VAVA ULTRA SHORT THROW PROJECTOR FULL
VAVA ULTRA SHORT THROW PROJECTOR TV

Looking around online it seems that others had more luck than I did, but it wasn’t a great introduction to the experience. More to the point though, if almost none of the apps even work, why bother having them? I even tried sideloading some APKs without success. I much prefer using just one remote and streaming directly to the TV/display if I can.

VAVA ULTRA SHORT THROW PROJECTOR TV

I use a Roku with my smart TV, but mostly to access any apps that my TV doesn’t offer. Vava explained this away saying that most users prefer to connect a media player such as a Roku, but this does feel like a missed opportunity.

I tried a Vice app, Discovery Go, a YouTube player and a Netflix player, no dice on any of them.

VAVA ULTRA SHORT THROW PROJECTOR FULL

I say of sorts, because it’s mostly full of unofficial apps (“Netflix Player” etc.) none of which I could get to work. Like the smart TV you likely already have, Vava’s projector comes with an app store of sorts. In fact, it almost looks like someone took an Apple HomePod and squashed it flat. The sides are covered in a cloth material often found on some modern speakers. The recess for the lamp is also curved, unlike some of its rivals, which gives it a nice organic feel, as if it was some sort of water feature. I tested the original white model and the rounded corners and flat surfaces look modern enough without drawing attention to itself. The Vava, like most products in this category, has extendable (screw) feet so you can ensure the image is perfectly level even if your furniture or floors are not.ĭesign-wise, I like how the Vava looks. Once you switch it on, there are some steps to walk through to configure the projected image to the surface you’re beaming it onto. Thankfully, this is fairly easy: place the unit on a flat surface in front of where you plan to project it and plug it in. In practice, and in my experience, this didn’t prove to be a problem with the Vava.īy subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy.īefore you get there though, you’ll need to set the projector up. The downside, some say, is that short-throw projectors aren’t quite as faithful as their conventional counterparts, due how they have to project at such a steep angle. It’s a convenient, discreet way to improve your viewing real estate with the space you already have. Instead, it can occupy the space where your TV would normally live. The obvious advantage of a short-throw projector is that you won’t need to mount it on your ceiling, some distance away from your wall. Vava, then, is making something of a value play here, which makes sense given that there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of the company before (it also makes home camera systems, among other things).

For context, on the high end, LG’s similarly-specced CineBeam short throw projector comes in at $5,700, and even the more affordable CinemaX P1 from Optima (which we liked) will cost almost $1,000 more for a comparable feature set. All that, along with the aforementioned 4K and (up to) 150-inch display size. But the most important things to know here are that Vava is using Texas Instruments’ 4K DLP technology (the same as many of its rivals) and offers up to 2500 ANSI Lumens and a 1,500,000:1 contrast ratio (3000:1 ANSI) - more on all this later. It’s not perfect, but it is a very compelling proposition, and one that has me questioning if I could even make the leap to using it as my primary “screen.”Īs with TVs, projectors come with their own vocabulary of jargon. It has slowly been gaining a dedicated fanbase and comes in at $2,800 - which makes it one of the more affordable 4K short-throw projector we’ve seen. The Vava 4K Projector UHD Ultra-Short Throw Laser Smart TV (to give it its full name) was launched on Indiegogo last year, but recently just launched in a new black colorway. Vava joins a growing number of UHD short-throw projectors that are becoming increasingly (and relatively) affordable. The Vava is about the size of an old VCR (if you remember those), and won’t look out of place perched where you normally keep your TV - as long as you have enough space to accommodate the 80-150-inch display it offers. The second thing I learned is that short-throw projectors - sometimes known as Laser TVs - have come a long way in recent years. That’s the first thing I learned after turning on the Vava 4K laser projector in my front room.

Vava ultra short throw projector