It takes a special home theater projector to get me to stick through a movie like Supergirl. Critics panned it for dark themes, and its visually dark tones make it literally tough to see. But when I used the AWOL Vision Aetherion Max to project it onto a 120-inch screen with Dolby Atmos sound blasting from every corner of my basement, the film looked stunning.

The Aetherion Max, with its precise picture-quality settings and sharp 4K clarity, provides an experience rivaling that of a movie theater. Supergirl might suffer from bad CGI and even worse dialog, but the projector's features, like Dark Detail and Enhanced Black Level, brought the film to life, making reds and blues pop with amazing vividness.

Priced at $4,499, this ultrashort throw model sits right next to the wall or projector screen. In some ways, it reminds me of the LG Micro RGB Evo television with highly adjustable picture-quality settings. Ultimately, though, I'm a fan of the Aetherion Max because it projects a breathtakingly colorful image.

Before taking stock of its powerhouse specs, I noticed the Aetherion Max's design. Shaped a bit like a Tesla Cybertruck, the silver projector has sharp edges that lend a modern look. The front of the machine (the side that faces you) has no buttons except a single white line that animates when you power it on—a detail I found to be distracting and then powered off. 5mm audio-out ports, and a 1 GBps Ethernet port for wired streaming.

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