Is the Vava 4k Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector worth it despite being made by a relatively unknown manufacturer? It’s actually a hidden gem in the laser projector market by our estimation!
What does the Vava or VAVA 4K Ultra Short Throw (UST) Laser Projector bring to the table exactly? It has a lot going for it for sure. There’s a lot to unpack. It’s a laser projector and a UST projector in one device. It’s even 4K Ultra HD in terms of resolution as well.
Although it might be intimidating to discuss this projector, you should have no worries. This Vava 4k Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector Review will reveal everything about this device.
The Score
Learn more about why it got such a high rating from us below. We particularly approve of the UST laser projector’s audio output. It’s one of the best we’ve seen in a projector.
The Good Stuff
- Sleek design.
- Cinematic pixel density.
- Stellar audio speaker for its class.
- Extra-large cinematic UHD image.
- Topnotch and detailed 4K imagery.
- Serviceably bright care of laser lamp.
- Reasonable pricing at about under $3,000.
The Bad Stuff
- Slightly loud fan.
- Poor native app support.
- Android app needs improvement.
Realize the Smallness of Even the Biggest HDTV
Once you’ve setup and turned on your own Vava 4K Laser Projector in your living room—especially if you have an extra-large projector screen or bare wall to spare—your immediate first thought will definitely be, “My TV is too small”. Even the largest HDTV can’t compare.
The evolution of the short-throw laser projector—which is colloquially known as Laser TVs—is quite impressive seeing how short and fast the device has changed through recent years. It truly has come a long way in giving flatscreen LCD TVs a run for their money.
Make Your Home Theater Look More Complete
What’s important about the Vava is its output. To be more specific, the Vava output offers an 80-inch to 150-inch display, which is much bigger than even the biggest plasma, LCD, or OLED HDTVs out there. Placing the device where you usually put the TV isn’t beyond the pale. It looks like it belongs there.
Then again, the razor-sharp 4K UHD Vava doesn’t even need to be a smart TV, HDTV, or flatscreen TV replacement either. The whole point of a home entertainment system is that it has everything—from game consoles to an A/V receiver for your audio needs—in one place.
Amazing 4K Quality with Laser-Focused Brightness
Vava is an impressive 4K projector funded by IndieGoGo of all organizations. Its short-throw nature allows no extra installation considerations save for the screen in front of it. Its 4K quality makes it modern and futureproofed for at least a decade.
Vava proves that a UST or Ultra Short Throw Projector is your best bet in achieving cinematic viewing excellence without renting out an auditorium and whatnot for projection to work. The device joins a growing number of projector types that have become increasingly and relatively affordable.
Affordable Price Point
Sure, you can buy several DLPs or LCDs with about a $2,600 price tag of Vava. However, the Vava 4K Projector UHD Ultra-Short Throw Laser Smart TV has the theatrical or big screen 4K quality that makes it worth every penny. It was even launched with a new black colorway for good measure.
Unlike most crowdfunded devices that go the way of the Dodo—the Ouya game console comes to mind—the VAVA is crowdfunding done right. It gained a dedicated fanbase that put it right at the top of the projector world at the affordable under $3,000 price.
It’s arguably one of the most affordable 4K UST laser projectors we’ve ever come across. It isn’t perfect in that it’s quite noisy and requires better app support, but it’s a compelling bargain regardless.
The Appeal of Ultra Short Throw
Some are claiming that the Vava has ended up as the primary screen or “laser TV” of their living room. They were able to “p0wn n00bs” in various FPS from Call of Duty to Fortnite with the giant screen projector setup that really shows off all that videogame graphics quality and FPS.
Still others particularly love how the VAVA is a UST or ultra short throw projector. To be more specific, they could put the device right in front of the screen and not worry about the common theater trope of accidentally blocking the projection with shadows when you stand up to go to the W.C.
You too might consider turning this UST projector into your main display because you can place it on the stand, table, or cabinet of your home theater like a DVD or BD player.
An ALR Screen is Strongly Recommended
We used an ALR screen for the VAVA and we strongly recommend that screen type to maximize the potential of your own Vava UHD UST Laser Projector. Many other user reviews we’ve read or online reviews we’ve compared to ours can attest that this is the right path to maximizing your space.
Don’t be intimidated by the jargon or terminology involved with projectors since it’s the same deal with purchasing TVs. For example, you might have no idea when we say Vava uses the same 4K DLP technology offered by Texas Instruments and has 2,500 ANSI lumens of brightness.
You simply need to know what those words mean to appreciate the Vava more.
Fully Dissecting the Vava Specs and Terms
The sleekly designed Vava has a 4K resolution. Long story short, if you’ve ever viewed HD video, the past standard was 1080p while 4K (2160p) is 4 times that at 8.3 million pixels (1080p has 2.1 million pixels). Something that pixel-dense will look sharper even using 100-inch or 150-inch projector screens.
What’s more, the 2,500 ANSI lumens rating simply means Vava is extremely bright. Around 2,000 to 3,000 ANSI lumens are what you need in order to successfully project a projection outdoors, with all that ambient daylight usually robbing the shine of your projector light.
This DLP (Digital Light Processing) type of projector uses 34-year-old tech as opposed to 53-year-old tech (LCD or Light Crystal Display), resulting in higher contrast ratio of 1,500,000:1 or 3000:1 ANSI.
Sometimes Bigger is Simply Better
The Vava projector itself is about as big as an old VCR. It’s not portable DLP mini projector or even a pico projector, but that just means you won’t be sacrificing image quality, deal with resolutions of 480p and below, or suffer from low-lumen brightness with this hulking beast of a laser projector.
Putting it up where you’d normally put your TV or your game console should allow it projector directly in front of your screen or wall. It’s an ultra-short throw projector, after all. It delivers a humongous wall-sized 150-inch image without putting it 5 feet or so at the back of the room.
In other words, Vava isn’t only as big as a VCR; it’s also cinematically or theatrically big image-wise with its whopping 150-inch display size at about $1,000 less in terms of savings.
Other Observations
Also, take note of our following observations.
- It Is Excellent Where it Counts: It performs excellently on all the important areas of image quality and audio superiority.
- Not Necessarily the Absolute Best: Not the brightest laser projector out there and we’ve seen better contrast ratio in other offerings.
- Huge Image Size: It comparatively dwarfed many a projector in its class or price range of about $3,000 or so in terms of image size and 4K UHD pixel density.
- Confirmable Versatility: We were impressed by the versatility of the projector in the various environments, setups, screens, and rooms we’ve experimented with.
- Attractively priced: You can have your one-projector home theater on a relative budget by putting the Vava UST Laser Projector on your shopping shortlist in the below $3,000 range.
- Cinematic Pixel Density: Everyone (whom we’ve shown the Vava to) was impressed by the sheer size of the projection image that really showed off impressive cinematic pixel density.
- It’s Seriously Affordable: Some projectors, like the LG CineBeam or the Optoma CinemaX P1 might have similar specs to the VAVA, but they cost upwards of $4,000 to $6,000 or more versus Vava’s price tag.
- UST Allows for Commonsensical Placement: Most users struggle with projector placement due to its throw distance relative to couch or seating placement. A UST projector eliminates that by being so close to the screen.
- The Projector Makes a Name for Itself: VAVA might not be the household name like a Sony, Optoma, ViewSonic, BenQ, JVC, WeMax, or even Xiaomi, but the laser projector itself shines on its own quality-wise among that class of laser projector.
- Audio That Isn’t Tinny: Sure, most home theaters have their A/V receivers, soundbars, and wireless Bluetooth speakers on standby. However, it is notable how a standalone speaker can deliver soundbar-quality audio through its own stellar speakers.
Don’t Miss: Projector Specifications Explained: The Ultimate Guide to Projectors
Final Considerations
Long story short, the VAVA 4K UST Laser Projector is a newer worthwhile entry into the laser projector space that comes with best-in-class audio offerings. It’s worth every last penny despite not being the brightest projector out there.
Vava is indeed the “Vava-Voom!” kind of projector worthy of your $3,000 investment that gives fellow projectors like the Xiaomi Mijia a run for their money. Sure, the weird app store and the barely-there companion app require tweaking, but otherwise, it gives you more bang for your buck.
References:
- Henry St. Leger, “Vava 4K laser projector review“, TechRadar.com, July 12, 2020
- “VAVA 4K Ultra Short Throw (UST) Laser Projector“, Amazon.com, Retrieved June 29, 2021
- HDTVTest, “VAVA 4K Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector Review“, YouTube, December 16, 2019