Vankyo Vista T4 Review: A 4K projector with better sound than vistas
The Vista T4 UST Triple Laser Projector ($3,499.99) scores a number of firsts for Vankyo. Most notably, it's the company's first ultra short throw (UST) projector, its first laser projector—not to mention the first to use a triple-laser light source—and the first priced far above the $200-to-$300 entry-level models the company mostly sells. As a first product in the premium price tier, the T4 does a credible job—particularly for audio, thanks to its 60-watt speaker system. However, it stumbles on some picture quality issues, which keeps it from being more of a challenge to our top picks for UST projectors.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
Design: Three Lasers, One DLP Chip, and 60W of Dolby Audio
Like almost all of its 4K competition, the Vista T4 is built around a 1080p DLP chip that relies on TI's XPR fast-switch pixel shifting to deliver a matrix of 3,840 by 2,160 pixels to the screen. As with many competitors, including the PX2-PRO, its light source is a triple-laser engine that uses red, green, and blue lasers for the primary colors, rotating through them in sequence. One of the benefits of triple-laser technology is that it can generate a wider color gamut (range of colors) than other types of light sources. Vankyo rates the Vista T4 at 120% of the BT.2020 (aka Rec.2020) gamut defined for 4K UHD projectors and TVs.
Setup for the T4 is reasonably typical for a UST projector and easier than some, thanks to the powered focus. Being able to adjust focus using the remote control lets you stand back from the screen and see the entire image at once. On the downside, the projector's 37.5-pound weight makes it literally more of a lift than most to get out of the box and into place. It's also bigger than most UST models, at 8.3 by 26.2 by 18.6 inches (HWD), largely due to its speaker system. As a point of reference, the next-heaviest UST model we've tested is roughly 10 pounds lighter.
Note also that the bundled streaming stick has no integration with the projector at all. The T4 Vista has an Ethernet port, but it's only for firmware upgrades, not internet access for streaming. For that, you have to connect the dongle to your network separately using Wi-Fi. You also need to use the dongle's remote when streaming, rather than being able to control the projector and streaming stick with a single remote. Each of these issues is minor by itself, but together, they make the projector a little harder to set up and use than it could be. They make the streaming feel like an afterthought rather than an integrated part of the design, as we expect of projectors that cost this much.
The Vista T4's 60-watt stereo sound system comprises Dolby Audio support, two 15-watt tweeters, and two 15-watt woofers. In my tests, it delivered high enough volume to fill a large family room easily and good enough quality that you might not see any need for an external sound system. If you want one, however, you can connect it using the 3.5mm stereo analog port, the S/PDIF digital output, or the one HDMI port with ARC support. The T4 offers no Bluetooth speaker mode.
Testing the Vista T4: Good HDR Quality, Limited Customization
The menus for the Vista T4 include six predefined color modes and one customizable mode. Each of the modes offers an assortment of settings, but any time you make a change in any predefined mode, it immediately becomes the new Customized mode.
Colors for SDR material in my preliminary tests were similar regardless of mode, and oversaturated enough to notice, making the customizable mode my preferred choice. Dropping the Chroma setting by just a bit was enough to eliminate the oversaturation. Note also that the HDR versions of the same scenes in the same movies on disc offered more accurate color with the predefined settings, so I used the Standard mode for HDR viewing.
Another adjustment you might want to make is for frame interpolation, which adds frames to smooth motion and is on by default in all modes. Although most people agree that added frames improve the look of live TV, many find it objectionable for filmed material. High levels of frame interpolation can make movies look like soap operas. In my tests, the effect was obvious in all but one of the predefined picture modes and in the customizable mode as well. I turned it off for my viewing tests for both SDR and HDR material. (Note that the off setting is called Close in the menus.)
HDR support includes HDR10, HLG HDR, and the newer, more sophisticated HDR10+, which eliminates the need for some manual adjustments that HDR10 requires. However, in my tests, HDR support didn't deliver any of its promised improvements in tonal range. For both SDR and HDR input, shadow detail held well enough to be able to make out what was happening even in the darkest, most demanding scenes in our test suite, though I still noticed a loss in all the preset modes using default settings. Another advantage of using the Customized mode for SDR input is that I could improve the shadow detail by raising the brightness level without hurting the black level or contrast too badly. However, that didn't work for the HDR versions of the same movies, where I couldn't raise the brightness level without raising the black level enough to turn it noticeably gray, significantly harming the overall image quality. In short, the projector handled shadow detail better for SDR than HDR, the reverse of what it should do.
On the plus side, the Vista T4 supports 3D using DLP Link glasses. You must manually enable the 3D option in the menus, and it worked well in my tests. I didn't see any crosstalk, and 3D-related motion artifacts were at the low end of the range for current-generation projectors.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
Any DLP projector can show rainbow artifacts (red/green/blue flashes), and I saw some in my testing in a dark room. However, I didn't see any when viewing in a room with ambient light, and I didn't see any of the speckle effects that triple-laser projectors can cause. Keep in mind that sensitivity to both of these issues varies from one person to the next as well as with different lighting conditions and different screens. If you're concerned about either issue, make sure you can return the projector easily after trying it out for yourself.
Vankyo recommends using the Vista T4 in a dark room, but whether you'll need to or not depends on the size of the screen you're using. According to the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers recommendations for a 1.0-gain screen, the rated 2,100-ANSI-lumen maximum brightness would be more than enough in a dark room to light up the maximum 150-inch screen the lens is rated for. In low to moderate ambient light, it should also be bright enough for a 120-to-130-inch image. In my tests, with the settings tweaks discussed above, it was appropriately bright for my 100-inch screen in both a dark room and in moderate ambient light.
The Vista T4 couldn't negotiate a connection with our Bodnar meter, so I couldn't measure input lag. Vankyo mentions using the projector for gaming on its website, but as of this writing the company doesn't specify an input lag rating in the online spec list.
Verdict: Worth Considering at the Right Price
The strongest argument for the Vista T4 is that it has a good audio system for a projector. That could make it a good value compared with some other model you're considering if you add the cost of a sound system in the comparison. However, you'll have to test the Vista T4 to confirm the sound is good enough, and if you do that at home, you'll want to find a dealer that doesn't charge a restocking fee, should you decide to return it.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
If your primary concern is image quality, be sure to take a look at our three top picks for 4K UST TV replacements: the Hisense PX2-PRO, the Hisense L9H, and the Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800. All three delivered better color accuracy and better shadow detail in our tests than the Vista T4 did. The LS800 is the only one of the four mentioned here that's built around a three-LCD chip design. For those who find rainbow artifacts annoying, that makes it the obvious choice, since it's guaranteed not to show any.
Both Hisense models are DLP-based, as with the Vista T4, and both use a triple-laser light engine, giving them wide color gamuts. A key difference between them is that the L9H is the only model in this group that comes with a screen, saving you the chore of finding an appropriate one on your own.
None of these alternatives has as robust a sound system as the Vista T4, however, and none offers 3D support. So, if 3D and built-in sound are must-have features, the Vista T4 could still be your best choice.
Thanks to M. David Stone for the review article, here is the link to the original article.
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