Key Takeaways

• The AWOL Vision LTV-3500 Pro is a cutting-edge 4K HDR projector with exceptional brightness suitable for daytime viewing.
• The tri-chroma projection of the LTV-3500 Pro delivers vibrant and distinct colors, providing an unmatched cinematic experience.
• While the projector's performance is top-notch, potential buyers should consider its premium price point and the availability of more affordable options for nighttime viewing.

The AWOL Vision LTV-3500 Pro gets its name from the incredible brightness it puts out: 3500 lumens (3300 ANSI), making this ultra short throw laser projector the brightest triple-laser model on the market, and perfectly suited to daytime use. With otherwise incredible 4K HDR10+ (and Dolby Vision compatible) picture quality, is it worth a $ 5,000 punt on a somewhat unknown company?

Specifications and Design

The LTV-3500 Pro runs at a crisp 4K via a Texas Instruments 0.47" 4K DMD chip (meaning it's a native 1080p image being shifted around so fast that it produces 4K pixels), and running at a maximum brightness of 3300 ANSI lumens (ANSI lumens is a standardized measurement of brightness, as opposed to just "lumens", which is a manufacturer stated light output). It supports HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, with a native contrast ratio of 3,000:1—or 1,000,000:1 with the help of local dimming.

Unlike cheaper laser TVs that use a single laser with a phosphor wheel to produce colors, the LTV-3500 is a tri-chroma model, meaning it has a separate red, blue, and green laser. This results in a much more vibrant, distinct, and accurate color gamut, covering a stated 107% of the REC2020 color space, and 149% of DCI-P3.

It also features a 17ms game mode at 4K60 (and even lower if you're happy to drop down to 1080p). However, as is typical, this disables any image correction you may have done, so your initial placement must be good with a flat projection surface.

Another standout feature is full active-shutter 3D support, for side-by-side, top-bottom, and frame-packed movies. It's compatible with DLP-Link active shutter glasses, of which a few pairs were supplied for testing.

The LTV-3500 Pro doesn't break any boundaries when it comes to design. It weighs 27 lbs (12.25kg) and measures 23.6 x 14 x 5.7 inches (60 x 35 x 15cm). The shape is somewhat unique, but gives me some big black Xbox vibes, with curved sides and a black mesh grill. It’s a fairly generic color scheme of dark grey, black, and a curious gold line along the center. It's functional, but I'm not a fan of the overall aesthetic. It feels like a hodge-podge mismatch of elements. But you're not buying a laser projector for how it looks, so who cares what I think about that?

Ports and I/O

On the input side of things, we have three HDMI 2.0b ports in total, though you’ll only find two around the back.

The other is found behind a removable panel so that you can put a streaming stick in there, and it'll be effectively hidden away.

There's one USB port on the back, another on the side, and you'll find an SPDIF output, composite in, and LAN connection (though Wi-Fi is also supported).

Also on the topic of connectivity, the LTV-3500 is compatible with Control4 smart home systems for a fully integrated and automated home theater experience.

Unboxing and Initial Impressions

Out of the box I was blown away, with the midday sun beaming in through the window, I wasn't expecting much to be visible. But the LTV-3500 Pro burst into brilliance, showcasing its remarkable brightness even in broad daylight. The start-up sound is loud and striking though, so you'd be forgiven for uttering a few words under your breath if you were sat too close. However, it wasn't automatically focused correctly, requiring me to navigate the settings for manual adjustment. While some laser TVs can end up with a slightly blurry image at the edges, the LTV-3500 Pro was happy to produce a uniformly sharp image across the entire surface.

Instead of using Google TV, AWOL Vision chose a customized Android 9.0 to run natively on the projector. While initially disappointing, they also include a full Amazon FireTV 4K Max stick in the package.

The native OS features a few basic apps—enough to playback some files from a USB data stick—but mostly it serves as menu system to configure the plethora of image options for the LTV-3500 Pro. And for that, it works perfectly well. If you don't want to use it to choose an input source, you can set a default source on boot and bypass the built-in OS entirely.

The inclusion of a better streaming stick is nice, but if you don't have the FireTV app on your phone and aren't integrated into that ecosystem already, the setup can be cumbersome. You'll need to configure your Wi-Fi connection using the remote to tediously enter your Wi-Fi password. Of course, you're not obligated to use the FireTV Max; if you already have a Google TV stick, you could put this on eBay.

On the topic of remote controls, the one provided with the LTV-3500 Pro feels premium, boasting a metal front and a patterned design on the back. However, the FireTV stick comes with its own remote, leading to a two-remote situation. While some buttons are integrated with CEC, allowing you to use either remote, not all of them are, which can be confusing. For example, pressing Home while using the LTV-3500 remote in the FireTV interface navigates you to the main projector menu instead of the FireTV home. To return to that, instead you have to click back multiple times and then confirm an exit prompt. It's certainly less streamlined than the usual approach of having Google TV natively running.

However, if you've spent this much on a projector, I suspect you'll be pairing it with your own AV receiver, and have any number of preferred playback devices already.

AWOL Vision Floor Rise UST ALR Screen

I began testing the LTV-3500 Pro by projecting it onto my chalk-painted white wall, which has been my go-to method until now. This approach offers an affordable way to achieve a massive projection surface of decent quality without any resulting hotspots. Black levels suffer on a white background, however—you can't project black since it represents the absence of light. Since we usually watch in the evenings, and we're not big daytime TV viewers, this has never been a significant concern for us. But ultimately, any light, even from the projector itself, will cause blacks to appear grey when projected onto a white surface.

For the absolute best image quality, you'll want to pair it with an Ambient Light Rejection (ALR) screen. AWOL Vision was kind enough to also send a 120-inch floor rise ALR screen for testing. Maneuvering this into our home was quite a challenge given the 3m long box and heavy weight, but the bigger consideration here is the cost. This particular screen costs nearly as much as a lesser laser projector.

As the name suggests, ALR screens are designed to minimize reflections from other light sources. Though not perfect, the screen is good at rejecting overhead and subtle lighting from the side. Shining my phone's light from the side or above was barely noticeable.

The darker grey surface also produces deeper black levels. The surface's gain, at 0.6dB, means you lose a bit of light, but it's insignificant. AWOL Vision claims this results in an 80% increase in picture quality.

To achieve the full 120-inch image, you'll need to place the LTV-3500 13.6 inches from the screen. This also meant the projector had to be sited on the floor; attempting to put it on a tabletop resulted in the top of the projection extending past the maximum rise of the screen.

One feature of the AWOL Vision screen that I appreciated is the inclusion of a USB stick remote control. Ingeniously, it plugs into the USB port on your LTV-3500 Pro. When it detects the standard USB power output, it raises the screen. When the power is cut, the screen retracts. This smart design eliminates the need to use the screen remote, except for initial height adjustments.

The primary reason for having an ALR screen is for daytime viewing. If you've tried using a projector during the day with a massive screen size, you'll know how unsatisfying it can be. However, with the combination of a 3500-lumen projector and an ALR screen, daytime viewing becomes entirely feasible (as seen above). If daytime viewing is crucial for you, you should budget for an ALR screen. Given the projector's cost, it's a worthy investment.

On the other hand, for nighttime use only, I'd recommend holding off on a screen for now. If you have a large white wall, a $40 pot of chalk paint might suffice, and you can easily scale up to an even larger projection size. A comparison of the image in a darkened room can be seen below.

That said, the image quality, when paired with the screen, is breathtaking. It's undoubtedly the brightest and best-looking image I've tested straight out of the box. The black levels are solid, the colors are vibrant without being exaggerated, and there's no noise. It elevates home movie nights to an unparalleled experience.

Image Adjustments

When it comes to picture adjustments, one thing I appreciated was the snappy and responsive interface on the projector itself. A common frustration with laser TVs that have Google TV integrated is the complexity and sluggishness of their menus. While Google TV itself is generally user-friendly, the settings, when combined with Google TV, tend to be less so.

With the LTV-3500 Pro projector, AWOL Vision has ensured the menu overlay operates independently of your streaming stick or any other input, making it noticeably faster—and easier to see what the immediate difference is to the picture quality. This simplifies the process of adjusting the image to your liking.

The projector offers a plethora of adjustments, including full RGB tweaking. There are also various SDR and HDR color modes, so it's worth experimenting until you find your preferred setting. For the most part, I found the default modes to be excellent right out of the box.

For those who prefer ultra-smooth action, MEMC is available, though it's not to my personal taste.

The LTV-3500 Pro is also one of the first projectors to support Dolby Vision. What is Dolby Vision and why does it matter? It's the next level in HDR (High Dynamic Range), adding another layer of information to describe the lighting in each scene. This gives you even more subtle variations in the color hues and shadows. Of course, you'll need to pair it with a device capable of playing back DV content. For gaming, that means an Xbox Series X or S (no PlayStation 5 support, sadly). Most major streaming services now support Dolby Vision, though only a handful of shows are available. But if Dolby Vision support is on your checklist, tick that off.

3D Viewing

Though perhaps a niche use case nowadays, some of you will value the full 3D support. It's straightforward to enable and accepts any 3D source format—whether it's side-by-side, top-bottom, frame-packed, line interface, or alternative frame; and you can reverse the stereo. It's compatible with DLP-Link Active Shutter glasses, of which AWOL Vision sells an affordable two-pack for $80.

For those unfamiliar with 3D viewing, active shutter 3D technology inherently results in a slightly degraded picture quality compared to natively viewing a flat, 2D image. However, this is one of the best implementations I've experienced, likely due to the projector's superior brightness.

While I used to be a huge fan of 3D content, the advent of VR has replaced that. But I recognize that flat-screen 3D fans are still out there. If you're among those who do still appreciate the handful of new 3D Blu-ray releases or have an existing collection you want to continue to enjoy on a large screen with the family—while also being able to play the latest 4K HDR releases—this projector offers a fantastic viewing experience.

I'll add the caveat here that while 3D files played fine directly from a data USB stick on the native OS, it took a little more work getting Windows to cooperate with my test SBS movies. For anyone else experiencing this issue, the solution was to drop down to a 1080p30Hz output directly to the projector, bypassing my 4K receiver. You'll need to go to the Advanced Display Adapter properties to change this, as the standard Windows Display Option only changes your desktop resolution, and not the active resolution being sent over the cable.

Gaming Performance

The LTV-3500 Pro boasts a claimed 17ms lag in 4K60 Turbo mode, or as low as 8ms if you're willing to drop to 1080p. By any standard, that's fantastic. It's rare for projectors in general, let alone laser projectors, so it's truly impressive.

I tested a variety of games on this: first-person shooters, twitchy Lego brawls, Cyberpunk, and some racing games. Everything played seamlessly. It's a genuinely unparalleled gaming experience, especially if you can drive that 4K60 from your gaming PC or have a next-gen console. The experience is incredible.

While I had no issues gaming on this, hardcore shooter fans might be particular about even a 17ms lag. Personally, I'm not bothered, mainly because my internet is so slow anyway that the 17ms is a small fraction of my overall lag.

Disappointing Sound

In my cinema setup, I have a 7.1 surround system and a bass shaker on the sofa. However, to test the LTV-3500, I bypassed that and relied solely on the audio provided by the projector, when using both the streaming stick and the built-in OS. Since my PlayStation is connected to the AV receiver, its audio naturally goes through the surround system.

The LTV-3500 does feature HDMI-ARC to transmit audio back to a receiver, but this is primarily for the built-in OS, which many might not use. If you have an external amplifier, you should connect the FireTV stick or any other source directly to that to avoid potential lag issues that can sometimes arise with HDMI-ARC. The projector should only handle the visuals.

With that said, the built-in audio, powered by 36W speakers, leaves a lot to be desired. While it can achieve high volumes, it lacks clarity, especially in the mid-ranges. The bass and treble are notably absent, resulting in a somewhat muddy sound profile. At times, it even feels as if the projector's case is vibrating. This is particularly disappointing when compared to products like the XGIMI Aura (our review), which boasts an impressive built-in soundbar. Given the LTV-3500's price point, one might expect superior audio quality. While it might suffice for casual TV watching, it's definitely not something I could tolerate for full-length movies or gaming.

But does the audio quality matter in this case? Probably not. If you're investing $6000-7000 or more in this projector and screen, you likely have the means to spend an additional $1000 on a half-decent 5.1 or 7.1 surround system. No virtualized technology, even Dolby X virtual surround modes, can replicate the experience of genuine surround sound. Even if this projector had a top-tier built-in soundbar, I'd still recommend an external surround system for the optimal movie experience.

Also on the topic of sound, the projector's noise level is virtually silent. It won't disrupt your viewing experience in any way. I didn't even bother measuring the noise level because it's so negligible.

Should You Buy the AWOL Vision LTV-3500 Pro?

The AWOL Vision LTV-3500 Pro paired with the ALR UST floor-rising screen offers an unparalleled entertainment experience, whether you're watching 4K HDR movies, TV shows, or gaming. The projector's exceptional brightness, combined with the screen's ambient light rejection, ensures that daytime viewing is not an issue. If daytime usability is a priority for you, this combination checks all the boxes.

However, that bundle comes with a hefty price tag of $6000-7000, which could be tough to swallow for a relatively new brand that might not be familiar.

While the quality is undeniably top-notch, if you're primarily watching at night, or have a dedicated dark space like a basement cinema, you might consider more affordable options. In fact, AWOL Vision offers a similar projector (the LTV-2500) with a 2500-lumen output for around $3500 (not including the screen). This means you're paying a significant premium for the added brightness, so it's essential to evaluate if you actually need that.

Additionally, think about your desired projection size. If you're only looking to project an 80 to 100-inch image, investing in a projector might not be the best choice. An 85" TV could be a more suitable and cost-effective purchase.