Valerion’s VisionMaster Kickstarter campaign raised more than $8 million in 2024, making it the most-funded campaign on the platform that year. After spending the past few weeks with the flagship VisionMaster Max, I’m confident there are plenty of satisfied backers.
\n\nAt $3,999, it costs far more than excellent point-and-play rivals, such as the Nebula X1 (9/10 WIRED Recommends), but considerably less than native 4K home-theater projectors from brands like Sony and JVC. That leaves the Max straddling two very different camps.
\n\nIts compact design, built-in Google TV, and automated setup suggest the classification of a premium lifestyle projector, while optical zoom, vertical lens shift, a mechanical iris, and sophisticated black-level processing point toward something far more capable. It’s easy to use and almost too pretty to ceiling-mount, but arguably too sophisticated to spend its life propped up on a side table. So the question remains: Who is the VisionMaster Max actually for?
\n\nThe 16.5-pound VisionMaster Max is simple to get up and running. Google TV grants instant access to many streaming services, while auto-keystone and autofocus make positioning a frictionless process. (However, because keystone correction digitally reshapes the image, when used heavily, it can reduce resolution—but that's true for all…
Original source: https://www.wired.com/