Is a 5000 lumen projector good? This number is at the higher end of the spectrum for home use projectors, which means that it will probably work well for use outdoors. A projector with this ANSI lumen rating will work great indoors as well, even in areas with moderate ambient lighting.
Will a 5000 ANSI lumen projector work well?
Usually, the higher the ANSI lumen rating, the better the projector is going to be (remember that we said ANSI lumens and not just lumens). Projectors with higher lumen ratings tend to be more expensive, so make sure to factor that in when you’re considering the type of projector you’d like to purchase (an exception to this would be pico or portable projectors which are made to be moved around).
A projector’s quality depends on much more than just the ANSI lumen rating. One will also have to think about aspect ratio, screen size, resolution, contrast ratio etc. A projector’s resolution ranges from UHD all the way to standard definition.
Larger resolutions and screen sizes typically require brighter and more concentrated light beams.
Common light sources lumen counts
Would you like to know how bright a single lumen is compared to 1000 lumens? Below you will find a list of common light sources that will help you get an idea of how bright things are when measured in lumens. For starters, a candle has only 14 lumens and will work best in low, low ambient light settings.
On the other end of the spectrum, one will find that sunny days (yes, we’re talking about outside) will measure in it 100,000 lumens plus.
- Business Laser DLP Projector: Up to 5,000 lumens or more.
- Home LED DLP Projector: 2,000 to 3,000 lumens or more
- Sunny Day: Up to 100,000 lumens or more.
- Fluorescent Office Lighting: 400 lumens.
- 100-Watt Light Bulb: 1,600 lumens.
- Movie Set Light: 1,000 lumens.
- Sunset: 400 lumens.
- Candle: 14 lumens.
5000 lumens home theater or business DLP laser projector works well even in daylight, but shouldn’t be used in direct sunlight as it will be going up against 100,000 lumens plus of brightness.
Lumen requirements for projectors used in businesses
- 5,000 plus ANSI lumens: 5000 lumens is the count we’re talking about in this post. It will work well for everything, especially in large convention centers or for use in advertising on billboards.
- 4,000 to 4,999 ANSI lumens: This is a great lumen count for use on projecting HD images in mid-sized areas. This is the type of lumen count that A/V presentations in university classrooms or in auditoriums use.
- 3,000 to 3,999 ANSI lumens: This is the lumen range that will work great in smaller areas such as classrooms or small meeting rooms. It’s a usable brightness level and most projectors with this level of brightness will be budget-friendly.
- Less than 3,000 ANSI lumens: The projectors with this brightness level tend to be older – from the 1980s-90 (even though projectors are still being made to this day with this level of brightness). Or, they can be pocket or pico projectors that have limited luminosity because of their small size. These projectors will work best in rooms that are dark or with little ambient lighting.
Lumen needs for home projectors
In home theater or cinema settings, one should pick a 3,000 ANSI lumen projector to save money. This is enough lumens to cover 80-inch projections (most houses would only be able to fit 80-inch projector screens anyway).
- The larger the screen, the more lumens it will need: When a projector is moved closer to a projector screen, the smaller image will appear more intense. The larger the projector screen, the more lumens the projector will need to make up for the area that it’s going to be distributing light over.
An UHD projector displaying 4K content will need 5000 lumens usually. Higher resolution content tend to be darker because of the pixel density, requiring the lamps to be more powerful to balance out the darkness.
Conclusion
One doesn’t need 5,000 lumen projectors but, if they have the money to pay for it, they should. This will solve most ambient lighting issues and will work at all times, regardless of whether it’s used outside or inside.
*side note: it isn’t a coincidence that 5000 lumen projectors tend to display 4K or 8K resolution content – they work well together.