At its booth at the last CES show in Las Vegas, the manufacturer Awol Vision marked its territory on the ultra-short focal length segment with the announcement of its new Aetherion series, featuring the Aetherion Pro and Aetherion Max models. This is Awol's most ambitious offensive to date, built around what the brand presents as the world's sharpest triple-laser Ultra HD 4K UST platform. Awol Vision Aetherion Pro and Aetherion Max: Faster, Bigger, Sharper PixelLock Optics. Built around proprietary PixelLock technology, a hybrid optical engine combining optical, mechanical, and digital elements, the Aetherion range aims to push the boundaries of ultra-short-throw projectors, particularly in terms of precision on very large image sizes. Awol ensures perfect pixel alignment, without color fringing, even on a giant 200" (508 cm) image, for significantly improved sharpness across the entire surface. To achieve this, the brand is using, for the first time, a Sapphire-Series optical block with DLC-coated lenses, offering 99.97% light transmission and a reduction drastic reduction of unwanted reflections. A motorized lens cap protects the optics from dust, while a 0.47" DLP chip provides the basis for the display.
Gaming Performance: Record Input Lag and Dolby Vision Gaming In terms of gaming performance, the Awol Vision Aetherion Pro/Max delivers a strong performance with an advertised Input Lag of only 1 ms in 1080p at 240 Hz, but measured at 14 ms in 160p/60 and 9 ms with FreeSync/VRR, which remains remarkable for a projector. The icing on the cake is that these models are the first on the market to integrate Dolby Vision Gaming HDR support, in addition to the classic VRR and ALLM, sure to please owners of next-generation consoles. Awol Vision Aetherion Pro and Aetherion Max: Contrast, brightness, and mechanical iris. Under the hood, the Aetherion Max delivers 3,300 lumens compared to 2,600 for the Pro version, and both boast 110% coverage of the Rec.2020 color gamut. But it's in contrast that the leap is most spectacular. Thanks to a new seven-level mechanical iris (EBL system for Enhanced Black Level), the native contrast ratio is announced at 6,000:1, with blacks whose depth should finally rival the best LED TVs. Awol Vision Aetherion Pro and Aetherion Max: image technologies and Google TV interface. In terms of image quality, it is also worth noting the presence of a DTM (Dynamic Tone Mapping) process, Anti-RBE (Rainbow Effect) technology, IMAX Enhanced certification, the 3D Ready label, and compatibility with HDR Dolby Vision and HDR10+, not to mention Filmmaker mode. On the interface side, Awol relies on Google TV (version 14.0) powered by a MediaTek MT9655 SoC, supported by 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, ensuring perfectly smooth menus and streaming applications. Awol Vision Aetherion Pro and Aetherion Max: Connectivity with Wi-Fi. Awol Vision makes no compromises when it comes to connectivity and even prepares for the future. The rear panel of the Aetherion Pro and Max is particularly well-equipped, notably with three HDMI 2.1 inputs. One of them is, of course, eARC compatible for lossless audio return to an external amplifier, while the others, as already mentioned, support 2160p/120Hz and even 1080p/240Hz streams for PC gamers. There are also two USB ports (including a fast USB 3.0 on the front panel), an optical output, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. However, it's in the wireless domain that Awol truly shines. The Aetherion series is one of the first on the market to integrate a Wi-Fi 7 chip, guaranteeing perfectly stable, or almost perfectly stable, streaming speeds, essential for high-speed Ultra HD 4K HDR streams (such as Bravia Core or uncompressed network files). Bluetooth 5.4 completes the picture, allowing simultaneous connection of two wireless headphones with minimal latency. Finally, and importantly, the Awol ThunderBeat audio system (4.1.2 speaker package), designed to make voices seem to emanate directly from the projection screen and presented at CES in Las Vegas, will not be distributed in France. Availability is announced for the end of May and June, respectively, for the Awol Vision Aetherion Pro and Awol Vision Aetherion Max. Suggested retail prices: • €2,799 for Awol Vision Aetherion Pro • €3,999 for Awol Vision Aetherion Max Key features of the Awol Vision Aetherion Pro/Max: • Mono-DLP type • Ultra HD 4K resolution • Native resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels (3840 x 2160 with Texas Instruments' XPR4 wobulation technology) • DMD chip: TI 0.47" • Contrast ratio: 6000:1 (60,000:1 via EBL Pro) • Light source: Triple RGB laser • Dynamic iris: Yes • Brightness: 2600 lumens/3300 lumens • Input lag: 2 ms (2160p@60 Hz), 4 ms (1080p@120 Hz), 2 ms (1080p@240 Hz) • Google Assistant features
• XPR Wobulation features
• Chromecast (built-in) features
• Dynamic Tone Mapping features
• Google TV features
• AI Super Resolution features
• Miracast features
• Works with Alexa features
• HomeKit features
• AI Darkness Details features
• AI Intelligent Scene features
• Audio Central Channel features
• RBE Reduction (anti-rainbow effect) features
• Filmmaker Mode features
• VRR features
• Features [abc]ALLM[/abc]
• [abc]3D Ready[/abc] compatibility (BD 3D and DLP Link)
• [abc]HDR10[/abc]
compatibility• [abc]HDR HLG[/abc]
compatibility• [abc]HDR10+[/abc]
compatibility• Compatibility [abc]HDR Dolby Vision[/abc]
• Compatibility [abc]eARC[/abc]
• Compatibility [abc]AirPlay 2[/abc]
• Compatibility [abc]Dolby Atmos[/abc]
• Compatibility Imax Enhanced
• Compatibility [abc]DTS:X[/abc]
• Compatibility [abc]Wi-Fi[/abc] 7; • Bluetooth 5.4 Compatibility; • Color Gamut: 110% Rec.2020; • Sound Section: 2.0; • Power: 40 W (2 x 20 W); • 3D Compatibility: Yes; • Connectivity: 3 HDMI inputs (two 2.0b and one 2.1), one 3.5 mm mini-jack AV input, one optical input, one USB-A port, one USB-C port, one Ethernet port, and one RS-232C port; • Zoom: 0.2:1 projection ratio; • Noise Level: 28 dB; • Certification: IMAX Enhanced; • Lamp life: +25,000 h (Eco/Normal mode); • Vertical keystone correction: yes, 8-point; • Other: automatic screen alignment, backlit remote control, motorized focus; • Weight: 8.35 kg/8.75 kg; • Dimensions (W x H x D): 562 x 139 x 323 mm
