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The best UST projector I’ve ever reviewed is $900 off right now

The AWOL Vision LTV-3500 Pro projector.
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

I was simply blown away by the brightness, image quality, and usability of AWOL Vision’s flagship LTV-3500 Pro ultra short throw (UST) projector when I reviewed it last month. But, unfortunately, for many folks looking to transform their living or media rooms into an awe-inspiring home theater, the LTV-3500 Pro is also one of the most expensive projectors I’ve ever reviewed, with a wallet-punching $6,000 MSRP. I still wholeheartedly recommend it, even at that price, so I was understandably thrilled when I saw the magnificent movie machine available during the lead-up to Prime Day 2024 at a wallet-relieving $900 off.

The AWOL LTV-3500 Pro soars above the best short throw and ultra short throw projector competition, in large part due to its 3,500 lumens of brightness from its spectacular RGB triple laser DLP optics, which make for an excellently bright and contrasty image even in the brightest of rooms. It turned my small basement TV room into a home theater that rivals some second-run cinemas I’ve been to. And the popcorn’s free.

The hefty 24-pound UST even stood up well against my 55-inch LG OLED, beaming a beautiful 4K, 100-inch image (it can go up to 150 inches, though) on my ALR (ambient light rejecting) screen. Colors are vivid and accurate, it’s one of few projectors in its class that supports all four major HDR formats (HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision), and is 3D capable as well.

TheLTV-3,500’s built-in 36-watt speaker system also did a great job at filling my home theater room with spacious sound, which means that you don’t necessarily need to shell out additional cash for a soundbar (but if you do, Sony’s superb HT-A5000 is also going for a song for Prime Day too).

The remote with the AWOL Vision LTV-3500 Pro projector.
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

OK, so I may have buried the lede here: the AWOL LTV-3500 Pro is an ultra short throw projector, so if your dreams of huge home theater projection have been thwarted thus far by not having enough space in your living room, put them to rest now. UST projectors can achieve their big picture projection while being positioned just inches away from the wall or screen (just 9 inches, in the case of the LTV-3500 Pro), so there’s no messy ceiling mounting or rearranging your furniture to accommodate the projector placement.

The AWOL Vision LTV-3500 Pro is easy to setup and use, has plenty of HDMI inputs for connecting streaming devices and Blu-ray players, and even comes with a Fire TV Stick 4K that can be neatly hidden in a special compartment in the back of the projector.

It should be noted that on Amazon, the LTV-3500 Pro’s deal is listed as $1,400 off, which comes by way of an Amazon coupon that you must apply to the purchase at checkout, which is just Amazon’s way of ensuring people actually buy it soon instead of sticking it in their cart and leaving it there. However, it should also be noted that the full price is (weirdly) listed as $6,500, $500 more than the actual MSRP. So … the math says that you’ll get the LTV-3500 Pro for $5,100, or $900 off the MSRP. Best Buy is also offering the LTV-3500 Pro, a little less confusingly, for $5,100. Pick your poison, I guess. But either way, you’re saving $900 on one of the best projectors I’ve ever seen.

If you’d still rather not let go of that much money, Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart are also offering two of AWOL’s step-down UST projectors at a discount, too. The $4,000 LTV-3000 Pro, which shares many of the same features, but with 3,000 lumens of brightness, can be had for as low as $3,100, and the also excellent LTV-2500, has dropped from $3,000 to $2,200 on Amazon.

Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm is a contributing editor and evergreen lead for the A/V and Home Theater section of Digital Trends. Derek…
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