Performance

We test real world luminance the same way ANSI lumens are measured. This includes a nine-segment white screen across the 100" or 2.75 m² canvas in a dark room where the ambient luminance (it boosts the values of the digital light meter) around the area of the projected image is just under 10 lux. While the projector's brightness and contrast may be adjusted to see the eight shades of gray in a control image, we test the unit at its default settings. The used measuring device has a variance of 4%, which should also be considered when considering the final result in lumens. Lastly, as measuring the nine zones is a manual process, some variance is expected, especially with short throw and ultra short throw projectors, as one has to point the measuring device at the light source instead of laying it flat against the wall as with classic projectors.

On average, the Wemax Nova clocks in at around 900 lux before considering any device-specific variances across the surface area of 2.75 square meter, which results in 2475 lumens. It seems Wemax is conservative with their 2100 ANSI lumens specification, or are providing the number across the largest advertised screen size of 150". Wemax also does well to mention a separate number of 5000 ANSI lumens for the light source of the Nova, which adds a further layer of transparency.

The Wemax Nova takes around 25 seconds from boot up with the logo on the screen to the navigational Android interface. During testing, the projector's fans generated 39.4 dBA at a distance of 12 inches directly behind the unit. While this is rather close for an UST projector standing just a few inches from the wall, odds are you will be sitting much further away. On top of that, the speakers are easily potent enough to overpower any operating noise. The Nova projects True 4K at 3840x2160 at 60 Hz through a two-phase pixel shift, which is pretty common for projectors of this price class. For comparison, Native 4K would be 4096x2160 pixels. That said, at 100", the projected pixel density of the image is excellent even close to the screen.


Watching our favorite movie trailer from Top Gun: Maverick, which has been teased for so long that I think we are being punk'd and they may just release a remastered version of the 1986 classic, the image is sharp with the medium noise reduction setting working really well across the different scenes. The Wemax Nova does an excellent job at providing a balanced image. In the group scene in the hanger all the parts in the background are visible, while the famous chair in a different scene is also gently visible in a natural fashion. If you look closely, you can see a faint outline of the actor in front of the elevator as well. Bright, colorful scenes like the launch on the flight deck and the rainbow refraction of Maverick's helmet along with all the skin detail are clearly visible thanks to the 4K resolution.


Cartoons, with their simplified palette and usually uniformly lit scenes also look great. There are no visible artifacts from any motion compensation, either. At this point, however, it does become slightly apparent that the color temperature is a tad bit on the cooler side. It is still nice to watch, but there is a slight difference. If this is not to your liking, the Nova does have plenty of adjustment possibilities.


Running through the opening sequence of Death Stranding at 4K on the ALR screen makes for a balanced visual, just like the movie trailer. You can make out the sky and shadows in the hills and the fauna around the cave walls well without any element being forcefully overblown.