Projectors have recently become the preferred choice for people who want to experience the excitement of huge movie projector screens in their living rooms. Apart from being used as a home theater projector, the projectors are also extremely useful in office presentations where you want to connect with a large group of audience.

However, with many types and brands of projectors to choose from, you can easily get confused and even end up spending precious money on a device that is not designed for your intended use. Therefore, it is highly recommended to research the various options available and understand their features such as lumens, contrast ratio, and resolution, etc.

What are ANSI projector lumens and what does ANSI mean?

The brightness of a projector is measured in ANSI (American National Standards Institute) lumens or simply lumens. The higher the projector’s lumen rating, the brighter the intensity of the light wave and the brighter the projection screen.

Although lumens are not directly related to the size of the projected image, a larger image will need to be brighter because the projector needs to be further from the screen and will require more lumens. The projectors available today generally range from 500 to 10,000 lumens.

If there is ambient light in a room, having a projector with more lumens will make the image sharper. Light in a movie theater will make a picture with 1000 ANSI lumens appear washed out and harder to see. In the same room with the same amount of light, a projector with 1800 ANSI lumens will be much easier to see.

It’s important to make sure the projector’s lumen rating is measured in ANSI. Some manufacturers use different lumen rating standards just to make their numbers appear higher when in fact they are not.

How many lumens do I need?

The number of lumens of the projector depends on the intended use of the machine. The higher the number of lumens, the more the projector tends to cost. Therefore, it is essential to determine how many projector lumens you need to avoid a situation where you end up wasting precious money because you bought an expensive projector with too many lumens.

Here are some things to consider when determining how many ANSI lumens you need:

What is the intended use of the projector?: If the device will be used as a home theater projector in a darkened and unlit movie theater, look for a projector with at least 800 ANSI lumens. Having a projector with more than 1200 ANSI lumens would be a waste of money (assuming you pay more for lumens). If the room is dark enough but has some ambient light, a projector with 1500 lumens is enough to project a bright image.

If the projector is expected to be used for multiple purposes, consider the lighting conditions. If you plan to use the projector outside, look for a projector with at least 3,500 lumens and use a darker projector screen like a black diamond screen or silver screen.

The size of the audience and shooting group.: If the projector will be used for large audiences that require a larger screen, the projector may need more throw (the distance between the projector and the screen) and will require more lumens. For throw distances of more than 22 feet in a dark theater, you’ll need a projector with at least 1500 lumens.

The amount of light entering the room.: A fully darkened room will require 800 lumens, a lighted room with windows and lighting will need at least 3500 lumens, and a darker shade recommended.

screen type: There are various types of screens that can produce a bright image. On a darkened theater stage, a grainy white screen is perfect and will always reflect a bright, clear image without losing contrast. In a room with ambient light, blacks will appear gray unless you use a darker screen, for example, a silver screen or black diamond screen will make blacks appear darker and offer a better contrast ratio. If you plan on having a darker screen, the darker material can make the image appear dimmer unless you use a projector with at least 1500 lumens.