How to choose a home theater projector--ANSI lumens & light source lumens.

by Chelsea . on April 19, 2022

What is projector luminance? What is the difference between ANSI lumens and light source lumens? 

What is projector brightness?

As the name implies, brightness is the level of light emitted by the projector. The higher the brightness, the clearer the projection picture, the lower the brightness, the more blurred the projection picture.

Too low brightness leads to unclear picture, which is harmful to our eyes. Using a projector with high brightness during the day will be a good experience because it can reduce the impact of ambient light and still maintain high brightness, which can restore the picture more clearly. However, in the dark environment at night, too high brightness can also stimulate our eyes.

Therefore, you should choose the appropriate brightness according to the specific conditions of the environment. 

What is the difference between ANSI lumens and light source lumens?

There are two common units of luminance: ANSI lumens and light source lumens.

ANSI lumens refers to the brightness of the picture displayed after projection onto the wall. During the projection process, the light from the projector will have a weakening process. Therefore, the brightness of the final image we see is ANSI lumens, as measured by the ANSI standard nine-point method.

As such, the ANSI lumens are used to indicate brightness, which is generally accepted internationally.

Light source lumens refer to the brightness of the light source used by the projector. The actual brightness of the image is much lower when projected onto the wall. So the lumens used as a unit of brightness values are generally very high, but ANSI lumens is what we can actually see the brightness of the picture.

1000ANSI lumens is approximately equal to 3500 lumens. When purchasing a projector it is advisable to use ANSI lumens as a reference unit of brightness.

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