Finding the right projector can be tough. There are so many different brands, models, and sizes that it can feel impossible to know which one is best for you. One thing to keep in mind when shopping for a new projector is how many lumens of light output each model has. This will affect both the size of screen you can project onto as well as the brightness of your image onscreen. So what should you look for? Well, let’s find out!
How Many Lumens Are Good for a Projector
what are lumens?
A Lumen is a standard unit of light measurement. It describes how much light is being emitted from a source of light such as a projector bulb, candle or LED lamp.
Some projector list their brightness in ANSI lumens, while others list it in Lumens. ANSI lumens are generally lower than actual lumens, so if you see a projector with 500 ANSI lumens and 2000 Lumens then the second number is closer to its true brightness of light output.
Business – 4:3 Scree
The size of a business projector screen is typically around 40 inches. The light output you want for this environment should be 800 to 1200 ANSI Lumens or 600 to 1000 lumens, with its brightest setting at about 3000 lux brightness in order to fill the whole space and not lose image quality.
Home Theater – 16:09 Screen
When it comes to home theater setups, a large TV will most likely take up half of your viewing area so you’ll need an appropriate projector that meets these needs as well. For example if the television has a native resolution of 1920×1080 pixels (decrease one number from actual pixel count) then we would recommend getting either 1800 ANSI Lumen projectors or 1600 Lumen Projectors as they are brighter than average projectors.
House of Worship – 16:09 Screen
The “house of worship” category is a harder to define because it can encompass churches, synagogues, temples and more. One thing we do know for sure is that they all have the same aspect ratio so you’ll need either 1800 ANSI Lumens or 1600 Lumen Projectors with a brightness rating around 6000 lux in order to fill an entire space without losing any quality.
Education – 16:09 Screen
Many schools today favor using large screens due to their ability to display content from laptops as well as tablets onto one screen. This means these rooms will most likely be used primarily during the day time where light levels are high enough that 800 ANSI lumens or 600 Lumens are more than enough.
How many lumens is enough?
Ultimately, the amount of light output you need will depend on how your projector will be used and what its surroundings are like. If it’s in a dark room then you’ll want something with 1800 ANSI lumens for projection onto screens that measure 70 inches to 100 inches diagonal (without an ambient light control).
On the other hand if it’s going to be used outdoors during daylight hours all day long then you might only need 800-900 ANSI Lumen Projectors as they’re brighter and can project images from indoors into outdoor spaces easier without being too bright.”
How bright is too bright?
Be wary of buying projectors that are too bright because they’re typically more expensive and will be unable to display images in a dark room. You’ll also need enough light output if you plan on projecting outside or into a heavily-shaded area.”
Conclusion
The confusing part of the Projector is not Brightness lumen but you will see the rating of a projector how accurate its rating is. The ANSI Lumen which is a measure of brightness can be misleading while the Lumens are more accurate. The better thing to find out and understand an accurate lumen is to see them in live-action.
