Projectors have quite a variety of uses these days, whether in the boardroom or classroom to give a presentation or the home to project digital, high definition TV and video to a screen. While there are many aspects that determine whether a projector will project high quality images (e.g. resolution, contrast, etc) one type of measurement that you should be aware of is Lumens.
What is a Lumen?
Lumens are a unit of measurement of the total brightness that comes from a light source- in this case a projector. You may also see the term ANSI Lumens, ANSI is an acronym for the American National Standards Institute. In general, the more lumens a projector is rated as, the brighter the image on the screen.
Why Do Lumens Matter?
Lumens are extremely important when choosing a projector because you will want a bright, sharp image to be displayed. The brighter the image, usually the sharper the contrast will be. Lumens are extremely important due to the fact that projectors with lower Lumens require ambient lighting to be low. In addition, less lumens generally means the projector will need to be closer to the screen. These two factors have obvious consequences for many conference rooms, classrooms, lecture halls and home theater set ups.
Examples of Lumens in Daily Life
Before you run out and buy the projector with the most lumens, you should understand just how many lumens you require for your specific needs. For instance, a candle gives off about 14 lumens, a sunset 400. Most offices that have florescent lighting give off about 400 lumens and lighting on a movie set is about 1,000 lumens. In case you are wondering, high noon on a sunny day can be as much as 100,000 lumens.
Amount of Lumens Required for Your Venue
Most digital projectors usually rate from about 500 lumens to over 3500 lumens.
Projectors with Lumen Ratings Under 1,000
For projectors that have a lumens rating of fewer than 1,000, you will generally need to keep the lighting very low and project your image from a relatively short distance (home theater, small meeting room, etc.). However, these projectors are very affordable and if you like to view TV in a low light setting then these types of projectors can be a good fit.
Projectors with Lumens Ratings from 1,000 to 2,000
Projectors with these lumen ratings will work well in classroom and medium size meeting rooms. While bright lighting can degrade the quality of the image, lowered lighting, shades, etc will generally be enough to view a high quality image.
Projectors with Lumens Ratings from 2,000 to 3,500
These projectors are generally moderate to high priced. They deliver extremely bright images and do not require lighting to be lowered, however lowered lighting, especially in bright lighting situations can be helpful.
Projector Lamps are the Source of Lumens
The part of the projector that produces light is the lamp. Lamps include a bulb and bulbs can come in a variety of types including UHP, UHE, halogen and metal halide. Your bulb is extremely important to the brightness of your image. It should be noted that over the life of the bulb, the actual amount of light (lumens) that it produces will decline. For instance, lamps that are rated for 2,000 hours of use can lose 50% of its brightness by the 1,000 hour mark.
Choosing the type of lamp that your projector uses can help one keep the brightness level high over the life of the bulb. For instance, lamps that are UHP or UHE can retain about 80% of their brightness during their entire lifetime.
Lumens Guide
* Controlled Lighting: If you plan to use your projector in a room where there are no windows, such as a basement, or if you use your projector primarily at night, any of today's projectors will provide a bright image.
= Low ambient light: Little to no light entering room.
= Some ambient light: Some additional light in room. Slightly dimmed, window blinds leaking some light.
= Bright ambient light: Windows open during daylight hours, lights that cannot be dimmed like in an open office settings. Bright enough for audience note taking.
Business - 4:3 Screen
Screen Size | 72" (43"x57") | 100" (60"x80") | 120" (72"x96") | 150" (87"x116") |
1000 L | | |  | |
1200 L | | | | |
1400 L | | | | |
1600 L | | | | |
1700 L | | | | |
2000 L |  | | | |
2200 L | | | | |
2500 L | | | | |
3000 L | | | | |
3500 L | | | | |
3700 L | | | | |
Quick Tip: For business projectors the actual lumen output may be lower when in video mode, due to the lower luminance output from video signals. Variations differ from projector to projector, so contact a Projector People representative to find out more.
Home Theatre - 16:9 Screen
Screen Size | 92" (45"x80") | 100" (49"x87") | 106" (52"x92") | 119" (58"x104") |
900 L | | | | |
1000 L | | | | |
1300 L | | | | |
1400 L | | | | |
1500 L | | | | |
2000 L | | | | |
2500 L | | | | |
3000 L | | | | |
Quick Tip: Home Theater projectors are typically measured in video mode, for a more accurate specification for brightness. Projectors for home theater also offer better video scaling and contrast ratios than business projectors.
Hall/House of Worship - 4:3 Screen
Screen Size | 100" | 150" | 200" | 250" |
2000 L | | | | |
2500 L | | | | |
3000 L | | | | |
3500 L | | | | |
4000 L | | | | |
4500 L | | | | |
5000 L | | | | |
5500 L | | | | |
6000 L | | | | |
Quick Tip: The size of the screen recommended will vary based on the placement of the first and last pew in a sanctuary. For screen size recommendations contact a Projector Expert today.
