Getting the rightprojectorcan make or break your dwelling theater room . On the one hand , if you ’ve aim the idealistic ingredients a home theater need to thrive — like a dark , windowless elbow room , a bounteous and clean wall ( or better yet , an ALR blind ) , agood sound system of rules , and ample cam stroke distance — your chances of attain cinephile walking on air meliorate exponentially . On the other hand , if you do n’t have all these things , then the field narrow down when it comes to finding the consummate projector .
The AWOL LTV-3500 Pro purpose to fly in the face of these challenges , as it ’s one of the brightest and well - performing projectors we ’ve ever tested . But it ’ll be you .
The LTV-3500 Pro is the relatively new California - establish party ’s flagshipUST ( ultra forgetful throw)triple laser projector . It ’s a 4 yard , 3D - capable workhorse that defend bothDolby VisionHDR and Dolby Atmos sound . That ’s all well and good , yes , but the principal ingredient that aid the LTV-3500 Pro earn its eye - irrigate $ 6,000 price are what make it so good . First , its scald 3,500 lumens of brightness does n’t give care about your window or your lights . you may put it wherever you wish and the picture will be clear , full of dividing line , and vivid . secondly , the LTV-3500 Pro can confound an image from 100 to 150- inches in size and can do it sitting just inches from your rampart . It also comes with some solid talker built - in , so all but the in effect soundbars need not apply .
The LTV-3500 Pro does do a lot of other things quite well , too , but does it all rationalize the six K it ’ll cost you ? allow ’s find out .
Setup and design
My experience with position up UST projector has been dependable overall — they do n’t normally add up with a lot of special part to assemble or attach . Aside from positioning and getting the image aligned , it ’s a straightforward operation . The AWOL LTV-3500 Pro is in line with that experience .
UST projector are , however , ordinarily rather large . The LTV-3500 Pro measures 23.6 by 13.9 by 5.7 inch and count almost 24 pounds , but one of the great things about UST projector is that you do n’t have to ceiling mount them . They can sit on your media unit or storey , right under the screen door or bulwark , and once they ’re pose and adjusted , they do n’t move .
I coiffe up the LTV-3500 Pro with a 100 - inch ALR screen and , based on the passport from AWOL , I positioned it just a mere 10 inches from the screen ( that ’s from the back , or bulwark - facing side of the projector ) . If you were going to go for the full 150 - column inch experience , that distance jumps to 20 inches , and that gets a bit more challenging if you have to move your medium unit out to attain it .
Screen photos do not do the LTV-3500’s pictures justice.Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
apparatus is simple , and the instructions are well laid out . There are power system and molding guide to help you move the image into place , and there ’s eight - point manual keystone chastening and manual focus features to dial in the picture angle and brittleness . If you ’ve ever manually fix up a projector before , it ’ll go speedily . My only gripe with the LTV-3500 Pro , give its price , is its want of automatic fitting or key adjustment feature film . But I mistrust AWOL has exclude these features because , for a projector this high - closing , you ’re likely go to place it up for good on a properly mount screen door or suitable paries , make auto keystoning less relevant .
Once the LTV-3500 Pro is safe to go , you’re able to take a whole step back and admire how numb aphrodisiac the thing looks . Its lusterlessness greyish finish is accentuated by some slick - expect fluent keylines that curve and fly the coop along its pianissimo - pitch-black front side , making it look like the front end of a sleek sportscar , minus the headlight .
Ah , but there is a headlight of sorts — the projector ’s triple optical maser - driven Ricoh glass electron lens , which is recessed in the top of the projector , surrounded by a cool cockle grain . The sides are comprehend in futuristic - looking , triangle - shaped air vent .
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
finally , the LTV-3500 Pro comes with a shimmering metal remote that is delightfully feature film - robust , with unmediated access to input origin selection , movie and reasoned setting , a brightness shortcut , and more . The only thing I wish it had was backlit clitoris .
Inputs and connectivity
On the back of the LTV-3500 Pro are more than enough stimulant for connecting a wide range of seed , from Blu - ray players tostreaming devicesand more . They let in an opthalmic S / PDIF audio input , micro - USB for servicing , USB - A , LAN , two HDMI port ( one eARC ) , and an additional HDMI input behind a removable panel that can be used to connect and obliterate the includedFire TV Stick 4 K Max . This HDMI input also has its own USB embrasure for powering the streaming pin , which you’re able to also use with another machine if you like . I like this feature article ( BenQ ’s V5000iandHT 4550iprojectors also have this gore for hide out the dongle ) as it helps keep your frame-up detached from welter .
The AWOL LTV-3500 Pro itself runs an Android 9.0 - based operating system , but unlike the Android TV orGoogle TVinterfaces a ton of projector are opting for nowadays , it ’s just an interface and does not offer any build - in apps or streaming help ( that ’s what the Fire TV Stick is for ) . And , honestly , I choose this as it allows the AWOL to engage in a way that ’s much snappier than my experience has been with the Android TV- or Google television set - based projector I ’ve used . I opted to link my Apple TV 4 K for the review , though , and it work perfectly .
The LTV-3500 Pro also features dual - band Wi - Fi connectivity and wireless screen mirroring for sending video from your smartphone . And there ’s aBluetooth speakermode for station audio to a wireless speaker , should you choose .
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
The Android user user interface is well - plan , legitimate , and everything is within a few menu levels . And , as we ’ll get into more later , the picture preferences available are robust enough for precise tuning , but they ’re not at all overwhelming like a lot of projector can get .
The LTV-3500 Pro also comes with Control4 Smart Home compatibility build - in , which let control of several of the projector ’s feature article such as power , input switching , and loudness with Alexa and Google Assistant . Control4 is also a custom home automation service , in case you need to integrate the projector into a wider chic home setup .
Picture and sound features
For your intemperately - earned $ 6,000 , you ’re getting some of the best picture specification we ’ve ever seen with the LTV-3500 Pro , thanks in declamatory part to its maximum brightness of 3,500 lumens . That ’s 700 more than the equally price and top - ratedSamsung The Premiere LSP9Tand 1,000 more than theBenQ V5000ithat are both on ourbest UST projector lean .
That brightness is delivered by an RGB ternary laser DLP optic organization that throws a 4 thou ( 3,840 by 2,160 ) resolution moving-picture show that covers 107 % of the Rec . 2020 colouration outer space . As we mentioned up top , the LTV-3500 Pro is an excellent performer in both shining and dark way ( more on this later ) , with some telling black storey that can be assign largely to its 2,500:1 contrast ratio . It also boasts wide HDR support , including HDR10 , HDR10 + , HLG , and Dolby Vision , making it one of the only projector on the market to patronise all four .
While there are better projectors around for gamers , they ’ll generally be impressed with the LTV-3500 ’s gaming capabilities . While the LTV-3500 Pro is able of a honorable 60Hz refresh charge per unit and 15ms meanwhile clock time at 4 K , gamers will be more apt to use the projector ’s Turbo Game mode that drip the resolution to 1080p . The welfare of doing so is a 120Hz refresh rate and 8ms slowdown time , which will be in effect for faster games like first - somebody shooters on-line or racing games .
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
The LTV-3500 Pro is also a 3D - capable projector , and some AWOL retail merchant are offering the projector with two duad of 3-D Active Shutter glasses with the purchase ( an $ 80 economic value ) .
For audio , we ’ve been seeing a pronounced melioration in many projector ’ build - in audio , and we ’re happy to report that the LTV-3500 Pro has not only also choose up this mantle , but they ’re first-class . It feature two internal stereo speakers with a full output of 36 - watts . There ’s support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS :X , and the sound is surprisingly big , full , and immersive , with the virtual surround doing a seemly chore at placing movie sounds like pelt along cars and explosions around the room . We ’re habitual to beating theget - a - soundbardrum with TVs and projector , but we ’d advocate you to give this system a endeavour before committing — it might just do the put-on in a passably sized way .
Performance
The AWOL LTV-3500 Pro is the undimmed UST projector I ’ve test , and its carrying out with brightness on and/or daytime streaming in is the full I ’ve ever seen , get it as close to a boob tube replacement contender that I ’ve come across — if you may tolerate the Leontyne Price .
During my testing , I used the include Fire TV Stick 4 K Max , but mostly anApple TV 4 super acid , and watched a variety show of movies and TV show up on a 100 - in ALR ( ambient light rejecting ) screen , as well as on a clean blank bulwark . I do n’t have a large TV room , so UST projectors are a great solution for saving space . I placed the projector on the floor in front of the screen , making setup easy as it did n’t have to compete with anything else on a medium console .
My TV room is also in my cellar and has a hefty windowpane that permit in a fair amount of light . But the LTV-3500 Pro ’s 3,500 lumens just waver . Blinds up , blind down , room lights on full , elbow room lights off – the flick output was outstanding , with only minimum gray - washing on the mordant levels in full light situation , but still better than any projector I ’ve review .
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
Even with out - of - the - box picture configurations , the brightness and contrast in Dolby Vision bear witness like Disney+’sThe Acolyte , with its pure and tight - moving clear sabre , looked crisp and brilliant . Darker scenes were squeamish and inky , but not too dismal . By default , the Dynamic Contrast and Enhanced Black Levels feature are coiffe toOnand toggling them on and off divulge that this is the right call — both supply a overnice luminousness boost and deepen the pitch-black floor .
The default color temperature setting , with Dolby Vision , is set toAuto , and the projector ’s Wide Color Gamut is dress toOnas well ( this is also the case with other HDR format ) . Again , these setting were spot - on as people of colour truth and saturation on the LTV-3500 Pro is great across the board . When watchingSpider - humankind : No Way Home , the gold and reds of Peter ’s Spidey lawsuit popped , and Sandman ’s textured George Sand - skin was beautifully coarse-grained and contrasty .
Some of the projector ’s picture circumstance can have an adverse effect on the colors if you fiddle around too much , though , making them too punchy or overly saturated . Turning the Wide colouration Gamut off added a bit too much blue and light-green to the picture , and I especially noticed this when watchingGodzilla Minus Oneon Netflix , where many of the daylight scenes were a washed in a aristocratical hue .
I wanted to liken the coloration accuracy with myLG OLED TV , so I loaded upDune : Part Twoon both concealment and , for the most part , the sepia - tinged deserts of Arrakis were well - matched . And even if they were n’t , the LTV-3500 Pro provides all the picture adaption feature you could ever want , and they ’re not buried in layers and layer of menus , which makes it easy to try out and tweak .
Of course , even with the LTV-3500 Pro ’s prowess in the light , it goes without suppose that the skillful showing experience is still in the nighttime . The dismal the better . Do that , ideally on an ALR silver screen ( my wall test were OK , but nowhere near as good as the cover ) , and you might be more forgiving of the price .
And while I did n’t perform a exhaustive examination of the LTV-3500 Pro ’s 3D features , I did view several 3D movie demo on YouTube , including a few high - qualityAvatar : The Way of Watertrailers ( I also saw these demonstration show on - screen at AWOL ’s CES 2024 booth ) . I was easily capable to swap the 3D background to the appropriate side - by - side data formatting , and once my eyes adjusted , the image through the active glasses AWOL bring home the bacon was unclouded and stunning , with trees and vanish Pandora creatures seemingly frivol away out at me . The images above , obviously , do n’t do it justice .
Oh , and lest we block the wakeless performance of the LTV-3500 Pro . I had leave I was n’t using my TV room’sSonos soundbarandSub setupfor a while there — until I was toy around in my Apple TV ’s profound preferences . Was there a difference ? Of course – - theSonos Subhas some amazing depressed terminal . But , the build - in 36 - watt speaker in the projector were impactful and room - sate enough that I did n’t query the sound .
Dialogue suffers a moment and the soundstage could be wider and deeper , but there ’s enough business leader and volume to suffice if you do n’t have a soundbar or properhome theatre AV telephone receiver . But let ’s be material — if you ’re prepared to drop six grand on a projector that can bring a compelling theater experience to your dwelling , you should add audio to cope with .
Final thoughts
Your first reaction to the AWOL LTV-3500 Pro might be to reduplicate - take on its $ 6,000 price , which make it one of the most expensive projector we ’ve ever reviewed . You also have to consider that you ’re belike going to want to snag an ALR screen with it , whichAWOL betray for around $ 1,400 . However , to hang around on the damage spot for a instant longer , the LTV-3500 Pro can usually be found on sales agreement for $ 500 cheaper , and you could bunch up a screen with it , too ( check out AWOL ’s coolmotorized floor - rising screenif you desire to go totally demented ) .
And , if the price is still too outrageous , consider a slight step down to theLTV-3000 Pro , which is almost identical spec - heady ( it ’s 3,000 lumens ) and costs $ 4,000 , or theLTV-2500 , whichhas 2,500 lumens and goes for $ 3,000 .
This all may or may not soften the gust , but what will is the fact that the LTV-3500 Pro is the best - do projector in both hopeful and benighted suite that we ’ve ever seen . It has striking photograph clarity , color and contrast , solid ramp up - in sound , and can throw a huge image without hog all the quad in your living elbow room . If you ’re looking to substitute your tv set for a bigger , theater - alike experience , this will do it , and formuchcheaper if you consider thatTCL ’s new 115 - inch QM89 mini - LEDis $ 27,000 .
Setup might be a slight more finicky than it is with those projectors with mechanisation feature film , but once it ’s dialed in , the LTV-3500 Pro makes for an first-class dedicated home house . More serious home cinema folks will love the detailed options for motion-picture show adjustment , while the less seasoned will love how easy they are to in reality adjust . These features , fuse with its top - tier smartness and wide reenforcement for HDR format , ensure that the LTV-3500 Pro will also last a while , too , create that big toll look more like an investment .
