VAVA Laser TV Review: 2500 Lumens of 4K UHD Ultra Short Throw Projector For The Whole Family

The VAVA Laser TV LT002 looks to be about the least expensive projector of its type to hit the market to date. With an MSRP of only $2799, it claims 2500 ANSI lumens, at a price point well below the better-known brand names. It will sit several inches away from and several inches below your screen. Like all Laser TVs, it will work best in rooms with ambient light when paired with one of the screens designed for both UST projectors (Laser TVs), and ambient light rejection (ALR). Officially the VAVA Laser TV is VAVA's model LT002, although they don't focus on that, rather that it is the VAVA 4K UHD Laser TV.

2019 saw the announcement of a number of Ultra Short Throw projectors, including the VAVA Laser TV, which started shipping in Q4, 2019. CES 2019 saw the initial announcement for this Laser TV as well as announcements of competing projectors from Optoma, Nebula, LG and more. Despite early promises from the manufacturers of Q2 2019 shipments, they all slipped into Q4 two, one being this VAVA

VAVA Specs
Price	$2799
Technology	DLP with XPR
Native Resolution	4K (1080x1920x4)
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)	1800
Contrast	1,5000,000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio	Fixed
Lens Shift	No
Lamp Life	20,000 hours
Weight	23.8lb

Overview

With several new models shipping now, (November), that is setting up for 2020 being the first year of significant Laser TV sales in the US. The first of all these new ones to ship was the LG (about twice the price, but a bit more advanced). Seems like VAVA has been fulfilling their crowd sourcing orders, and has recently started to sell to the general public, through Amazon…

The VAVA projector is smart, you run apps, like Netflix, and Amazon Prime and many others. Like most new smart projectors, it uses an Android operating system. This VAVA Laser TV, supports the usual Alexa and Google Assistant personal assistants.

The background on this projector is especially interesting. Back at CES last January, there were two established companies showing prototype Laser TVs that were building them getting funding from crowdsourcing. I like the concept, of companies, where it makes sense, to defray a lot of development costs if there is crowdsourcing interest. Of the two, Nebula and VAVA, VAVA is now shipping. Nebula which makes mostly very inexpensive projectors (and other things), seems to have dropped off the radar for now.

VAVA projecting a vibrant image on to my living room wall(before my new screen arrived. Sunny day, 120" diagonal image

This is VAVA’s first projector. VAVA itself is one of several brands of Sun Valley Tek, a Chinese company that’s been around for about 12 years, and now has 100+ employees, has three additional “region” offices to serve the rest of the world, including one in the US.

living room ambient light - Projector Reviews Images

Bright living room conditions: VAVA sports image projected on the wall, is dynamic despite sunny day, lack of ALR screen.

As the first projector from a company, that may give you cause for reflection. We’ll take a look at the trade-offs, and take that into consideration in our recommendations.

Here’s a thought: VAVA had a very good chance of getting the picture pretty right, their first time out, thanks to this being a 4K UHD DLP projector. That's because Texas Instruments not only makes the DLP chips but offers manufacturers a range of optical and image processing solutions, essentially the building blocks of a projector. (For example “Brilliant Color” found on many DLPs, is from TI, but gets configured by the manufacturer, so that they work a bit differently. The point being, they don’t have to design everything from scratch, and I expect TI provides a lot of great support to their projector manufacturers.

I've awarded the Vava Laser TV our Special Interest award. The projector is impressive, overall. It's priced aggressively, but does have a rough edge or two (including a shorter warranty than most). which we'll get into. Nothing too serious.

Also, though, the VAVA could be brighter. It's brightness for the price is rather good, but there are significantly more expensive competitors, at least a couple of which are noticeably brighter. As we like to say: "there are always trade-offs." But, overall it was hard not to like this VAVA

Before we get into details, I wanted to talk about screens a bit more. With the right screen, the VAVA can handle a room with a good bit of ambient light, as you can see in some of the photos in this review. VAVA says the projector will support screen sizes up to 150” diagonal. (The two screens I used in the course of this review were 100” diagonal, and 120” diagonal respectively.) Before I forget, the warranty is 1-year parts and labor. They have depot service at their US Region office in California.

4K/HDR from Journey to the South Pacific (IMAX). Stunning imagery captured by VAVA - post calibration

The VAVA says the a pair of Harmon Kardon speakers inside facing the audience are rated at 30 watts ech, which should “blow away” the sound quality of most LCD TV’s unless you hook those up a really good soundbar to the TV.

It is also endowed nicely in terms of inputs, including 3 HDMIs (yay!) USB, RJ45 for wired networking (note, it has wireless built-in which is pretty much necessary to be a smart TV or Laser TV). There is also an Android App you can download, which you can use to wirelessly project from your android phones and tablets. Sorry Mac folks, no specific App (at least so far), but I'm told to expect more support.

Of course, all the features are nice, but first and foremost you want a really good quality picture to watch, we’ll discuss pre and post-calibration picture quality. The VAVA Laser TV, is, of course, 4K UHD (it uses the lower resolution 1920x1080x4 pixel shifting DLP chips, which the less expensive Laser TVs like this one, and the Optoma Cinemax P1 use. HDR10 is supported with 4K, and the VAVA has both Bluetooth input and also output (to feed a more powerful sound system or even some good headphones). We will discuss all this and more on the upcoming pages, with many in the Special Features page that is next.

HIGHLIGHTS

UST – ultra-short-throw “Laser TV” design
2500 Lumens claimed
Sits just inches below and away from your screen.
- Far more convenient setup than traditional longer throw projectors
4K UHD (1920x1080x2) pixel shiftint DLP chip
HDR10 support (but not HLG)
Bluetooth input and output.
Media Player (video, audio, and photos)
- 2 Gig of storage on board, and 32Meg of memory
3 HDMIs
Up to 150” diagonal!
Eyesight protection
Audio output
AV input
Remote (Bluetooth)
25000 hour claim on the laser

Special Features

VAVA Laser TV Review - Special Features: Smart Projector/Android, 4K UHD, Harmon Kardon Audio System, and Bluetooth Audio

Smart Projector – with Android OS, and App

It’s barely the end of year one of 4K UHD projectors, so I try to provide a quick understanding of how the two different resolutions of 4K UHDThe VAVA is smart, it’s Android OS, naturally supports Google Assistant. You can just pick up the remote, hold down the microphone button and command the VAVA.

Temporary setup with ALR screen (100") showing VAVA Homepage, with Apps, setup, Bluetooth, networking...

The Smarts of the VAVA are typical of today's smart projectors, in part because only a couple of projector makers have been doing smart for more than a year or so. The glaring exception to that is LG who’s been offering some very smart projectors (mostly small ones) for years, but are just now starting to make higher-end/more serious projectors. Those LG projectors are as smart as their best TVs. LG certainly is known for some of the smartest, well thought out OLED TVs and LCD TVs.

With the VAVA you can change sources, power off, control the media player and more either with voice command, or the VAVA app, with more capabilities coming, I'm told. Please note there is no App for Apple products at this time. That won't stop you from hooking up an iPhone or MacBook to project to the VAVA. I've been using Apple TV, for more than a month, in fact, I'm projecting this page with the VAVA as I edit it.

Laser Light Engine

VAVA states that their laser light engine is rated 25,000 hours. At 40 hours a week, that’s over 12 years. Trust me, you’ll want something new and wildly more advanced 10 years from now, so I wouldn’t worry about the laser. (Although the laser engine will lose brightness over time - it should be down 50% by 25,000 hours.)

This VAVA, I believe, uses a traditional laser light engine which it combines with a color wheel, with phosphors that create red and green. There are other laser configurations being used out there. Most Epsons, for example, use two blue lasers, (and phosphors, to create the other primaries.. The LG HU85LA, which is another UST Laser TV (a DLP like the VAVA), uses a 3 laser system, and no light wheel needed to create the phosphors. The slightly more expensive Optoma P1 UST projector – which has been highly anticipated, is, I believe also a single laser projector.

The VAVA Laser TV has a sensor to protect your eyes from the laser should you enter the path of the laser light!

Consider the single laser to be the entry-level laser solution, it's primary advantage to the 2 and three laser systems is lower price. More advanced systems cost more, but offer performance improvements as well, to rationalize the extra $1000 - $3000+.

Lasers, whether 1, 2, or 3, offer really big advantages over lamp-based projectors, even beyond the obvious – having to spend typically a couple of hundred dollars for a new lamp, every couple/ years, vs. a decade… Also though, color shifts over the years, not months, and the lasers will dim (about 50%), oat ver 25,000 hours, not over 2500 to 5000 hours as with lamps.

Don’t worry about the 1,2, or 3 lasers, what counts is the finished product. A great single-engine laser could easily best a poorly designed dual laser… You get the idea.

4K UHD

Many of you already know what 4K UHD is, but let me lay it out again for those relatively new to 4K UHD projectors. 4K UHD is a standard for displaying 4K content. The way we talk about resolution these days, there are 5 types of “resolution” that can handle 4K, which is “4K capable.”

Ghostbusters 2016 4K/HDR - sharp image good reds and yellows...

The VAVA Laser TV like the vast majority of 4K capable projectors isn’t native 4K – the highest resolution. Native has the smallest pixels. All else being equal, the smaller the pixels the more detail. But native 4K still starts at $5,000 list. There are now dozens of 4K capable projectors at or under that price, including:

Native: use chips or panels with 3840x2160 descreet pixels no pixel shifting
Pixel shifting projectors using 2716x1528 pixels. (the next highest res). These use pixel shifting – firing each pixel twice, those pixels are 2x the size of native, but by overlapping them we can put in more detail that without that pixel shifting. Example – LG HU85LA UST Laser TV
The VAVA is in this class: Pixel shifting projectors using 1920x1080 pixels, but shifting 4 times, These pixels are 2x that of the pixel shifters above
Pixel shifters that are 1920x1080 but only pixel shift twice. Same sized pixels s the one immediately above, but by firing them only twice overlapping, in theory, a touch less detail. (this is what you normally find with 3LCD and LCoS projectors
1080p projectors without pixel shifting. Some can now read 4K content and downscale to 1080p. These projectors (few) offer the advantage of being a bit more future proof than 1080p projectors without any 4K cpaabilities (the vast majority of them), but won't appear as sharp as the others.

The thing is – image processing plays a big role. If you have ever cranked up sharpness on a display, things get more contrasty, but you also lose detail. You may perceive it as sharper, not being aware you are losing some detail, which is, perhaps what counts most. For that reason as I’ve said in many reviews, you can take, for example, the 1920x1080x2 pixel shifters, or those with 4X and make them seem sharper than a good native 4K projector. But there are always trade-offs. A lot of such processing for perceived sharpness typically adds a touch of hardness to the picture. (Consider that hardness as a form of noise, but people think it's sharper)

Credits from Ghostbusters 2016. 4K HDR. This is full frame. We use close-up below to assess sharpness.

So, with this VAVA Laser TV, you inherently have a very sharp looking projector. Also worth remembering is that UST type projectors have rather unique optics, and aren’t yet as refined, perhaps as typical projector (or camera) lenses. If anything, I noted that with the projector set upright, I used the motorized focus feature to get the best focus I could. I did, however, notice that with the focus patterns the upper left wasn’t as sharp as the rest. On those text patterns easily visible. In reality – during normal watching, most folks may never notice this. That is to say, the amount of defocusing just isn’t going to be obvious on content like movies or HDTV, although I do notice it when I hooked up my laptop to the VAVA, to do some work.

Bottom line – The VAVA is in the middle in terms of “resolution” of 4K capable projectors. It likely isn’t as sharp as most, because, UST designs I still don’t think can match the lens optics that got on competing, traditional projectors. Still, we’re talking subtle differences, say compared to watching 1080p resolution content. Works for me.

Audio: Harmon Kardon Speakers, Bluetooth In/Out

Laser TVs typically have some decent speakers built-in. Consider: None of these 4K UHT projectors are going to compete in sound quality, bass, etc., with a good $500 stereo surround sound system nevermind serious home theater. . The better Laser TVs, like the VAVA, are easily capable of room-filling sound, even if lacking serious low bass and the special qualities of a better system.

HK - Harmon Kardon, is a great “cut-above” brand, I’ve owned some of their audio gear going back to the ‘70s. Now their speaker systems are found in projectors, luxury car audio systems, etc. This configuration sounds pretty darn good, compared to say, most TV’s soundbars. VAVA says the HK's are 30 watts a channel, which suprised me because most of what's in Laser TVs is 10 watts per channel.

With that said, I spent the first week with the VAVA in one location (summer rental), where I had the audio hooked up to a good AV receiver and some moderately expensive speakers and a subwoofer. No, when I switched back to the VAVA's internal audio, it was no match, of course.

But it did fill a pretty large room with well balanced sound (no tinniness...). It's got more than enough muscle for your favorite action flicks, even if it won't shake the foundations of your house.

When we set up my new “testing room/theater” in our new location, though, I spent two-plus weeks with the VAVA Laser TV, only using its own HK system (30 watts per speaker). Not bad. I’m an audiophile (since the 70s) so I am aware, that the difference is huge, but the VAVA still does the job nicely, both on Marvel movies, other action/sci-fi, and drama. The only time I truly felt limited was watching music festivals and concerts. There I couldn’t help from immediately wishing I had my full audio instead.

Monday Night Football in my Living Room projecting (temporarily) onto a wall.

As a family entertainment system, the VAVA Laser TV’s audio should be just fine for all but us serious enthusiasts, who demand fuller range and more tonal accuracy, that one expects in an audio system that costs almost as much as this projector.

Bluetooth Audio – In and Out. That means you can send the VAVA music, etc. from your phones, laptops and other Bluetooth sources.

Daytime lighting (shades slightly open) in new Testing/Theater with dark walls, etc.. Screen is 120" diagonal 1.1 gain

And you can output from this Laser TV to Bluetooth speakers. That’s an important feature, as far as I’m concerned. Although I wasn’t yet set up to check it, I believe you can run the internal HK sound system, and the Bluetooth simultaneously. This creates the possibility of using the HK speakers, and an external subwoofer. I do have a concern though. I have encountered a slight delay in the audio. The VAVA doesn’t have the ability to correct for lag (almost any AV receiver will have a control for that), and in theory, much of what’s in an AV receiver is incorporated into this projector.

I’m traveling as I’m finishing my review. Normally I prefer to be writing in the same room as the projector, in case I think of things I want to check. When I get back I’ll test the Bluetooth to see if it lags the internal speakers, and add to this review.

Networking and “Casting”

The VAVA Laser TV has both wired networking, it and wireless (Wi-Fi) networking. It was very quick and easy configuring the projector to my house Wifi. I did not test the hardwired networking. The greatest challenge was, of course, putting in my long email using an on-screen keyboard.

Main Networking menu, with Wireless and Wired (Ethernet) sub-menus

The wireless networking is obviously critical to being a smart projector – ok, smart Laser TV. For example, you will have one heck of a time trying to stream, when you have no access to the internet. And controlling your projector from your Google Assistant etc. isn’t going to work either.

I was pleased to also see the wired networking (LAN), as well, although that’s not a critical feature for most users. Still, great to have it. The wireless network setup also gives you access to downloading streaming and other apps for the VAVA projector.

If you would like to quickly “cast” from your smartphones, tablets, etc. to the projector, you can download the VAVA app. I just learned that there is supposed to be an iOS app available now as well. I will test that when I return from vacation, once I find that app, and update. I don’t own any Windows computers or Android phones or tablets to test, but if the Apple version works, that’s a good sign.

VAVA Gaming Input Lag

After disabling the motion sensor to protect mere humans from the laser light if we get to close, I was able to get an input lag reading using my Leo Bodner device. (It measures only 1080p, not 4K, but on 4K UHD projectors either could be faster than the other, but both should be close to each other in lag.

Bad news folks, this VAVA Laser TV - Ain't got no game! I played around but couldn't find anyway to get the input lag below 107 ms. That's pretty bleak - fine for playing Risk or Chutes and Ladders, but definitely not for fast action - be it first person shooters, auto racing, sports, etc. If you really like your Call Of Duty, Doom, Halo, hey, add to that Madden, Fortnight, Grand Theft Auto, and perhaps even Angry Birds 2, you won't be happy.

Bottom line on gaming - if you are a hard core gamer, there are better alternatives, in other UST projectors as well as short and standard throw ones. If you are a serious gamer, high-speed sports, team FPS, etc., we find the input lag speeds translate this way:

Over 60ms – too slow for most serious gamers
50ms range – just acceptable
33ms range – good speed
25ms range – very good speed
16ms range – excellent
0ms -- perfect, but I’m not aware of any doing less than 16 at this time.

Although the VAVA looks good with a game on the screen, it's just too slow for high speed gamers.

There will be speed differences in the input lag depending on the resolution. My hardware, for example only measures 1080p. A 4K projector may have 4K input lag, lower than it’s 1080p input lag.

Media Player on Board

Plugin a USB to the VAVA projector’s input and use the media player to play photos, videos, and more. The media player comes with a very respectable 2 Gig of storage and 32 Meg of memory. The projector supports a healthy selection of the popular image and video formats.

If you are also a big music fan (I am), You can play music on the VAVA Laser TV without a picture, to save a lot on electric bills. That’s a nice touch.

I successfully ran a few stills and a video clip. Voila,’ it works. I think there could be a couple more options though, it's rather basic. Also it would be nice if the media player did Microsoft Office products. I for one do cast my laptop to my projectors, when working some of the time. Would be great if I could feed it a word document... But that's rare on home theater/home entertainment projectors (or smart TVs for that matter!)

VAVA Laser TV Warranty

VAVA provides a 1 year warranty, depot service is in California. I consider a 1 year warranty on an over $2000 projector to be underwhelming. Most of the competition offers two years or three years warranty. VAVA doesn't at this time offer an additional year of extended warranty, but I do see that a 3rd party extended warranty is available on Amazon for about $160 for the extra year.

Good Eye Protection From Laser Light

Since the VAVA 4K UHD Laser TV has a laser light engine, UST laser projectors lasers pose a risk if you look into the light source. For this reason, VAVA and others use sensors to detect and then react. The VAVA immediately dims way down and puts up a message with a warning and says press any key to resume. It works very well.

Possibly it works too well, in that I think I am tripping it by being close to the light, but not directly in it. In other words, it may be overprotective. That’s fine with me. It can be turned off in the menus, so if you have children, please don't turn that feature off. I did have to turn it off though, briefly for the review, so I could measure input lag. Otherwise soon as I stuck my hand and measuring device into the picture area, the image would shut off. Voila' it works!

HARDWARE

Overview

The VAVA Laser TV is a good looking Ultra Short Throw Projector sitting inches below and back from the screen. On top of the projector is the slot for the optics/laser engine. Also on the top, at the of this projector. In this case, the front is the part facing the audience, (even if VAVA calls it the back). Well, at the top front is a small white glowing power button (with the power symbol). That light goes off when the projector is running, and it blinks during power on and off cycles.

The audio system, consisting of stereo Harmon Kardon speakers, are mounted behind the front cloth grill. VAVA states that their system is 30 watts per channel. The back of the projector has the inputs and other connectors.

The adjustment for one of the feet is just forward of the side exhaust. This image provides a good look at the attractive cloth material.

Down below the projector are 3 feet, for a solid, three-point stance. Considering that even the smallest displacement of the projector relative to the screen, can visibly distort the shape of the image, having all feet be adjustable would have been an improvement, but it’s a minor inconvenience. It’s no inconvenience at all if you are ceiling or mounting the VAVA Laser TV above your screen.

You can see the adjustment dial for one of the feet, just back from the audience facing front of the Laser TV. Still, getting those last millimeter or two when it comes to moving the projector or making sure it is perfectly parallel to your screen (or wall), but – in a room with ambient light – you need a screen designed for the job, to get the best out of this VAVA projector.

The Lens

I don’t really have a handle on how the optics of an ultra-short-throw projector work, but manufacturers have gotten very good at building them. Still, longer throw projectors seem to have fewer focus issues, or bowing of the image.

Laser light engine on!

In this case, after careful alignment, I found the VAVA to be a bit softer in one corner as mentioned elsewhere. I played with the motorized focus using the remote, but never got it right, the other corners were definitely better. Also again, you’ll easily notice the slight off focus if you are feeding the projector data, such as a spreadsheet, or word doc. Watching a movie and sports content, I really wasn’t aware of the softness in the upper left.

The lens is fixed – no zoom, typical of UST projectors. BTW, it is tricky to measure how bright UST projectors are.

As discussed on our Special Features page of this review, the projector does have motion detection wherever the laser light can hit. Pass you hand, head, etc. so that it casts a shadow anywhere on your screen from the VAVA’s light output, the projector will dim the picture replacing it with a softly lit text message about it being dimmed for safety, and to press any key on the remote (but the power key) to bring back the full image. It works very quickly.

VAVA Inputs and Connectors

First off, I’m very happy to see 3 HDMI inputs. I think every laser TV should have 3, if not 4. For you projector regulars, because of the general nature of UST projectors, most folks may not have a separate sound system. That means no AV receiver, to plug all your sources into, and then feed a single HDMI cable to the projector.

The VAVA projector has there HDMIs, a USB, audio out, AV in, Digital Audio Out, and wired Networking

Think about it. There are lots of devices you can hook up 4K UHD Blu-ray players, Roku sticks, regular Blu-ray players, game consoles, satellite or cable box, specialty devices… Myself, at one point I had 7 HDMI devices going through my AV receiver, but that’s only partially because I’m a reviewer, I had an Apple TV, my PS4, the DirecTV box, and three different 4K UHD Blu-ray players at one time, although I rely on my current best- that being the Sony UBP1000ES.

So, it’s great to see those 3 HDMIs. They are all 2.0 HDMI, with HDCP 2.2 copy protection. Be sure to use high-quality HDMI cables, that is very important with 4K content (18 Ghz). In addition, there’s a USB which is used in conjunction with the media player, put in a USB thumb drive with photos or videos. This VAVA claims to support all of these:

MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG4 ASP, and MJPEG codecs and can read DAT, MPEG, MPG, TS, M2V, DVD ISO, TS, TP, VOB, AVI, MP4, MOV, and 3GP containers, as well as various Jpg/jpeg and other still image formats. I would have liked a raw mode, so I could project my.CR2 Canon camera formatted hi-res images, without converting first, but I can’t think of any projector that could do that. Some day – please!

From the rear of the VAVA looking at the recessed area where the laser is.

Impressive, if they all work. I simply did not test but some basic ones: MP4, and MPEG

There’s a few more. Next up is stereo audio output, which can be used to feed powered speakers or headphones, etc. Further to the right is the AV input, which supports more “old school, composite video, with audio. That brings up a Digital Audio Output – Optical, which is a high-performance way to output audio to an external sound system. Glad to see one here.

The last digital connector on the back, on the far right, is the RJ45 connector for the wired networking. Finally, in the center of the back, is the power cord receptacle. The VAVA projector also supports Bluetooth, but obviously, no connectors are needed for that.

Remote Control

he VAVA Laser TV’s remote control is white, lightweight has a good range. Interestingly, it is a Bluetooth remote. Most remotes for projectors the past few years have used RF (radio frequency) remotes. Before that IR (infra-red). Bluetooth, like RF, does not need a line of sight. I was able to control the VAVA, with the remote back 30 feet, without any problems at all. As this is a smart projector, VAVA has kept the remote simple, letting you use the fairly straight forward menu system to get around.

There is no backlight (that I do not like). True, this projector is thought of as a bright room, aka the living room projector. I don’t care. People will turn off all the lights when they can to watch a good movie, and then it is always better to have a backlight. That said, with the limited number of buttons, I quickly memorized most of the buttons. Here’s the layout, with an occasional comment (the manual is…brief).

OK, from the top. On the left is the power button. Right next to it is a tiny hole – the Microphone. And, on the right, the audio Mute button. BTW I really like putting the Mute button where it is handy. This is probably the best location I’ve ever seen for a Mute button.

Directly below those, is the remote control’s navigation area, laid out in a round formation (A ring, rather than four arrows, Up/Down/Left/Right). Inside the ring is the Enter button, which they call “OK.”

We are halfway done!

Next is a row with three buttons. On the left side is the Back button, which takes you back up a level in the menu system or closes the menus if on the top level. In the middle is the Home button. (The Menu section describes the VAVA Laser TV’s Home screen and its options.)

On the right is the Menu button. It has, as some have called it, the “Hamburger” button (three horizontal lines).

Important Tip: That menu button is, with the current software/firmware, is very important because of a bug not yet fixed. If you enter Settings, to change settings on the color controls, or choosing HDR settings, those do not work from the Settings.

Instead, hold down the Menu button for perhaps 2 seconds and you’ll get pretty much the same controls, but there they all work! For example, through Settings, no difference between HDR Off and HDR On, and if On, the picture doesn’t look HDR. But through the Menus – no problem.

Ok, let’s get this finished up!

The last button – isn’t – it is a horizontal bar. Volume Up / Volume Down. That’s all folks, except to say that it runs on a pair of AAA batteries.

Placement and Throw distances

Like all UST projectors, it sits close. Interestingly not quite as close as some I’ve worked with, but I’m talking a difference of a couple of inches.

Unlike most UST home projectors VAVA claims it will work (focus) up to 150 inches (two others claim to top out at 120”, however, a good dealer for one of them – the Optoma P1, reports no problem using the Optoma with good focus, on a 130”. Hey, if this VAVA projector can fill a 150” screen, with a sharp image, and you have the room for a 12-foot wide screen, more power to you. I’ll be jealous, because in my new living room, where I will put a Laser TV when I settle on one of the ones I’m reviewing.

It’s this easy:

A Screen size (inches)	B Throw Distance	Distance below
80	3.3”	10.4"
90	5.3"	11.3"
100	7.2"	12.1"
120	11.0"	13.9"
150	16.7"	16.5"

The challenge isn’t the distance back. Figuring out at what height you want the projector and screen is. After all, there’s no zoom, so it has to be placed precisely. If placing it tabletop, and you already have your table, and your screen size, you will know where to mount your screen, height-wise.

BTW, the projector has keystone correction to help out with getting the image alignment perfect for a rectangular image.

The largest image I was able to project was just slightly larger than 120” diagonal, for a week or so before I got my screen set up in the new place. I just projected it on a wall, in the living room where my eventual 120” diagonal screen will go. No focus issues beyond the minor softness in the upper left corner (which could just be the sample they sent me).

The Menus

Settings provides sub areas for Image Controls, Keystone Correction and other options. The Bluetooth icon handles setting up (or resetting up) the remote, and any Bluetooth speaker system you want to hook up wirelessly. Alternately you can send audio to the projector, to use it as a music system.

PERFORMANCE

Out-of-the-Box Picture Quality

Like quite a few home entertainment projectors, this VAVA isn’t at its best, “right out of the box” in term of picture. Basically, all the modes tend to be on the pretty cool side, with bluish whites – other than that, not bad at all. Ideally you want 6500K, which is considered to be a warm white, and is the standard for movies. I personally prefer a more “neutral” color temp around 7000K – 7500K for my sports viewing (and that helps with dealing with ambient light, too).

In this image you can see the strong shirt to blue, before any adjustments. Journey To the South Pacific: 4K UHD (P3 color but the projector does REC 709 – standard HDTV and Blu-ray color – not as good as P3, the movie theater standard for color. Few projectors can achieve P3, some keep it to REC 709, because they just can’t do P3.

While the picture, right out of the box, is very watchable because it doesn’t suffer too heavy greens, which is what many projectors have at their brightest. If you use our calibration settings, that Jason worked out, you’ll end up with a very noticeably better-looking picture. You’ll find all the settings on our calibration part of this review.

similar image to the previous one, but this one is post calibration, with warmer color.

Here’s another pre-calibration image – this time sports. To me, this looks pretty darn good (but still one might want it a touch warmer.

A very good looking image, despite the healthy amount of ambient light. I can watch football all day, with this picture, and, I did just that, three weekends worth – mostly NFL, but college games as well (“We Are Penn State”)

Bottom line on out of the box performance of the VAVA projector: While it is cool overall without any changes, it is very watchable. Using our calibration settings won’t get you to perfect, but you will like your VAVA projector better, with our settings.

Skin Tones

Skin Tones out of the box, of course, have a too strong blue component, but the real test is how good they are post adjustment. We calibrated one mode. Most of the modes provided, before we did anything were pretty similar, not as much variation as with most projectors.

This photo player contains both pre-cal, and post-calibration images for revealing skin tone quality and color accuracy.

Note the two similar frames from The Black Panther, the pre-cal skin tones of the elite Wakanda soldiers being very “pale.” By comparison, the second image, I believe, looks a whole lot more correct. I should mention these photos were both shot with moderate ambient light.

It is not just the color, also the gamma of the image, or in this case, since this is HDR content, the EOTF, essentially a dynamic gamma. The point is, it's not just the color, but the overall picture that is greatly improved.

The bottom line on skin tones: Use our settings! OK, many of you will be satisfied with the color accuracy of the projector without adjustment. But, it can look quite a good bit better.

4K/HDR, disc. This is post calibration, which really makes Jennifer Lawrence look good.

Black Levels

Black Level performance is typical of most DLP projectors. There’s little difference between the native contrast of the different DLP chips used in today’s projectors, (unlike 3LCD where there is a very significant difference, for example, between all the under $2000 Epson 3LCD projectors (for home), and their higher-end UB (ultra black) series).

As a result, most DLP projectors designed for the home have similar black levels – unless the projector has a dynamic iris (none yet on UST home projectors), or with a laser engine, they have the laser light engine emulate a dynamic iris.

The VAVA has neither an iris, nor does it do dynamic laser dimming (some DLP projectors use dynamic lamp dimming), but the lamps brighten/dim too slowly to be very effective (no match for a good dynamic iris).

One of the usual extremely dark scenes from Mockingjay Part 1. 4K/HDR

The black levels were a bit better than entry-level (lamp-based) DLPs, which seems to be the case with at least a few laser projectors, but no match for the projector with the best black level performance at the price (the standard distance Epson 5050UB). Of course, that’s a completely different projector in terms of placement…

When watching the VAVA Laser TV in my new testing room (dark surfaces), only on the really dark scenes do I become aware of the less than awesome black level performance that most lower-cost projectors have.

Overall, the dark scene viewing wasn’t bad in my dark testing room, but a serious home theater fanatic will want better blacks. There’s nothing out there in affordable UST projectors, however, that would really significantly best this VAVA.

Better is using the VAVA in a more family environment – living room, den, family room. Both in the temporary summer rental property before we moved Projector Reviews, and when set up in the living room of our new home, those are different environments – walls, floor and ceiling not dark. Also lots of windows in the daytime. For daytime viewing like sports and casual TV, black level performance is diminished with all projectors. Thus the difference between this VAVA, for example, and that Epson UB mentioned above, is definitely less noticeable.

A ight cityscape scene. (Black Panther, 4K/HDR in my theater. On scenes you notice differences in black levels far less than really dark scenes with limited lights.

Come evening, if you turn off all the lights in my living room, it still has more ambient light that the testing room. That’s true, if for no other reason that the content on the screen is hitting the light walls, and some is bouncing back to slightly dilute the image on the screen. Now the differences between great black levels and typical (the VAVA) become a bit more noticeable, but it takes more of a man cave/dedicated home theater to maximize the differences.

This post calibration, CGI enhanced image from Ghostbusters 2016, looked really good! 4K/HDR.

Bottom Line on the VAVA projectors black levels: As a family projector in a living room type world, the VAVA is perfectly acceptable for most. Hardcore enthusiasts, though with more perfect rooms will want better. In a UST projector, only the Acer 7860, which did have dynamic laser dimming is a good bit better, but it’s discontinued. There’s a $24,999 Sony (the VZ1000ES) that also uses laser dimming and is far better than either the VAVA or the Acer. Still, Sony is just less than 10 times the price!

Dark Shadow Detail

No real issues here. Overall the VAVA Laser TV reveals almost all of the very darkest detail when the Brightness setting is set up correctly. Unfortunately this photo is too underexposed too reveal all those details.

The VAVA did good job showing the dark detail in the frames for the windows. Unfortunately, this image is a bit too dark.

It does seem to lose some detail in the dark night marching scene from Mockingjay 1. (Note, the exposure could have been a bit brighter in this image), even post-calibration, but the loss of detail in the greys just above black is acceptable. Perhaps slightly better controls could fine-tune that more.

The bottom line on Dark Shadow Detail: Definitely acceptable, overall, pretty good, but could be a touch better. Definitely acceptable to almost everyone. (A slight loss in darkest detail is less important than, than differences in black levels.)

Another extremely dark scene from MockingJay Part 1.

4K HDR: Movies and Other Content

Movies and Sports are probably the two top reasons folks choose projectors – including Laser TVs, instead of tiny HDTVs. At least those are my two top reasons. I’m really a “movies first” kind of guy, except during football season, then I become a sports fanatic for five months. Of course, I stream some content – and watch some HDTV as well. I watched movies from 4K UHD Blu-ray disc as well as from Netflix and Amazon Prime.

With 1017 calibrated lumens to work with, the VAVA is relatively bright, in order to handle 4K with HDR. The HDR picture as with virtually all projectors, when properly mapped, will have a look that falls somewhere between full High Dynamic Range, and Standard Dynamic Range (SDR). The VAVA handles this balance fairly well in that the picture isn’t more “SDR” (that is, having less pop (and wow factor). The similarly priced BenQ HT5550 (a standard throw projector – and one with a dynamic iris) that sells for slightly less, is an example of a great projector value, but one where the HDR content looks more SDR than it needs to.

For that living room, or other family room, don’t forget – you really want an ALR (light rejecting) screen which can really up the picture quality when around modest to moderate ambient light.

Overall, I’ve found watching my fav 4K HDR movies rather enjoyable on the VAVA. The reasonably accurate post-calibration color, combined with decent black level performance, produces an overall well-balanced movie experience. (Most movies have some pretty dark scenes, which is why it’s best to watch them in a darkened room.) If instead, the content is all room lit, or outdoors daytime lighting, it will look The internal speakers provide plenty of volume and not at all tinny, although no they are no substitute for a serious surround sound system.

If you are happy with the sound quality of a pretty powerful soundbar, you’ll be pleased. If you are an audiophile (like me), you’ll want more, especially when watching things like concerts, music performances on late-night TV.

My comments are based on using our calibrated settings. If you choose to stick to the preset modes, the overall picture quality is a real step down, so try our settings – you’ll see the difference.

Skin tones (when movie watching) are fine. Not really great, since the VAVA doesn’t calibrate as well as some home projectors with better controls, and as discussed, black levels could be deeper/darker.

Again, think of the VAVA Laser TV as another family HDTV. And probably like the others, once set up, your family will be concentrating on watching it, not playing with settings. Please note, some “TV” and streaming content shares the same kind of excellent production qualities, in terms of picture and sound, as a good movie. Think of Game of Thrones as a great example.

Close the shades, kill the lights, and light up the screen.

HDTV Streaming and Sports

For Sports, the VAVA does a great job. As long as your room lighting is under decent control, you can enjoy that football game (or even eight football games at once (DirecTV), on a 100 inch, 120 inch and possibly a larger screen, although I don’t think I can really recommend larger than 120” unless the room is very, very good (like a typical home theater).

My assorted images should give you a good idea of how much ambient light can be handled and still have a pretty great image on your screen.

Let me point this out. When we first landed at the new place, I set up the VAVA at 120” diagonal size, on a textured wall. Not ideal the texture was obvious when watching (it was only a couple of days until I set up the 120” diagonal screen in my new mini-theater). The VAVA despite a pretty bright room did well enough for my football viewing that first weekend.

Here are some images from my brighter than most living room with no shades on five sliding glass doors, and light blinds on three bay windows in the room (sunny day) and two at night, same setup.

VAVA Laser TV doing football on a sunny day, no screen. Still plenty of brightness (120” diagonal), for sports viewing.

As you can see in this first image, the ambient light is washing the image out slightly, but the game still looks nice and bright, vey watchable. (the ambient light was less of a distraction than the textured wall being used as a screen, in this case).

VAVA on 120" wall - Projector Reviews Images

Another daytime image, same ambient light levels, but lower exposure to give you a better indication of what your eyes will adjust to seeing. The result is pretty good considering this is what the room looks like brightness wise.

This is the typical sunny day, daytime viewing in my new living room “home entertainment” setup. The room ambient looks like this for the daytime football photos in this room.

In these third and fourth images – Monday night football. It’s dark outside. Some lights on in the adjacent kitchen (left side), most of the rest of the light is reflecting back from the large image. The image is dynamic and rich in color. The reflected ambient light hasn’t little effect at all on the picture quality.

More Monday Night Football in the living room, 120” screen 1080i content from cable. Vibrant!

Note, these four living room images were taken with my iPhone, in real-time, which is why you see some blurring on some of the photos.

In addition here’s two more photos, this time taken at the rental property back in September, with the outside light coming in from behind the screen (sliders on the left, window on the right:

The VAVA laser TV doing sports – pre-calibration, afternoon ambient light.

I did not take additional sports images when the VAVA moved into my new mini-theater/testing room. Obviously in a almost fully darkened room the sports pops even more than the Monday Night Football images (and no textured walls)!

Bottom Line on Sports – A blast – get the proper screen, or put good shades on your windows, or both, but with a vibrant 120” football game on, you will be the envy of your neighbors!

I was most pleased when viewing the latest episodes of The Blacklist. James Spader as Red, offered good skin tones on the opening scene of the pilot seen in our regular image featured in many reviews. Other Blacklist images demonstrate sharpness and general picture quality, for 4K content that currently is not available with HDR.

VAVA Laser TV - 1080p Movies

No issues at all with 1080 content. Color was consistent with 4K. I watched segments from several 1080p movies (Guardians of the Galaxy, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship, The Italian Job and some animation – including Space Jam), off of disc as well as streaming a couple of flicks off of Amazon Prime starting with an old Cary Grant movie. (I’m liking Amazon Prime’s respectable collection of older classic movies – when I finally get around to signing up for Disney’s service, and Apple's, I should be pretty set with a large streaming movie collection).

Black levels were as mentioned on the previous page, with little difference between SDR and HDR. Sadly, my copy of Casino Royale, which I use for the “night train scene” my fav test of practical handling of very dark scenes, is missing from this review because I haven’t found that disc after the cross country move. I’m ordering another, but not in time.

VAVA LT002 Laser TV: Overall Picture Quality

If I were judging the VAVA say compared to a traditional home theater projector at the same general price point – ie. The Epson HC5050UB or the BenQ HT5550 (both of which use a lamp, not laser light sources), I can quickly say both are better home theater projectors. They calibrate even better (thanks to more controls), color-wise, also have more options controlling the picture.

But those projectors are inherently designed, in my opinion, as typical, quality home theater projectors.

The VAVA Laser TV can be used in a dedicated theater, and it is fine there, in general, but it is intended for those living rooms, family rooms, or any spare room, without massive daylight pouring in, at least when paired with a proper screen designed for UST projectors, and using ALR materials to absorb light from the sides (somewhat) and above, not reflecting it back to our eyes.

As a family home entertainment system, the VAVA seems really good for the money. Once the colors were adjusted, the picture quality is really good. Not quite as accurate as those with more complete color controls, but the experience should blow away that 65” LED TV you are currently watching, having an image almost 4 times the size will do that for you.

I can’t say that the picture quality is going to be as good as some of the more expensive UST Laser projectors such as the LG I reviewed a few months ago. (The LG is the better of the two, but then, the LG should be selling for an extra $1500 or so). Even the Optoma P1, which I’m still waiting for to review, costs hundreds more, and the forthcoming Epson will sell for at least $1000 more. Good picture quality, in this case, is the value proposition. Slightly better pictures in this UST format will cost you more.

Brightness

The VAVA LT002 Laser TV is an ultra short throw design, which typically makes measuring them challenging. This is the first review of mine since moving to Florida, and having Jason as my new independent ISF calibrator. As this was his first calibration of a projector for review purposes, the process was rather different than calibrating a projector in someone's home. For example, calibrating doesn't care about how many lumens a projector measures, but we do.

As a result of "new guy with new process," things are a bit different, but we'll get in sync quickly. This time around, Jason did not measure specific brightness of each mode which is something we normally do, rather he concentrated on creating a calibrated mode, and measuring that.

The VAVA starts out claiming 2500 lumens. With most home theater projectors, of the DLP variety we expect calibrated results to be less than half of claim. With that in mind, the VAVA Laser TV did rather well!

There are two power modes: High and Standard. As mentioned elsewhere, there isn't that much difference - 7% to 8%, with Standard being a touch less bright but also quieter.

The VAVA measured, post calibration - at 1097 lumens in High, and 1017 in Standard. That's a barely visible difference, so folks are likely to make an easy choice, one way or another - a touch brighter, or a touch quieter.

Almost 1100 calibrated lumens is impressive for a 2500 lumen claim. There are plenty of 3000 lumen DLP home entertainment projectors that measure a bit less. Combine that much brightness with an Ultra short throw design and a proper "ambient light rejecting " screen, and you can have one great, really large screen experience in most rooms with decent lighting control. (Forget it if you have sunlight pouring in everywhere, and no shades.)

At night, of course the VAVA looks even better even with some ambient light, than it does fighting more ambient light during the day.

Jason reports that all the other modes fit into two different brightness groups, but again the differences are slight. None of the uncalibrated modes is really significantly brighter than our calibrated mode. You can choose a mode with more pumped up color saturation, etc. to cut through ambient light better, but overall brightness remains close. That's true of most projectors' "dynamic", or "vivid" modes, or whatever they call their brightest, usually has higher saturation picture modes.

Bottom line on brightness: Considering price and type of projector, the VAVA performs surprisingly well. If I had to guess going in, based on some other 4K UHD DLP's reviewed in the last year or so, I would have expected only 750-1000 lumens at full power, so to get almost 1100 - good job for the most affordable 4K capable UST laser projector around.

In fairness, the LG HU85LA easily beat the VAVA in brightness, but then it sells for almost twice the price (and is a 3 laser design). All's fair.

Color Mode	Lumens (High Lamp)	Lumens (Standard lamp)
Standard	1827	1715
PC	1827	1717
Movie	1750	1619
Colorful	1832	1719
Sport	1832	1719
Customize (pre)	1286	1192
Customize Calibrated	1097	1017

Normally we quote mid-zoom for most measurements because we believe that is more "real life" than publishing the highest (closest placement). But, of course, this is a UST projector, so no zoom lens. Note that no mode stands out as being far brighter than the others.

Contrast

Nothing fancy when it comes to contrast. Contrast numbers from manufacturers are to be taken with "a pound or two of salt." VAVA does quote a native contrast (good for them) of 3000:1 - about right for most DLP projectors. Then they have the usual very high number, but manufacturers all have interesting ways of measuring to get those numbers.

We prefer to assess black level performance by visual observation. Black level performance is a step up from entry level. Can't tell you exactly why, as there's no dynamic iris, or dynamic lamp dimming, so I'll attribute it to simply being part of the laser engine design, as I find that entry level laser DLP projectors, overall, do seem to do slightly better on those very dark scenes.

Audible Noise

As mentioned elsewhere, the VAVA Laser TV tends to be on the quiet side - relative to most other home projectors, especially other home entertainment ones. But, that said, its fan is low pitched, so quiet enough even on full power, for most folks.

Jason mentions some db specs in the calibration pages, but, measurements are not just tricky, but we're talking UST projector here, so most folks are sitting a good bit further away, than with a normal or short throw projector on a table, or a projector ceiling mounted.

Count audible noise as minor, and more than competitive (quieter) than most projectors.

VAVA Laser TV Sharpness

Other than finding the upper left corner to be a touch softer than the rest of the image after using the electronic focus overall sharpness is "good". Using a test pattern, you would have to be looking closely to spot it on regular content.

Elsewhere in the review I recommend placing the projector precisely to fill your screen with a proper rectangular image, rather than using the trapozoid/keystone correction feature. In theory, that is ideal, but the VAVA also seems to have overscan on, at all times (Jason pointed that out, too!) Well overscan is, like keystone correction, a digital effect that destroys the ideal "1 to 1 pixel mapping" that is, one pixel of data for each pixel of the projector. (In fairness, on 4K content, remember we're already pixel shifting - overlapping pixels, so it is never truly 4K with 1:1 mapping.

Translated, the VAVA in theory should be sharper by removing the overscan - (Hey VAVA team - how about that option if you do a firmware update for owners).

That's the technical side of things. The projector looks very nicely sharp, even if...

In this player we have a couple of close-ups but also comparisons with other projectors using the 4K SDR Black List (Netflix) close-up and also the credits close-up from Ghostbusters 2016.

Calibration Notes

I recently had a chance to calibrate a new UST (Ultra Short Throw) projector by Vava model VA-LT002. This was my first time working with a Vava so I wanted to spend some time learning the menu and experimenting with different modes and settings. The projector has several modes to choose from but it is limited on the calibration controls.

TheVA-LT002 does support HDR but keep in mind that the calibrated SDR settings to not translate to HDR, so I had to use a separate picture mode for HDR. This does require the end user to switch picture modes based on whether they are watching SDR or HDR. A minor inconvenience but it must be done. The VA-LT002 has two settings for the Laser Mode, High and Standard. This setting is similar to what you would see as a backlight control on an LCD TV or an OLED Light control on an OLED TV.

In theory with the Laser Mode on High the projector will output as much light as possible. The downside is a louder fan as the projector is doing what it can to manage heat. The Standard setting makes a dimmer picture but the fan is much quieter. The setting you pick depends on several things such as room design, screen size, screen gain, and desired brightness. When determining the overall light output of a display I use a 100IRE test pattern as a reference when measuring. Once I had the projector dialed in the difference in light output between Standard and High was negligible...40ftL to 43ftL, which is only a 7% difference.

The fan does get louder in High mode but only by 3dB to the main seating position...probably not enough to notice once the audio from a movie is playing. I also noticed in all of the picture modes except the calibrated mode there is a huge color shift in the grayscale when switching between Standard and High mode. Luckily this was not the case in the calibrated mode. The VA-LT002 has 6 picture modes to choose from: Standard, PC, Movie, Colorful, Sport, and Customized.

I measured each mode using a 100IRE test pattern on the factory settings for x, y, and Y with the Laser setting set to Standard and High (note the major change in x,y after switching between Standard and High laser settings). Here are the results (raw data). For the translation to how many lumens per mode, you'll find that on the previous page (Performance).:

Standard

High .269, .293, 81.1 cd/m2 CCT 10882k
Standard .284, .326, 74.6 cd/m2 CCT 8306k

High .269, .292, 81.1cd/m2 CCT 10882k
Standard .284, .325, 74.7cd/m2 CCT 8329k

Movie

High .269, .292, 77.7cdm2 10946k
Standard .287, .327, 71.9cdm2 8083k

Colorful

High .269,.292, 81.3cdm2 10946k
Standard .284, .326, 74.5 8306k

Sport

High .269, .292, 81.3 cdm2 10946k
Standard .284, .326, 74.5cdm2 8306k

The last picture mode in the projector is called Customized. This is the mode that I decided to calibrate in as it had all of the necessary controls available to dial the projector in. The out of the box picture preset is Standard which has an excessively blue grayscale and too big of a color gamut when compared to the HD standard rec709.

This shows the grayscale performance before the calibration. The red, green, and blue lines should be as close together and as flat as possible. In this case the grayscale has a heavy blue tint.

After choosing Customized for the picture mode it was time to pick a color temperature to dial in the grayscale. There are 3 presets to choose from: Cool, Warm, and Customized. Customized allows changes to be made while Cool and Warm do not, so the obvious choice was to use Customized. Just a quick note...the Cool and Warm color temperature presets seemed to be reversed. Cool produced a very reddish grayscale while Warm produced a very bluish grayscale.

The Customized color temperature has one set of Red, Green, and Blue controls. I got the best results by using 60IRE as my reference point when dialing in the grayscale. The RGB controls themselves are very granular and allow a very wide range of adjustment. That the controls are more granular, typically means that I can dial in the adjustment very precisely.

After calibrating the grayscale the delta error from 10IRE to 100IRE ranged from 1.9 at 10IRE to 3.9 at 80IRE. This gave an overall average of 2.9. The goal with the delta error is to be under the perceivable difference of 3.0 and the VA-LT002 had an overall average of 2.9 which is very respectable for a projector at this price point.

Notice how much closer the red, green, and blue lines are to each other and how much flatter the lines are. After calibration the grayscale Is much closer to the D65 reference.

The gamma tracked linearly at 2.04. This would be desirable in a room with a considerable amount of ambient light but in the case of a dedicated theater it should be closer to a 2.4. Unfortunately there was no way to adjust gamma as it is fixed to the picture mode that you are watching.

The projector’s gamma tracked in a linear fashion but did not quite hit our target of 2.4. At 2.0 blacks and dark greys are lighter than reference. This can make the picture look washed out in a dark room, but dark details are easier to see if the room is bright.

The color gamut was noticeably too large for SDR rec709 content and the secondary colors (cyan, yellow, magenta) had major hue errors. This causes large delta errors ranging from 4.9 (yellow) to 21.4 (cyan). These errors are large enough to be visible and sometimes extremely obvious. After getting the grayscale dialed in the secondary colors improved greatly but the color gamut was still too big. The projector did not have any color space settings a CMS (Color Management System) so I was not able to make any further adjustments. I was able to manually adjust the main Color and Tint controls but due to the lack of a Blue Only Mode I made these adjustments by eye using some reference test patterns.

Notice the accuracy of white and the primary and secondary colors before and after calibration. White, Yellow, Cyan, and Magenta are much more accurate afterwards.

The geometry and focus were simple to set up. I was able to eliminate most of the edge enhancement by turning the sharpness control down but I was not able to eliminate the overscan. The projector does have picture size options but none of them produced a properly bitmapped image. The 16x9 setting was the closest to correct.

HDR Calibration Notes

The VA-LT002 has an HDR switch that must be toggled on or off depending on the type of content being viewed. When in HDR mode and using the SDR white balance settings the projector produced a slightly bluish-white grayscale. The EOTF tracked darker than the reference ST2084 and covered 83% of the P3 color space.

This is the ST2084 EOTF HDR performance or the projector. The yellow line is the target and the grey line represents the projector. In this case the HDR performance is darker than reference.

In this graph the squares represent the targets for white and each color in the P3 color space at 50% saturation. The dots represent the projector’s performance.

These graphs represent the projector’s ability to recreate the P3 color space in both CIE 1931 and CIE 1976. The projector covers 82.19% to 83.8% of P3 respectively.

This graph shows how linear the projector tracks from no color (white) to 100% saturation of each color. The squares represent 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% saturation for each color. Ideally each dot would land in the corresponding target.

Color Temperature over IRE Range

IRE	Pre-Calibration	Post-Calibration
10IRE	11813	6471
20IRE	13348	6668
30IRE	13013	6793
40IRE	13564	6782
50IRE	13696	6833
60IRE	13812	6742
70IRE	14105	6759
80IRE	13288	6810
90IRE	13524	6702
100IRE	13618	6745

Calibrated Settings SDR:

Picture Mode	Customize
Color Temperature	Customize
Laser Setting	High
Brightness	50
Contrast	12
Color	12
Tint	50
Sharpness	50

Grayscale:

Red	1270
Green	1024
Blue	924
HDMI 2.0	On
Projection Mode	Normal
Screen Ratio	16.9

PROS

The $2,399 MSRP makes this projector an incredible value, considering the projector's advanced gaming and cinema features and performance.
The projector's 4K UHD resolution (3,840 x 2,160p) provides great detail for big-screen gaming or movies, even in the largest living rooms.
The 0.65-inch DLP DMD imager created a good image with excellent contrast.
The filter-free sealed LED light source provides a 30,000-hour lifespan, improves the projector's overall reliability, and virtually eliminates maintenance.
2D keystone and vertical lens shift make the projector setup remarkably easy.
3,300 ANSI lumens light output helps create bright, colorful images, even in rooms with moderate lighting challenges.
The 600,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio does not create deep blacks but does offer good dark area details.
3D content is fully supported.
1.3x zoom ratio makes for an easy setup.
Auto setup modes like obstacle avoidance and auto orientation are nice for users who don’t like to take the time to square the image manually.
Ultra-fast 4.16ms low input lag in gaming modes brings your sight, hearing, and thoughts into action with zero delay (4.16ms input lag in 1080P@240Hz, 8ms in 1440P@120Hz, 16ms in 4K@60Hz).
The built-in, Trevolo-tuned, 5-watt stereo sound system with adjustable EQ performs like BenQ gaming projectors with decent mid-bass and good stereo imaging.

CONS

The QS-02’s Android TV menu response time is laggy.
Black levels are not great, but as this is a gaming projector likely not a huge issue for anyone except when watching movies and television.
The projector may be small, but it can put out a lot of noticeable heat for an LED light source, especially in a smaller room.
This projector's cooling system can get loud.

VAVA 4K UHD Laser TV – SPECIFICATIONS

VAVA Specs

Projector Model
Technology	DLP with XPR
Price	$2799
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)	2500
Brightness Description	Laser (ALPD 3.0)
Contrast Ratio	1,5000,000:1
Native Resolution	1920x1080x4
Displayed Resolution	3840x 2160
3D	No
Blue Ray	No
Ultra Short Throw	Yes
Lamp Life	20,000
Noise Level (-db)	30dB
Audio	Harman Kardon, 2 x 30W
DVI or HDMI	No
Power Zoom Focus	Yes
Lens Shift	No
LAN Networking	No
Zoom Lens Ratio	Fixed
Optional Lens	No
Classroom	Yes
Speakers	No
Special Features	8pt keystone, Android OS
Wireless Networking	No
Dimensions (HxWXD)	4.20" x 21.00" x 14.50"
Weight	23.8lbs
Warranty

VAVA Laser TV Review: 2500 Lumens of 4K UHD Ultra Short Throw Projector For The Whole Family

Table of Contents

Overview

HIGHLIGHTS

Special Features

Smart Projector – with Android OS, and App

Laser Light Engine

4K UHD

Audio: Harmon Kardon Speakers, Bluetooth In/Out

Networking and “Casting”

VAVA Gaming Input Lag

Media Player on Board

VAVA Laser TV Warranty

Good Eye Protection From Laser Light

HARDWARE

Overview

The Lens

VAVA Inputs and Connectors

Remote Control

Placement and Throw distances

The Menus

PERFORMANCE

Out-of-the-Box Picture Quality

Skin Tones

Black Levels

Dark Shadow Detail

4K HDR: Movies and Other Content

HDTV Streaming and Sports

VAVA Laser TV - 1080p Movies

VAVA LT002 Laser TV: Overall Picture Quality

Brightness

Contrast

Audible Noise

VAVA Laser TV Sharpness

Calibration Notes

HDR Calibration Notes

VAVA 4K UHD Laser TV – SPECIFICATIONS

VAVA Specs

Quick Links

Reviews

Other Information