Lumens is one of the Important specifications in a Projector. Thesedays, brands are also mentioning the ANSI Lumens in their Specifications. So, in this article, we will study What Is Lumens in Projector, what is the difference between Lumens Vs ANSI Lumens, the difference between White Lumens and Color Lumens, How Many Lumens is Good for a Projector, and more.
Before we talk about What is Lumens in Projector, we need to understand What Lumens is in General.
You might also be interested in learning more about What is Projector and How do Projectors Work.
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What is Lumens:
Basically, Lumens is the unit of measuring the brightness of the light. A light source emits lights. It can be anything. A Candle, the fluorescent lamp in your room, the sunlight, the light projecting from a projector, etc. Every light source has different brightness levels.
Generally, we used to say that the candle has less brightness, the bulb has more brightness. So, instead of that, we use a device to measure the actual brightness of the light source.
For Example, a candle has 14 Lumens of brightness. A 100-watt bulb in your home produces 1600 Lumens of brightness. On a sunny day, the average Lumens of brightness produced by the sun is around 100000.
So, we use the same unit to measure the brightness of the Projector.
What is Lumens in Projector?
The brightness level emitted by a Projector is calculated through Lumens. Obviously, if the brightness level (Lumen) is more, it will produce a better picture. Based on the Lumens of the Projector, you need to decide where you can use it.
Basically, Projectors in the market have Lumens Value of 500 to 20000.
If your Projector emits 1000 Lumens, it is suitable for a dark room. Similarly, if you want to use a Projector in a room with Windows with little Ambient light, you need to get a Projector with higher Lumens. We will discuss more on How Many Lumens is Good for a Projector later in this article.
Lumens Vs ANSI Lumens:
So, we have discussed that the brightness level of a light source is measured in Lumens.
Lumens value is measured using a LUX Meter or Light Meter. A Projector is turned on, emitting the White Light only. Then the LUX Meter is placed in front of the Projection to measure the Brightness level.
So, what is ANSI Lumens?
What is ANSI Lumens?
ANSI Lumens is actually important than Lumens when it comes to Projector. ANSI Lumens is also used to measure the brightness level of a Projector, but the way the brightness level is calculated is very important.
First, the Projector is placed in a dark room. Then they cast the Projection on a White screen. (Note that only white light from the projector is cased here). Next, the screen is divided into nine sections, and at the center of each section, a LUX Meter is placed. (As you can see in the infographics)
A LUX Meter or Light Meter is used to measure the intensity of any Light Source in Lumens.
As the LUX Meter is placed at nine different spots of the Screen, it detects the Lumens emitted on every part of the screen. Then the value of all the LUX Meters is calculated, and the average value is considered as the ANSI Lumens.
It is the standard way of measuring the Lumens of a Projector, set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
When Lumens is calculated, the distance, screen size, and ambient light intensity are not considered. Therefore, ANSI Lumens is the right way of Measuring the Brightness intensity of a Projector.
For Example, the Egate i9 has 2100 Lumens (180 ANSI Lumens). Whereas, the Epson EX X05 produces 3300 ANSI Lumens. So, when you project both of them on the wall, you can see the Projectile thrown by Epson EX X05 Projector is overlapping the other Projector. With an ANSI Lumens of 3300, you can use it even in a bright ambient room.
Light Lumens Vs Color Lumens:
Till now, we have spoken about Lumens Vs ANSI Lumens. But, there is also another thing we need to look at in a Projector, that is Color Lumens. Most companies just market the White Lumen. But, as we wish to watch colorful images on the Projection, we need to look into Color Lumens as well.
Just make sure the Color Lumens are equal to the White Lumens. For Example, the Epson VS260 has 3300 White Lumens and 3300 Color Lumens.
If a Projector has 6000 White Lumens 3000 Color Lumens, then the color image that you project on the screen won’t be as bright as you were expecting.
How Many Lumens is Good for a Projector?
Now coming to the conclusion, How Many Lumens is Good for a Projector?
The Projector Lumens depends on the Environment. Also, note that the Lumens value advertised by the Brands is the highest peak value. Moreover, the Brightness of the Projector would decrease over time.
How Many Lumens is Good for a Projector depends on the Ambient Light in the room and the Screen Size you will cast it on.
So, if you are using it in a room at night with all the lights off, a Projector with 1000 Lumens will be sufficient and budget-friendly. If you are going to use the Projector in the Living Room with little ambient light, then you might need a Projector with 1500 to 2000 Lumens.
For Classroom and Office purposes, you might need 3000 Lumens considering you use it in the daytime. 3000 Lumens Projector will also be sufficient if you are using it outside at night.
For Living Room with lights on or in the daytime, a 5000 Lumens Projector would be good enough.
Finally, a movie theatre would require a 20000 Lumens Projector as the distance would be far and the screen size would be huge. I hope now you understand What Is Lumens in Projector.