The best ultra short throw projectors of 2022 allow you to project a large image at a very close distance from the screen. These laser TVs are designed for bright rooms, while still providing a bright colorful image on your screen. If you're looking for a living room television upgrade, USTs are definitely the way to go.
But what ultra short throw is the best one? Our projection experts can help you decide with this UST projector shootout.
The Formovie Theater ultra short throw projector just launched here in the USA early this summer and is the enhanced and updated version of it's Chinese counterpart, the Fengmi T1. This triple laser UST utilizes ALPD® 4.0 RGB+ technology which helps give it some of the best black levels we've seen on a projector. These amazing specs helped the Formovie Theater take 1st place in the 2022 Laser TV Showdown.
AWOL may be new to the projection industry but they're not new to product development. With the AWOL Vision LTV-2500 they brought a fantastic triple laser projector to market, at an affordable price. They released this ultra short throw projector alongside the brighter AWOL Vision LTV-3500. AWOL has quickly developed a strong fanbase and it's not hard to see why.
So which is better the Formovie Theater or the AWOL LTV-2500 UST?
Check out our expert comparison of these two fantastic triple laser ultra short throw projectors to find out.
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Formovie Theater |
AWOL Vision LTV-2500 |
Our Thoughts: |
Brightness |
2800 |
2000 |
With 800 more lumens, the Formovie Theater is significantly brighter. |
Throw Ratio |
0.23:1 |
0.25:1 |
The Formovie UST sits a bit closer than the AWOL UST, which sits an average distance from the projector screen. |
Chipset |
.47" DLP |
.47" DLP |
Both projectors use the smaller .47 DLP chip. |
Light Source |
ALPD® 4.0 RGB+ triple laser |
RGB Triple Laser |
Both USTs are triple laser projectors with seperate red, green and blue lasers. The Formovie Theater has the edge however thanks to its advanced ALPD® 4.0 technology. |
Color |
107% BT.2020 |
107% BT.2020 |
Both of these laser TVs cover more than 100% of the more difficult BT.2020 colorspace. |
Sequential Contrast Ratio |
3333:1 |
1384:1 |
We measured the contrast as being more than twice as good on the Formovie Theater. This shows up significantly when watchng content. |
Input Lag |
41.9 ms |
30.0 ms |
While not ideal for the most hardcore gamers, the AWOL LTV-2500 laser TV is definitely the better gaming projector. |
Audio |
Full-range×2 + Tweeter×2 (30W) By Bowers & Wilkins |
36W stereo speakers
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Despite being less powerful overall, the Formovie delivers a better audio experience. |
Price |
$2,999.99
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$2,999.00
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Both UST projectors cost about the same amount. |
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Add to Cart
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Add to Cart
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Pros And Cons Of Each UST Projector
Formovie Theater
The Pros
- Very low price tag, especially given the incredible performance
- High lumen output
- Vibrant colors out of the box
- Laser speckle reduction technology
- Best native contrast for a .47” XPR DLP
- Supports Dolby Vision
- Sits closer to the screen than most other USTs
- Can make an image size up to 150 inches
- Winner of the 2022 Laser TV Showdown
The Cons
- Menu is sometimes less intuitive
- Fan can be a little noisy
- Lacks 3D support
- Fixed-level line output for attaching a sub-woofer; volume controls on remote will change levels of built-in speakers but not adjust volume of the attached subwoofer
- Netflix app is not included
AWOL Vision LTV-2500
The Pros
- Lower price than other triple laser projectors
- Extremely accurate BT.2020 colors directly out-of-the-box
- Supports 3D content
- Very low input lag time for gaming
- eARC compatible with Dolby Atmos
- Powerful 36W speakers
- 3 HDMI ports
The Cons
- Native on/off contrast is good but could be better
- Not as bright as other laser TVs
- Large bulky chassis
- Fan is a little noisy
- No built-in Smart TV apps though it does come with a 4K Amazon FireTV stick which occupies one of the HDMI & USB ports
So Which Is Better, The Formovie Theater Or The AWOL LTV-2500 Laser TV?
Both of these are a great deal for a triple laser UST projector. Either way you choose, you'll get a fantastic image and you'll be extremely happy with your purchase.
But a winner must be chosen. So between the AWOL Vision LTV-2500 and Formovie Theater the winner of this ultra short throw projector shootout is the………
Formovie Theater!
Even though this is Formovie's first ultra short throw projector sold in the USA, their practice with the Fengmi T1 certainly paid off. The Formovie Theater is arguably the best laser TV on sale. So good in fact, that a panel of independent judges named it the winner of the 2022 Laser TV Showdown.
This UST has incredibly bright accurate colors, a super sharp detailed image, great motion handling, phenomenal contrast and some of the deepest blacks we've seen on a laser TV. With a 2800 lumen, triple laser light source, the Formovie Theater is bright enough for most rooms, especially when paired with an ambient light rejecting screen.
That said the AWOL Vision LTV-2500 still offers a phenomenal image for a great price.
The biggest advantage the Formovie has over the AWOL 2500 is the contrast ratio and black levels. The Formovie Theater's contrast is way better (over 300%) and it fully presents itself in the content we watched. Part of this advantage is the far superior black levels on the Formovie Theater giving you deep, dark blacks not matched by any other projector in it’s price class.
We'll be breaking down the comparison between the Formovie Theater and AWOL Vision LTV-2500 even further in our Ultra Short Throw shootout series on YouTube. So make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can get notified when our shootout goes live plus other great content in our pipeline.
AWOL Vision does have a big-sibling to the 2500, the AWOL LTV-3500 which is a much brighter unit. While it still has the same inferior contrast ratio and black levels, its superior brightness gives it a leg up in other areas over the Formovie Theater - stay tuned for these two in a shootout coming soon.
If you have any questions on these UST projectors or anything else projection related don’t hesitate to hit us up at ProjectorScreen.com. Thanks for reading and keep on projecting!
Which projector do you think is better? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.