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Projectors come in a wide range of light output. All other things being equal, the brighter the projector, the more it costs. When it comes to "optimum brightness" the rule is simple: get the brightest projector you can afford.
Things to Consider When Choosing Brightness
There are four primary considerations when choosing your projector's brightness.
How many people will typically be in the room?
This determines the size of the projected image that is required for easy viewing by everyone present. As the number of people in the room increases, the image size must increase and this diminishes the apparent brightness of the projector as the light is spread over a larger area.
How much light is in the room?
A dark room will provide the best image regardless of projector brightness; however, most meetings require some lighting for note-taking and eye contact. A room where the lights cannot be turned off or dimmed from within the room or where direct sunlight strikes the projected image will require a bright projector.
What kind of projection screen is available?
This can have a profound effect on the image brightness and quality. Most projection screens today provide significant light reflection making even a relatively low brightness projector look good in the proper setting. If the room lacks a projection screen, as is sometimes common in a mobile sales presentation, you will be better served by a high brightness projector since a wall is a poor reflector of light.
What is your application?
Applications such as training and workgroups will demand more brightness because of the need to see and read detail. These applications also require more room light for note taking and communication. Applications that use presentation graphics or video are visually less demanding and are more likely to be shown in a darkened room. If the projector will serve multiple locations either within a building or because of traveling, consider your most demanding setting.
Brightness is measured in ANSI (American National Standards Institute) lumens: the brighter the projector, the higher the ANSI lumen rating.
In today's market, projectors can be grouped by ANSI lumen output as follows:
Less than 1000 lumens - these are the lowest light-output projectors available today, and they are typically the least expensive. If you are on a tight budget, there are a number of products in this category that may be perfect for your needs. Keep in mind that the low light output means that you will want to make your presentations in a dark or dimly lit room so that the image on the screen is not washed out by ambient room light.
1000 to 2000 lumens - this lumen range is a step up in performance and price. There are many SVGA and XGA products in this class to choose from. These machines are suitable for normal business conference room and classroom use. Presentations should be done with the room lighting reduced somewhat for best screen viewing, although a totally dark or dimly lit room is usually not necessary.
2000 to 3000 lumens - this represents the high-performance range of the portable and semi-portable projectors. Products in this class are suitable for large conference rooms and classrooms. They offer more flexibility in terms of ambient room light, since the image is bright enough that a reasonable amount of room light can be tolerated without washing out the image. They also offer more flexibility in terms of audience size since they can illuminate a larger screen without much loss of image quality.
3000 lumens and up - the ultra-bright projectors are in several performance classes unto themselves, ranging from 3000 up to 12000 lumens or more. Prices of these products also cover a wide range depending on other performance characteristics. They are used in a variety of large venue applications, including board rooms, conference rooms, training rooms, auditoriums, churches, concerts, nightclubs, and so forth.
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Brightness