re going to here, though.
Valerion has taken an extra, and notable, step in their packaging. The device comes entombed in a reusable styrofoam container. With latches and a handle.
It’s really a nice piece of kit, designed to protect the projector and its accessories, and keep it safe when stored. More accessory makers should consider doing something like this. It’s a nice touch.
Inside the box, you also get the power adapter, a remote control, batteries, a beefy paper manual, and a cleaning cloth.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: A very sturdy styrofoam casing
Flipping the unit over, there’s a kickstand, and a hole for a ceiling mount. We don’t have the hardware for a ceiling mount, so we didn’t test this. However, that kickstand is really good, and holds the unit up without drift.
All told we’re very happy with the presentation and engineering of the Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2. It’s well presented, and checks off all the boxes for what you’d expect from a good projector.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review – Core specifications
While relatively on the value end of the scale for higher-end projectors, the VisionMaster Pro 2 is not a nondescript lump of plastic. Taking the form of a large block, it has a ribbed structure, using 14 electroplated metal strips and a glass surface to differentiate itself from the usual plastic-heavy cheap projectors everyone is used to by now.
At 10.2 inches by 7.3 inches by 8.5 inches, it’s not exactly tiny, but better described as reasonable in size for home use.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: It’s a dense device
It’s dense as you’d expect from a projector, with a weight of 15.4 pounds. Combined with the size, it’s not exactly an easily portable device, but it’s still something that could be moved around if you really need to.
In our testing, we did this. We’ve used it inside and outdoors. It’s a shlep, given that the enclosure is designed for aesthetics more than portability — but that’s fine.
It’s very much a “set and forget” device, and we don’t think it’s going to get moved around much.
Unusually, Valerion claims the enclosure can withstand up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of pressure. We didn’t test this to destruction, though. It seemed fine and still worked after a 100-pound child sat on it.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: The box contents
Around the back, there are two connections for HDMI 2.1, one for HDMI 2.0, USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 ports, optical audio out, Gigabit Ethernet and an audio jack. That Ethernet port is a bit of a disappointment, as we weren’t ever able to get it to take data any faster than 100 megabits. The same cable provided full speed to an Apple TV 4K we used for testing.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: The rear panel is very accommodating
After a bit of reading, this seems to be a limitation of Google TV more than the hardware. It’s not hugely impactful given H.265 compression and file sizes, but it’s also an artificial limitation that doesn’t have to exist.
There’s wireless connectivity too, with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 supported. This all worked as expected.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review – The big picture
Delivering the picture in the VisionMaster Pro 2 is an RGB laser. The projector delivers 110% REC 2020 coverage, meaning it has a color gamut that will handle HDR content with ease. Our testing bore this out — we compared it against other projectors in the price range and designed utility, and found the color well-saturated on just about any surface, and amazing on the screen we were provided for testing.
That light can be bright, going up to 3,000 lumens at its peak. It also has a viewing contrast ratio of 15,000:1 and a native contrast of 4,000:1.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: Where the laser shines from
Resolution-wise, it can handle a 4K UHD image at 60Hz, which can be projected at a screen size between 40 inches and 300 inches. This is more than enough for modern media, and we were satisfied with what it delivered.
The OpticFlex lens system adds in multiple features to keep the image nice, including a 0.9 to 1.5:1 optical zoom, autofocus, auto keystone correction, auto obstacle avoidance, and auto screen alignment. Those last two elements will be very handy if you’re using a wall with elements like a lamp as a screen, or a dedicated screen surface.
When you’ve got the image set up, it offers a lot of formatting features. For a start, it has ISF-certified color accuracy.
Then there’s support for HDR10+ content, Dolby Vision, Active 3D, and Filmmaker Mode. There are also options to view movies in 24 and 48 frames per second, with the latter handy if you want to watch The Hobbit as Peter Jackson intended.
The projector is also capable of being used for gaming, with a latency as low as 4ms when playing 4K60 content. This includes gaming at 4K at 120Hz using motion estimation and motion compensation (MEMC) for frame interpolation, or going up to 240Hz at 1080p.
We don’t recommend motion compensation, but this is a personal preference. Sticking with 4K60 or lower resolution for gaming worked out the best for us.
Content upscaling is also available, with AI-Super Resolution increasing a full HD picture to 4K when required. This doesn’t work as well on standard-definition content, but it’s acceptable.
We like this feature off, though. There’s something to us that’s unnatural about the upscaling so far. This isn’t so much a ding on Valerion, but more a note about our preferences.
Also in the smart software department is Dynamic Tone Mapping (DTM), which automatically adjusts brightness and contrast levels in real time. The aim is to reduce instances of washed-out highlights and retain details in shadows, while still balancing sharpness and vibrancy.
As for the audio, aside from the built-in connections, one HDMI port supports eARC, complete with Dolby Atmos and DTS-X. It also has its own built-in speakers, with a pair of internal 12W drivers able to crank out sound.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review – Content viewing
Providing the processing power in the VisionMaster Pro 2 is the AI-SOC MT9618. It has a quad-core Cortex-A73 CPU with 4GB of memory and 128GB of storage, as well as a G52MC1 GPU.
This is all fine and good, all decently powered. What matters more is the software that sits on that silicon.
The onboard operating system is Google TV, which means you can access many streaming apps and services without needing other hardware. This includes the major streamers, like Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and Apple TV+.
While you can use the HDMI port to view content from a set-top box, it also offers other network content-sharing options. There’s support for Apple’s AirPlay 2, as well as Miracast and Chromecast, so you have multiple ways to get content from your iPhone and other mobile devices and onto the bigger screen.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: Fins dominate the external design
We’re not fond of any of the built-in services and apps. While we didn’t see any network traffic not associated with the services, we’re still big fans of the Apple TV hardware. Any Apple TV 4K will do, and after a brief period of use of the built-in apps, we stuck with the more powerful Apple set-top box and had a more pleasant experience overall.
There’s more connectivity available in its connection to smart home frameworks. It works with Apple HomeKit, so you can order it around with Siri, but it also works with Google Home and Alexa too.
The voice control worked, but with any voice control, it very much depends on how well the core technologies listen. We’re a Siri home, as you’d expect, and we got what we expected with that — meaning not much. As we said, we used the Apple TV 4K, and it worked great.
Well, it worked about as well as Siri can. Maybe stick with the physical remote, which is excellent.
And, you can plug an external drive into one of its USB-C ports and use its built-in media player. While we don’t recommend the VisionMaster Pro 2 for wilderness review, sometimes Wi-Fi reception outside is a little shaky. If you’ve got the movie you want you can slap it on a (fast) flash drive or SSD, and not have to worry about network connectivity.
The media player built into the device is good enough for this. We still prefer an Apple TV 4K attached, though.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review – Not inexpensive, but worth the money
We’re not projector neophytes, but we also aren’t the supreme experts in the field. This review is crafted for the Apple fan with above-average tech knowledge, with some experience in the AV field.
In short, the Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 has an excellent out-of-box experience, has finely crafted hardware, and a simple setup. Calibration is easy as pie — we handed the remote to a 10-year-old, and she figured out the initial setup and calibration perfectly.
We’ve tested a bunch of projectors over the years. Many have had HDR capability. To my eyes, the VisionMaster Pro 2 is best-in-class for that HDR content. It’s extended black feature — EBL — really makes this spectacular, without the lit haze that we’ve seen from other projectors.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: It’s got a decent kickstand
This was impossible to capture with a digital SLR or the iPhone, and frankly, image processing and compression for delivery here washes out what you can see. We’ve seen these projectors on display at AV stores, and we recommend you take a test drive with modern all-digital films with HDR.
The audio delivered by the projector was surprising. We were expecting to have to use the sound system or HomePods with the Apple TV for rich sound, but we were impressed. We’ve had warble from other speaker sound systems, and there was none here. It filled our 20×25 living room with sound and was great in our outdoor test environment too.
And, in that outdoor test environment, we threw the picture against our house. It was capable of delivering a pretty sharp image on about a 20-foot diagonal. We don’t recommend this for every movie you show, but it’s still very, very impressive.
And, the projector itself is extremely quiet! You can hear air moving and fans if you’re about a foot away from the projector, but even then, it’s very quiet and you wonder if you’re hearing it or not.
And, all this is done consuming about 95 watts on average. This is refreshing, compared to the 400W+ that we’ve seen in other units.
For now, the software is a little buggy. We’ve hit a few UI snags and crashed, forcing us to reboot the unit entirely to fix them. We did have a firmware update in the middle of our review period, which helped things a little, but the software is still a little buggy. We do expect this to improve with time, as the company has done with other hardware, but it needs another patch or two.
If it gets that patch, we’ll disconnect the Apple TV 4K.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: Packed in its case on a bookshelf
It’s not quite the projector that Apple would make if they got into the market. The software is a little clunky, but that does sit on top of excellent hardware.
But it is close to what we think Apple’s design labs would churn out. And, it’s not a massive edifice of borderline-brutalist engineering design hanging from your ceiling or sitting behind your sofa.
The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 Projector Review delivers an excellent balance of price to performance. If you’re looking at a projector for your home or business, it’s an excellent — and cost-effective — choice, and we recommend it.
Valerion calls its products a “Hollywood standard in your home.” We agree, and we’re looking forward to the VisionMaster Max that the company announced at CES 2025.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 Pros
- Best in class for HDR content
- Bright 3,000 lumens, 4K 60Hz image
- Extremely quiet
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 Cons
- Clunky software
- Not easily portable
Rating: 4 out of 5
The only thing holding the VisionMaster Pro 2 from a higher score is the software. We may revisit this in the future. For now, though, we recommend an Apple TV 4K be paired with the unit.
Where to buy the Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2
The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 is available from the company’s online store, priced at $3,499.
