Valerion firmware Q0718 turns the VisionMaster Max iris automatic
Firmware Q0718, the build owners call OTA3, makes the VisionMaster Max iris automatic, removes auto dimming in black scenes and adds 8-point keystone across the Valerion range.
Firmware V0000.01.00E.Q0718, the update Valerion owners refer to as OTA3, gives the VisionMaster Max an iris that adjusts itself. Dynamic Iris, exclusive to the Max, automatically changes iris level according to the brightness of the displayed picture. The same build brings 8-point manual keystone correction and a list of smaller changes to the Max, Pro2, Pro, Plus2 and Plus.
On the date, the leads conflict for a reason. The firmware package carries a release date of 18 July 2026 and the file name USBOTA_LASERS_20260718042800, which is where the Q0718 build code comes from. Valerion's release notes were first published on 30 July 2026, then edited on 24 August and retitled "Aug 2026". Only the title is August.
The Max already had the iris hardware
Reviewers measuring the Max before this update found a six-bladed iris with six manual levels and no automatic control, so the owner picked a setting and lived with it for the whole session. Projector Reviews measured native contrast at 3,419:1 in its test room, rising to 28,586:1 with local dimming engaged, and described the iris physically tightening to lower the black floor in darker scenes.
Automating that is a real change, not a menu item. A manual iris is a compromise chosen once: open enough for bright content and dark scenes keep a raised black floor; closed enough for dark scenes and highlights lose punch. An iris tracking average picture level per scene removes that trade-off, at least in principle. Valerion's pre-launch material for the Max already listed Dynamic IRIS alongside a 15,000:1 contrast claim and 3,000 ISO lumens, so this reads as a promised feature finally arriving.
The quieter change is arguably bigger
Buried in the secondary list is a line that matters: Q0718 removes auto dimming in black scenes for stable brightness. Read alongside the new iris, that describes a deliberate swap. Modulating the laser to chase black level is crude and shows up as pumping and colour shift. Modulating light optically, with an iris, is the traditional projector answer. Valerion appears to have removed the electronic workaround now that the optical one is automatic.
The update also adds EBL Medium as a middle setting for Enhanced Black Level processing, so owners now have an iris and two software black-level strengths acting on the same problem. Whether stacking them helps or produces double-counted crush has not been measured, and nor has the iris itself on real content: how visibly the six-step mechanism moves, how much peak brightness is lost in mixed scenes, and whether EBL Medium plus the automatic iris beats either alone. A dynamic iris that audibly or visibly pumps is worse than a manual one left in a sensible position.
The rest of Q0718
Beyond contrast, the update adds an independent ThunderBeat sound menu in the projector's own on-screen display, AWOL Link Control using AWOL's IP control protocol, a Low Noise Mode for fan noise, IR codes for the remote, anamorphic 2.0:1 and 1.85:1 picture size options, and Off, Carefree and Focus modes for Auto Eye Protection. Picture size becomes adjustable in Dolby Vision, and a 3D resolution bug in Frame Packing content is fixed.
The 8-point keystone deserves a caution. On a 3,999 dollar projector with lens shift, geometric correction should be a last resort: every keystone adjustment resamples the image and costs real resolution.
No rollback, and a staggered rollout
Valerion states plainly that the update cannot be rolled back. OTA delivery is staggered and may not reach a given unit for one to two weeks, so a projector reporting "up to date" may simply not have been offered the build yet. The USB route needs a FAT32 drive, a 1.69GB package and up to 30 minutes with the projector left alone.
Sources
- https://support.valerion.com/hc/en-us/articles/17028893713167-AWOL-Valerion-Firmware-Release-Notes-Aug-2026-Firmware-Q0718-OTA3
- https://support.valerion.com/hc/en-us/articles/17042801367567-What-is-Dynamic-Iris-and-how-to-enable-it
- https://support.valerion.com/hc/en-us/sections/13829780935055-Firmware-Updates
- https://www.projectorreviews.com/valerion/valerion-visionmaster-max-projector-review/
- https://www.notebookcheck.net/Valerion-reveals-new-VisionMaster-Max-projector-with-15-000-1-contrast-ratio.881518.0.html
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