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By Robbie Khan · Posted
Valerion VisionMaster Plus2 review - The Lexus of lifestyle projectors by Robbie Khan I think that the term "Lifestyle projector" makes it sound cheap or devoid of quality, because this VisionMaster Plus2 is anything but cheap or lacking in quality. But this is the way it is, the industry coins a phrase, and the phrase becomes a thing. I had never heard of Valerion until a month ago. My projector experience has, until now, been limited to Dangbei's excellent models, as well as a cheaper JMGO 4K triple laser model (review coming soon!). Valerion originally started off with a Kickstarter campaign, but following on from the success of that, the VisionMaster Plus2 (formerly StreamMaster Plus2) gets an official outing and lands on my worktop: From here on, I will just refer to it as the VMP2 for convenience. What stood out to me most is how un-projector-like the aesthetics are. Looking at them from any angle other than the front, you would be hard-pressed to tell that they are projectors. I think that is the appeal here, they look like living room furniture that could fit in happily without looking like a piece of boardroom display equipment: A closer look... Valerion shipped this sample for my honest findings, and as you know, the score by now, good or bad, I share that with our readers. The gimbal stand was also sent, it's nothing spectacular that I have not seen before from Dangbei and others, hefty build quality, fluid articulation, sturdy base with rotation, all good things and what I would expect from such a stand: My only quibble here would be that the front coloured fascia is not swappable, and as colour options are limited for each model, this could pose a nitpick for those wishing to colour coordinate with their room's decor. First impressions, then, are excellent, but that's not to say there aren't quirks and things to nitpick on, nothing is ever perfect after all, and the more I spent time using the VMP2, the more I discovered about it, things that the marketing materials nor user manual mention, things that I will cover in detail throughout this review. So let's get to it. Specifications Colour Pearl White Operating system Google TV OS SoC AI-SoC MT9618, RAM 4GB Storage 128GB Fan noise 26dB Latency & resolution 4ms at 1080P@240Hz, 8ms at 1080P@120Hz, 15ms at 4K@60Hz Projection size Up to 300" Throw ratio 1.2:1 HDR HDR 10+, Dolby Vision, HDR 10, HLG Pro formats Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced, HDR10+, Filmmaker, 24 FPS, 48 FPS Light source/brightness RGB Triple Laser @ 2000 ISO lumens Laser lifespan 25,000+ hours Display technology TI 0.47-inch 4K UHD DMD Contrast ratio 10000:1 Colour range 110% REC 2020 Tilt angle 360 degrees Audio 2x 12W speakers supporting DTS:X, Dolby Audio Remote control Fully featured metal remote with metal buttons, backlit buttons Built-in platform apps Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, HULU, Apple TV+, Paramount + WiFi casting Apple AirPlay, Chromecast, Miracast Connectivity 2×HDMI 2.1, 1× HDMI 2.0 (eARC), 1× USB 3.0, 1× USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2, 1× S/PDIF, 1× 3.5mm, 1x LAN Smart Home Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Works with Alexa, Control 4 Special features ISF certified, ALLM for gaming, low latency modes, Power 36V 5A GaN power supply, 180W consumption Dimensions 260x185x216 mm Weight 7 KG Price £1519 (£380 limited discount) $1499 ($500 limited discount) Prime Day deals are currently active, see here for full details Out of the box Seems all projectors now are coming in these thick poly-cases, no complaints from me, keeps them extremely well protected, and a convenient case to store unused accessories, though storing the cases themselves can end up being an issue as they take up space, as you can see: What impressed me the most with Valerion is how nicely everything is packaged up and presented. The accessories box below, for example, is tidy, high quality, and all the components inside are equally high quality. And then there's the remote, short of high-end audiophile gear, I have not seen a remote control with this level of fit and finish. A remote for one of my other amps weighs 61 grams; this? 115 grams! It's clear to see why, though, because the buttons are not rubber; they too are metallic, and whilst I cannot see an easy way to open it up to inspect if they are fully metal or just a metal cap on top of plastic, they certainly feel the part. Annoyingly, the underside is curved, so it wobbles, 2-steps forward, 1-step back! It also hides a trick up its sleeve, well, two actually, the first being a backlight behind core buttons as shown above, and the second being that it is both infrared and Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE). Unlike other projectors running Google TV, the first-run process during setup starts off in IR mode, with a prompt at the end to pair over Bluetooth LE, which then takes over. Nitpick time... I found no way to see the battery percentage remaining, even with BTLE, whereas all Dangbei projectors show the remaining battery level under the remotes and accessories screen in Google TV OS, weird that this feature was omitted by Valerion, especially on a remote that has a backlight. Another one is the flappy cover that makes the backside look sleek, it hinges down to reveal the connections, and you probably have already guessed where this is going now, the power socket is behind here, which means the flap is always open, which then subjects the ports to dust and things. The Dangbei MP1 Max and JMGO N1S 4K that I am also testing have power connection jacks integrated onto the gimbal stands, so I think this is a missed chance by Valerion to keep things in line with an otherwise awesome design language. There are also no USB-C ports, which to me in 2025 is another missed step; a USB-A to C adapter in the box would have been acceptable here, too. Google TV As with every projector running Google TV, setup is a doddle, simply fire up the Google Home app on your phone with the projector powered up, and within a few minutes, everything is ready to go. This is the sort of experience you want when spending four figures on a piece of smart home entertainment, no messing around in menus or working out what the password is to log in, just use your phone to authenticate, select a few options, and that's it. I'm very familiar with Google TV OS now, having had several projectors running it, and what Valerion has added to the iteration on its projectors deserves some recognition. Not only are there descriptive highlights on what various settings do, but many also include a visual comparison of how the setting looks, much like in PC games, where highlighting a setting shows a useful description of it, and in some cases, a preview of the setting change is shown. Here is a gallery showcasing various screens found around the OS. It's quite comprehensive and way more than is necessary for a projector, but as a techie, all of them come as a welcome inclusion to me. Yes, that is a wireless site survey you are seeing, on a projector! Note that the remote control also has shortcut buttons that take you directly to certain setting screens that would otherwise require multiple button presses, or trawling through submenus to reach. The 'Projector' settings screen is one example, as it is a section that you may be going to frequently when changing settings to do with the image size/focus and so on. Performance Another point of credit where due is the performance. On other flagship projector models I have seen that sometimes the first time you press the main Google TV settings button that flies out the toggles menu takes a few seconds to initially appear, or the volume adjustment notification, not so on the VMP2, it's almost instant and there isn't any lag between screen changes elsewhere either. Another surprise was with Bluetooth audio, which is transmitted using the AAC CODEC to my DAC/headphones amp. Normally, I would expect to see audio sync delay due to this, but I noticed no obvious signs of this here and was able to enjoy movies and TV shows through my headphones, a true cinematic experience. I don't know how the below video will appear to readers, but hopefully it gives an indication as to the performance of Bluetooth audio. Developer Options has been unlocked, since Google OS is Android, but inside there, I could not see the usual Bluetooth CODEC setting to view and select the full list of supported CODECs. In fact, so good is the performance of the interface and general usability that you can just pair up a wireless keyboard and mouse and use this as a full infotainment system. I went one step further and tried out emulation, since we have access to Play Store apps, I installed an N64 emulator and was able to play games like Banjo Kazooie, Goldeneye 64 and Beetle Adventure Racing without too much bother: However, playing Steam Remote Play did exhibit significant input latency that made the whole experience jarring. Speaking of input latency, Valerion states that at 4K, the maximum refresh rate is 60fps at 15ms latency, so PC and console players looking for a 4K 120Hz experience are out of luck, though 240Hz at 1080p is supported with around 4ms of latency. The MediaTek chipset can be thanked for the general performance and set of features. Valerion outlines why these projectors work so well on its page. All of my testing has been done on an 83" projection with a Moon Grey screen, which is actually a blackout roller blind using its reverse side to project onto. This works exceptionally well, and in fact better than the 100" ALR ambient light rejection Fresnel screen that Valerion sent me along with the VMP2. Whilst the ALR screen is exceptional in quality and retaining light transmittance, it falls short on off-centre viewing quality as the image gets washed out unless you are sat so far back that a hall is needed instead of a living room, and my living room is large enough that a 65" OLED TV feels adequate! Valerion says the VMP2 can project up to 300", I have no trouble believing this, though just bear in mind at 300" you will need to be in very dark conditions, the larger an image you project, the darker the light image will be, that's just photonic physics in action. Another part of the MediaTek chipset is the real-time AI features, part of which has options in the menus for smoothing out gradient banding. This is a feature I have not seen in other flagship projectors like the new Dangbei MP1 Max. Even on the Low setting, I found that it made a noticeable improvement to compressed streaming videos, especially on YouTube, which is quite aggressive with its compression. Smooth Gradient setting Off Low High It seems subtle on camera, but take my word for it, on even low, the difference is very noticeable. Optimised settings Using the VMP2 as a side-screen on my workstation setup against a QD-OLED 32" monitor allowed me to visually calibrate the settings of the projector to get as close as possible to my hardware-calibrated QD-OLED for both HDR and SDR content. As a result of this, below are my optimised settings for the best neutral-vibrant experience, which doesn't sacrifice dark details, nor tonal dynamic range, at least in my usage conditions. I believe these settings should please most people, should you choose to buy one of these. Just bear in mind that your mileage may vary, and depending on your ambient conditions and preferences, playing around with a variation of the below settings is the best approach to find what works for you. The VMP2 retains settings memory for each picture mode, and these can be saved on a source basis or applied to all sources that use each picture mode. The three main picture modes are SDR, HDR and Dolby Vision. When playing content, you can quickly see what picture mode is being used by the content by pressing the above outlined button on the remote, the screen will show the mode, and scrolling right to click Picture will take you directly to the picture settings without having to navigate through Google OS menus. Picture Mode Setting Optimised value SDR Picture > Picture Mode Cinema Picture > Apply Picture Settings All Sources Picture > General > Content Type Auto Detection On Picture > General > AI Scene Off Picture > Laser Luminance > Level 8 Picture > Laser Luminance > Enhanced Black Level Dark Level Enhanced Picture > Laser Luminance > Dark Detail On Picture > Laser Luminance > Active Contrast Off Picture > Laser Luminance > Brightness Enhancer Off Picture > Laser Luminance > HDR Enhancer Off Picture > Colour > Temperature Warm 2 Picture > Colour > Colour Space Native Picture > Colour > Dynamic Colour Enhancer Off Picture > Clarity > Sharpness 7 Picture > Clarity > Smooth Gradient Low Picture > Clarity > Super Resolution On Picture > Clarity > Noise Reduction Off Picture > Clarity > MPEG Noise Reduction Off Motion Enhancement Off HDR Picture > Picture Mode HDR Cinema Picture > Apply Picture Settings All Sources Picture > General > Content Type Auto Detection On Picture > General > AI Scene Off Picture > Laser Luminance > Level 8 Picture > Laser Luminance > Enhanced Black Level Dark Level Enhanced Picture > Laser Luminance > Dark Detail On Picture > Laser Luminance > Active Contrast High Picture > Laser Luminance > Brightness Enhancer Off Picture > Laser Luminance > Dynamic Tone Mapping On Picture > Colour > Temperature Warm 2 Picture > Colour > Colour Space Native Picture > Colour > Dynamic Colour Enhancer High Picture > Clarity > Sharpness 7 Picture > Clarity > Smooth Gradient Low Picture > Clarity > Super Resolution On Picture > Clarity > Noise Reduction Off Picture > Clarity > MPEG Noise Reduction Off Motion Enhancement Off Dolby Vision Picture > Picture Mode Dolby Vision Custom Picture > Apply Picture Settings All Sources Picture > General > Content Type Auto Detection Off (cannot be changed) Picture > General > AI Scene Off (cannot be changed) Picture > Laser Luminance > Level 8 Picture > Laser Luminance > Enhanced Black Level Dark Level Enhanced Picture > Laser Luminance > Dark Detail On Picture > Laser Luminance > Active Contrast Off Picture > Laser Luminance > Brightness Enhancer Off Picture > Colour > Temperature Standard Picture > Colour > Colour Space BT.2020 Picture > Colour > Dynamic Colour Enhancer High Picture > Clarity > Sharpness 10 Picture > Clarity > Smooth Gradient Low Picture > Clarity > Super Resolution On Picture > Clarity > Noise Reduction Off Picture > Clarity > MPEG Noise Reduction Off Motion Enhancement Off Here is how those settings look when playing back HDR content under varying lighting conditions: Daily living I've been using the VMP2 daily, from watching live news in the mornings, background YouTube whilst working on other things and reclining back during the evenings to binge some Netflix or put on a movie. The VMP2 has been largely exceptional, and lifestyle projector is an accurate label to give it, I suppose. Fan noise is also kept at a minimum, with a flow-through airflow design, the fan sucks air in through the mesh vents on one side, and out the other. The VMP2 is about as loud as a modern desktop PC with quiet case fans installed. The power button and LED are on the backside. It took me a while to notice this, as the LED is off when the VMP is on; the LED only comes on during standby mode. As there is full support for Google Assistant, Alexa and others, the long-range microphones on top of the VMP2 are always active, although you can turn them off with a physical toggle switch that's hidden on the top face of the VMP2: With 180 watts of power being pumped out by the wall adapter, and a projector that runs fairly cool and silent, it was interesting to whip out the thermal camera to see what the temperatures are after an hour of usage: The power adapter does seem to get the hottest, which is to be expected, even though it is a GaN model; 180 watts is no small number from something rather small in size. You can see how its exhaust is warming up the immediate surrounding surfaces down there, too. Non-4K content? This was an easy one to check. I have a Netflix subscription that comes free as part of my mobile phone package, so the standard 1080p plan with ads is fine for the most part. Playing a few episodes of shows indicated no real problems with image quality or compression. I'm not sure if Netflix has adopted AV1 for its full database yet, but the image quality displayed at 83" projection is excellent, so perhaps AV1 is being used, which is higher quality at lower bitrates. Here's a quick demo of Wednesday playing as a good reference on what can be expected: Conclusion As I often say, nothing is ever perfect, and the VMP2 is not immune to quirks, though I suspect some of the observations I have made are not of its own doing but the app vendors instead. For example, when playing Netflix, if I walk away to do something for several minutes with playback on pause, the Google TV Ambient mode kicks in, displaying a screensaver, all fine, but upon returning and resuming playback, Netflix will display a playback error. Quitting the app and then reloading will resume playback, an extra step that happens more often than I would like. This is likely due to a Netflix authentication issue, because Google TV is trying to resume from the last position it was at before Ambient mode kicked I,n like it does with other apps, but Netflix seemingly has other plans. The rotating base of the stand is also very nice, it has ball bearings inside that ratchet, and using gravity with the weight of the projector, stays in place without accidental movements, which might throw off projection alignment. Another gripe is that the remote's backlit buttons only light up some buttons, and whilst the core buttons are easy to memorise due to position and shape, the volume buttons are the same shape, location and feel as the app and menu buttons, so accidental presses can happen until muscle memory has set in, and that can take some time. Whilst we are on the subject of remotes, I've commented on how nice it feels, the metal construction and metal buttons, but the underside is still plastic (largely in part due to the BTLE reception) and curved instead of being flat. I had to stick on rubber feet to stop it from wobbling on the table or sliding away with the slightest nudge. Lastly, when the VMP2 is in standby mode, pressing any button on the remote wakes it up. This can end up being annoying if you accidentally press a button. I would have preferred only the power button waking it up, as it seems most logical, as it's all the way on the top left corner and cannot be pressed by accident. These issues are not deal breakers, and the VMP2 does a lot more right than it does wrong; it out-smartes the competition, but this smartness comes at a deeper price, a price that I think is justified thanks to all the polish and general quality in display both in hardware and software. Above all else, it is just excellent as a projector, even without the software features and fancy remote. It can be used in lighting conditions that other projectors struggle in, is quiet after long hours of use, and it doesn't stand out like a sore thumb, I just probably would not bother with the ALR screen and instead explore options that don't have the compromises such screens have at this sort of size for home use. This is genuinely a cinema experience for the home, so long as you pair the audio output to a decent set of speakers. The onboard speakers are OK, but projectors costing half as much have much better sounding speakers, such as the JMGO N1S 4K, though it is half the brightness and not as feature-packed. Valerion has some Prime Day deals still going, as well as offers that run through to the end of July. If this projector tickles your fancy, then some good savings can be had. -
By ad47uk · Posted
And the forced MS account. That is one thing I will never have, as I have no need for an account, even on my mac. -
By ad47uk · Posted
That is still going, kind of, Haiku is the modern version of it, I chat to someone online who uses it. -
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By monterxz · Posted
You forgot to mention that in Windows 11 there is an option to delete your data at the bottom of the Diagnostics & feedback page which says: "Once you delete your data here, we start removing copies from our systems. If you have a Microsoft account, you might have additional diagnostic data you can delete on the privacy dashboard." -
By ad47uk · Posted
I found 98Se very stable, 98 was unstable and so was ME, so I was told, but ME seemed okay for me. But 98Se was stable on my machine at the time. XP had a fair few problems to start with.
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