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    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 users should be aware of is Lumens.

    What are Lumens?

    Lumens are a unit of measurement of the total brightness that comes from a light source, in this case, a projector. One may also see the term ANSI Lumens. ANSI is an acronym for the American National Standards Institute. In general, the more lumens a projector has, the brighter the image on the screen.

    Why do Lumens Matter?

    Lumens are extremely important when choosing a projector if the user wants a bright, sharp image to be displayed. Usually, the brighter the image, 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 that 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 buying the projector with the most lumens, consumers should first figure out how many lumens are required for their 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. High noon on a sunny day can be as much as 100,000 lumens. Most digital projectors usually rate from about 500 lumens to over 3500 lumens.

    Projectors with Lumens Ratings Under 1,000

    Projector users generally need to keep the lighting very low and project their image from a relatively short distance (home theater, small meeting room, etc.) when using projectors that have a lumens rating of fewer than 1,000. However, these projectors are very affordable and would be a good fit for someone who likes to view TV in a low light setting.

    Projectors with Lumens Ratings from 1,000 to 2,000

    Projectors with these lumen ratings work well in classrooms and medium size meeting rooms. While bright lighting can degrade image quality, lowered lighting, shades, etc. is generally enough for viewers to get 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 Lumens Source

    The part of the projector that produces light is the lamp, which has a bulb. There are a variety of bulb types including UHP, UHE, halogen, and metal halide. The bulb is extremely important to the image’s brightness. It should be noted that the actual amount of light (lumens) that a bulb produces will decline over time. For instance, lamps that are rated for 2,000 hours of use can lose 50% of their brightness by the 1,000 hour mark.

    Choosing the type of lamp the projector uses can help keep the brightness level high throughout the bulb’s life. For instance, lamps that are UHP or UHE can retain about 80% of their brightness during their entire lifetime.

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    6 comments
    1. ron soyland

      15 March, 2019 at 7:04 pm

      There is a BIG difference between ANSI Lumens and “Chinese” lumens! Some of the low cost projectors are called “7000 lumens” when the actual measured ANSI lumen output of the projector is about 300! (very dim!) IF THE ADVERTISEMENT DOES NOT EXPLICITLY STATE “ANSI LUMENS” THE LUMEN RATING IS BOGUS! BEWARE!

      Reply
    2. raman

      4 January, 2012 at 9:53 am

      but we have big conference room i need high performance projector and also HD.
      i dont know which type projector is benefit for us??? anyone can help me

      Reply
    3. raman

      4 January, 2012 at 9:51 am

      also it is good for me this information thanks

      Reply
    4. ivon

      4 December, 2011 at 2:46 am

      i want to buy a projector to go in my media room (dedicated controlled lighting room), the dilemma is i want to watch sporting events with friends with some ambient as well as movies without having to buy a black diamond screen.  Any suggestions on projectors. budget $3500 or less.

      Reply
    5. Bob E.

      14 November, 2011 at 11:13 pm

      I have an Infocus projector with a rating of 2000 lumens that is several years old.   All the color in my powerpoint slides “gets washed out” when I set up a presentation.    Is this because of the ambient light, or the bulb is getting weak, or something else?

      In the future what would you recomend for a well lite conference room?

      Bob  

      Reply
    6. wick

      5 November, 2011 at 7:31 pm

      hello people, thanks for the information, it helped me :=)

      Reply
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