AWOL Imaginative and prescient is not a model that will be acquainted to many; I did not hear of the model till final 12 months, once I was researching extremely quick throw (UST) projectors with a excessive brightness. Whereas most manufacturers have a choice of merchandise — largely aimed on the funds and mid-range tiers — AWOL Imaginative and prescient does issues a bit in a different way; it solely sells UST laser projectors, and given the tech on supply, they’re aimed on the high-end section.
I used a half-dozen UST projectors over the course of the final 5 years, and there was a gradual improve of latest entrants rolling out engaging new options within the final 18 months. AWOL Imaginative and prescient’s LTV sequence stands out due to Dolby Imaginative and prescient; there aren’t many UST projectors that provide the characteristic, so I used to be robotically desirous about having a look at what the model is doing on this class.
The one different projector I examined that had Dolby Imaginative and prescient was the XGIMI Horizon Extremely, however it was an everyday laser projector. What makes AWOL Imaginative and prescient’s LTV-3000 Professional all of the extra alluring is that it makes use of UST tech, so you possibly can place it proper up in opposition to a wall and nonetheless get a big picture. I used the LTV-3000 Professional for simply over three months now, and this is what I consider the UST projector.
AWOL Imaginative and prescient LTV-3000 Professional: Pricing and launch date
AWOL Imaginative and prescient unveiled the LTV-3000 Professional in December 2023, and the projector is now accessible in choose international markets. It retails for $3,999 on Amazon U.S., however you may get $500 off, bringing the price all the way down to $3,499. The LTV-3000 Professional sits in the midst of AWOL Imaginative and prescient’s portfolio; the bottom variant is the LTV-2500, and it’s available for $2,599 as of writing. There is a high-end mannequin dubbed LTV-3500 Professional that has 3,500 lumens of brightness, and that’s currently retailing for $5,599 on Amazon.
All three fashions have the identical design and connectivity, and the one distinction is the brightness of the projection; the LTV-2500 goes as much as 2,600 lumens, and the LTV-3500 Professional hits 3,500 lumens. You get Dolby Imaginative and prescient and a 4K projection as normal, and loads of customizability in relation to shade steadiness and film modes.
AWOL Imaginative and prescient LTV-3000 Professional: Design
The LTV-3000 Professional has a daring design that instantly grabs consideration. I beforehand used the XGIMI Aura as my go-to UST projector, and whereas it additionally has a definite styling, it does not look fairly as futuristic. The graceful traces mixed with the liberal use of metallic trim offers the LTV-3000 Professional loads of visible aptitude, and I like the best way the projector curves across the entrance.
The LTV-3000 Professional is simply as large as a few of the different 4K UST projectors I examined, and it delivers all of the options you want in a trendy bundle. My solely quibble is the selection of shade; the projector is on the market in black, and the shiny plastic that is used on the perimeters is a mud magnet.
Outdoors of that, there are not any points with the design. There are massive vents on the perimeters to ship airflow into the chassis, with the vent on the fitting serving because the consumption and the one on the left the exhaust. There is a energy button up high, and also you get AWOL Imaginative and prescient branding together with the standard Dolby labels, and a Tri-Chroma Laser moniker on one aspect.
The 4 rubber toes on the backside make it straightforward to place the projector, and you may make any mandatory changes to elevation. The projection lens sits in an island, and it has a bigger outlet than a few of its rivals, with AWOL Imaginative and prescient noting that it delivers higher readability even at a 150-inch projection.
There’s the standard proximity sensor that switches off the laser when it detects an object, and I discovered that it was a tad too delicate — it could swap off the display even once I was strolling by the projector. Total, the LTV-3000 Professional definitely appears the a part of a high-end UST projector, and the daring design mixed with the construct high quality make it a terrific alternative on this class.
AWOL Imaginative and prescient LTV-3000 Professional: Options
The LTV-3000 Professional is not missing in relation to options; the UST projector is ready to ship a projection of as much as 150 inches, and it makes use of a Texas Devices 0.47 Digital Micromirror System (DMD) together with a customized Ricoh lens to ship a 4K projection with a distinction of 2500:1.
Because the Tri-Chroma Laser branding suggests, it makes use of a three-laser gentle supply that goes as much as 3,000 lumens of brightness, and AWOL Imaginative and prescient touts a long life of 25,000 hours for the laser, which is considerably greater than what you get with conventional projectors.
By way of connectivity, the LTV-3000 Professional has Wi-Fi ac and Bluetooth 5.0, and also you get three HDMI 2.0 ports on the again (one with eARC), two USB 2.0 ports that allow you to join an exterior drive to the projector, digital audio out, and Ethernet. As for the {hardware}, you get 3GB of RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage.
There’s 8-point keystone correction, and like different UST projectors, the LTV-3000 Professional has a standby mode the place it consumes simply 0.5W of energy.
AWOL Imaginative and prescient LTV-3000 Professional: Image high quality and sound
The most important promoting level of the LTV-3000 Professional is that it is ready to ship a picture that goes as much as 3,000 lumens. That is considerably increased than the 1,800-lumen that the XGIMI Aura manages, and having used that projector for the higher a part of two years, there was a direct distinction when switching over to the LTV-3000 Professional.
Most UST projectors do not get as vibrant, and that does not make them as versatile as TVs; you may largely must place them in a darkish room with the blinds closed. However this isn’t a difficulty with the LTV-3000 Professional, and even with loads of ambient gentle within the room, the projector was capable of ship a vibrant picture that is greater than serviceable. Heck, this UST projector will get brighter than most common laser projectors, and that is no small feat.
The projector has six modes — Commonplace, Vivid, Film, Sport, Sport, and Person — and in my utilization, I discovered the Film mode to have the perfect shade rendition. Each SDR and HDR content material was rendered with loads of element and shade vibrancy, and AWOL Imaginative and prescient did a terrific job calibrating the colours out of the field. What I additionally like is the sheer customizability on supply; you possibly can simply change the white steadiness, distinction, saturation, and tweak the colour steadiness as wanted (in Person mode).
I streamed loads of content material on the LTV-3000 Professional within the three months I used the projector, and I had zero points with image high quality. Shade steadiness and black ranges are terrific all through, and it does a far sight higher than another UST projector I examined to this point, together with the VAVA Chroma.
The projector does a terrific job with HDR content material, and it performed Netflix’s Dolby Imaginative and prescient titles with out breaking a sweat. It’s simply as satisfying for watching motion pictures in addition to sports activities, and its greatest differentiator is the excessive brightness ranges. What’s significantly nice is that you simply get a 24fps possibility, and on the different finish of the size, there’s MEMC.
You may also use the projector for gaming, and the devoted Sport mode lowers the latency all the way down to 15ms. It does not handle 4K at 120Hz, however if you happen to’re seeking to join a console to a big display, the LTV-3000 Professional is a good possibility. You will get 120Hz in 1080p, and the latency is as little as 8ms on this mode.
I arrange the LTV-3000 Professional to ship a 95-inch projection, however it goes as much as 150 inches, utilizing a throw ratio of 0.25:1. . The projector has two built-in audio drives that ship 36W of sound, and it does a good sufficient job in its personal proper. That mentioned, you may ideally must pair it with a great soundbar.
AWOL Imaginative and prescient LTV-3000 Professional: Distant
Whereas the design of the LTV-3000 Professional is clearly futuristic, the identical can’t be mentioned of the distant. It appears a bit chintzy and one thing out of the ’90s, and it does not have any similarities to the projector itself. The silver design appears gaudy, and it has too many buttons which can be of little to no use.
The most important subject is that there isn’t any backlight, and that makes utilizing the distant extra cumbersome than it must be. The one benefit of it’s that you simply will not have to make use of it after organising the projector to your preferences.
AWOL Imaginative and prescient LTV-3000 Professional: Software program
AWOL Imaginative and prescient has a barebones software program interface based mostly on Android 9.0, and it does not supply any smarts; there isn’t any strategy to set up the standard set of streaming providers, or do a lot with the UI in any respect. Aside from switching HDMI sources and altering the projector’s settings, you do not get many options.
Fortunately, AWOL Imaginative and prescient offloaded the software program drawback by bundling Amazon’s streaming persist with the bundle. Most Chinese language manufacturers miss out on Netflix certification on their projectors — it is a fixed bugbear on XGIMI’s merchandise — so by simply bundling a streaming stick within the field, AWOL Imaginative and prescient does not have to fret about any of that.
As such, there is not a lot to speak about on the software program entrance. There’s a provision behind the projector to deal with the streaming stick — and energy it natively — and it’s a first rate workaround to organising a customized software program interface or go together with Android TV and fear about Netflix certification.
I used the LTV-3000 Professional with my go-to streaming system, NVIDIA’s Protect TV Professional, and it turned out to be a terrific mixture. The Protect TV Professional is extremely fluid in every day use, has loads of customizability, and lets me obtain all of the streaming providers I care about.
AWOL Imaginative and prescient LTV-3000 Professional: The competitors
The XGIMI Aura shares loads of similarities with the LTV-3000 Professional; it additionally makes use of an analogous laser gentle supply and delivers terrific colours out of the field. It does not get as vibrant because the LTV-3000 Professional, however it’s greater than ample if you do not have an excessive amount of ambient gentle. And at $1,699, it’s far more reasonably priced.
AWOL Imaginative and prescient LTV-3000 Professional: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You want a UST projector that will get vibrant
- You need a projector with Dolby Imaginative and prescient
- You want correct colours with loads of configurability
You should not purchase this if:
- You need Android TV out of the field
Truthfully, AWOL Imaginative and prescient ticked all the fitting bins with the LTV-3000 Professional. The projector is the brightest I examined but, and it does a terrific job even you probably have loads of ambient gentle coming by way of. You get wonderful colours and distinction ranges, and there is sufficient customizability that you would be able to tweak the colour steadiness to your preferences.
The LTV-3000 Professional does a standout job with HDR content material and Dolby Imaginative and prescient specifically, and the assorted modes make a distinction in every day use; it is a versatile projector that can be utilized in a wide range of settings. An enormous downside with most new entrants on this section is the software program, and that is not a difficulty right here. The one draw back is the distant, however apart from that, I haven’t got something to fault with the LTV-3000 Professional.
It’s costlier than its rivals, however if you need a vibrant projection with Dolby Imaginative and prescient and a good quantity of customizability, the LTV-3000 Professional is a standout alternative.
The LTV-3000 Professional is brighter than most UST laser projectors, has Dolby Imaginative and prescient, and delivers terrific colours out of the field. Â
