VAVA Laser TV Review- Hardware 2

Vava Laser TV Projector– Hardware 2: Remote Control, Throw Distances/UST Placement, Menus

The VAVA Laser TV’s remote control is white, lightweight has a good range. Interestingly, it is a Bluetooth remote. Most remotes for projectors the past few years have used RF (radio frequency) remotes. Before that IR (infra-red). Bluetooth, like RF, does not need a line of sight. I was able to control the VAVA, with the remote back 30 feet, without any problems at all. As this is a smart projector, VAVA has kept the remote simple, letting you use the fairly straight forward menu system to get around.

There is no backlight (that I do not like). True, this projector is thought of as a bright room, aka the living room projector. I don’t care. People will turn off all the lights when they can to watch a good movie, and then it is always better to have a backlight. That said, with the limited number of buttons, I quickly memorized most of the buttons. Here’s the layout, with an occasional comment (the manual is…brief).

OK, from the top. On the left is the power button. Right next to it is a tiny hole – the Microphone. And, on the right, the audio Mute button. BTW I really like putting the Mute button where it is handy. This is probably the best location I’ve ever seen for a Mute button.

Directly below those, is the remote control’s navigation area, laid out in a round formation (A ring, rather than four arrows, Up/Down/Left/Right). Inside the ring is the Enter button, which they call “OK.”

We are halfway done!

Next is a row with three buttons.  On the left side is the Back button, which takes you back up a level in the menu system or closes the menus if on the top level.  In the middle is the Home button.  (The Menu section describes the VAVA Laser TV’s Home screen and its options.)

On the right is the Menu button.  It has, as some have called it, the “Hamburger” button (three horizontal lines).  

Important Tip:  That menu button is, with the current software/firmware, is very important because of a bug not yet fixed.  If you enter Settings, to change settings on the color controls, or choosing HDR settings, those do not work from the Settings.  

Instead, hold down the Menu button for perhaps 2 seconds and you’ll get pretty much the same controls, but there they all work!   For example, through Settings, no difference between HDR Off and HDR On, and if On, the picture doesn’t look HDR.  But through the Menus – no problem.

Ok, let’s get this finished up!

The last button – isn’t – it is a horizontal bar.  Volume Up / Volume Down.  That’s all folks, except to say that it runs on a pair of AAA batteries.

Like all UST projectors, it sits close. Interestingly not quite as close as some I’ve worked with, but I’m talking a difference of a couple of inches.

Unlike most UST home projectors VAVA claims it will work (focus) up to 150 inches (two others claim to top out at 120”, however, a good dealer for one of them – the Optoma P1, reports no problem using the Optoma with good focus, on a 130”. Hey, if this VAVA projector can fill a 150” screen, with a sharp image, and you have the room for a 12-foot wide screen, more power to you. I’ll be jealous, because in my new living room, where I will put a Laser TV when I settle on one of the ones I’m reviewing.

It’s this easy:

The challenge isn’t the distance back. Figuring out at what height you want the projector and screen is. After all, there’s no zoom, so it has to be placed precisely. If placing it tabletop, and you already have your table, and your screen size, you will know where to mount your screen, height-wise.

BTW, the projector has keystone correction to help out with getting the image alignment perfect for a rectangular image.

The largest image I was able to project was just slightly larger than 120” diagonal, for a week or so before I got my screen set up in the new place. I just projected it on a wall, in the living room where my eventual 120” diagonal screen will go. No focus issues beyond the minor softness in the upper left corner (which could just be the sample they sent me).

Apps dominate the home page, but much of the action is handled by a few icons across the top right.  

Settings provides sub areas for Image Controls, Keystone Correction and other options.  The Bluetooth icon handles setting up (or resetting up) the remote, and any Bluetooth speaker system you want to hook up wirelessly.  Alternately you can send audio to the projector, to use it as a music system.