Measuring projector brightness can help ensure a bright, clear image for your use case
Projector technology has changed a lot since these devices first appeared on the market. And, as projectors gain sophistication, the specifications used to differentiate them have evolved, too. Projector lumens are now a key differentiator in the marketplace. Lumens measure brightness, which affects picture clarity, contrast, and depth of color. But what is lumen count, exactly? Is a higher lumen count always better? How does one find the ideal lumen count for their use cases? It all begins with understanding what lumens are.
Want to know more about finding the right projector for your needs? Check out our guide, How Do Projectors Work? Everything You Need to Know.
What are projector lumens?
Lumens measure how bright a light source is, typically according to a standard set by the American National Standards Institute. The higher a light source’s lumen count, the more light that source is emitting. For example, a candle emits just 14 lumens. A standard 100-watt incandescent light bulb jumps up to 1,500-1,700 lumens. A sunny day might reach as high as 100,000 lumens, and the fluorescent lighting in a typical office hovers around 400 lumens.
When it comes to projectors, lumens are the first step in determining quality. That’s because higher lumen values, or brighter projections, generally lead to a clearer picture. Brighter images can make text easier to read, graphs easier to parse, and photos and videos clearer. However, having a projector that outputs more lumens than you need can have an adverse effect. Too many lumens in a dark environment can produce an overly bright image with washed out details.
Lumens aren’t the only important factor for a projector. Other features such as contrast ratio and resolution are also important. Choosing the right kind of bulb has an effect, too. But lumens remain the starting point for most buyers.
Lumens vs. luxes
Lux is another commonly used light measurement that is subtly but significantly different from a lumen. A lumen measures light current, or the total amount of light emitted by a single source. It does not account for direction or how the light is applied. Usually, that’s enough to understand how bright a lamp will be. But if you obstruct the lamp, it retains its lumen count even though the amount of usable light falls. For example, covering a flashlight with your hand doesn’t reduce its lumen count, even if you can no longer see the light.
Luxes, on the other hand, account for such a change. A lux is a measure of the light output in a given area. It is the equivalent of one lumen per square meter. This makes it useful for examining a projector’s effectiveness once deployed. One can buy a high-lumen projector, but if its light doesn’t reach the intended surface, its lux count will be lower. That covered flashlight would have a much lower lux count.
Luxes are useful, but they are determined more by how one uses a projector than by the projector itself. Lumens describe the light output of an unobstructed projector, making it a more relevant factor when comparing models.
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How many lumens is good for a projector?
When buying a projector, there are two main factors to compare against lumen counts. The first is the size image you intend to project. Larger images — that is, images bigger than 80 inches across — will require higher projector lumen counts in order to display clearly across the entire image. The second factor is ambient light.
What is ambient light? It’s the amount of light already in an environment. The more ambient light in a space, the more lumens a projector will need to display an easy-to-read image. Consider your car headlights. When driving at night, turning on your headlights reveals an enormous amount of detail. That’s because the ambient light is so low. On the flip side, turning your headlights on at noon on a sunny day makes almost no appreciable difference. The lights are the same brightness, but they are competing with the ambient light of the sun.
The same effect can be observed in projectors. Projecting in a dark room can be done with a relatively low lumen count. Aim for a minimum of 2,500 lumens. However, projecting in a sun-drenched lecture hall with too low a lumen count will result in lower picture quality. Viewers will struggle to see the image. The target projector lumens for bright room use should be higher. Consider buying a projector with 4,000 or 5,000 lumens.
You may see projectors advertising lumen counts as high as 10,000 or 30,000. It’s rare to need so many projector lumens. In fact, having that many lumens more than you need can result in poorer picture quality and eye strain. Projectors with lumen counts above 10,000 are typically reserved for use in convention halls and movie theaters.
Guiding your purchase with a projector lumens chart
Knowing how you plan to use your projector is critical in making a purchasing decision. Lumens are a raw output value. They can provide an idea of how bright a projector will be. But they can’t account for how and where you use the projector. As a result, lumen guidelines can’t be definitive. It’s up to the user to assess the projecting environment and decide what makes sense.
With that being said, this projector lumens chart can help you estimate how many lumens is good for a projector in your particular environment:
|
Room Type
Image Size (diagonal) |
Meeting room (lights off) | Meeting room (lights on) | Large conference room (lights off) | Large conference room (lights on) | Auditorium (lights dim) |
| 72” | 2,000-3,000 lumens | 3,000-4,000 lumens | 3,000-4,000 lumens | 4,000-4,500 lumens | 4,500-5,000 lumens |
| 100” | 2,500-3,000 lumens | 3,000-4,000 lumens | 3,000-4,000 lumens | 4,500-5,000 lumens | 5,000 lumens |
| 120” | 2,500-3,000 lumens | 3,500-4,000 lumens | 3,500-4,000 lumens | 4,500-5,000 lumens | 5,000 lumens |
Did You Know?:The multi-projection feature allows the creation of a larger display area by using multiple projectors — all while making overlapping areas virtually invisible. Click here to find out more.
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