How To Choose Projectors In Different Ambient Light
By Phillip Park - 2022-1
Ambient Light And Its Effect On Projector Light Source
Ambient light is light already present in a space such as a living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and backyard. You can understand ambient light better when you are moving to a different home. Before you and your family begin to plan the interiors for your new home, you will need to contend with the ambient light present there. Perhaps you will consider the location of windows and doors and the amount of light present during different times of day and night. Based on this study, you will plan additional lighting to suit the requirements for each space.
In the same way, when you are planning movie nights at home using one of the best projectors for daylight viewing, you will need to consider the ambient light before screening the movie. For instance, if you were watching a movie indoors in your living room during the day, you would darken the room to see the movie better. Since you will need one of the finest projectors for the living room, you will need to consider its specifications, especially its light source. Intuitively, you will know that you need lower brightness in dark places and higher brightness in bright places. Thus, the projector brightness is an important factor you will have to consider.
While brightness is a relative concept, its scientific measure standardizes it for you to compare two different light sources. Without going into the scientific calculations, you can measure brightness in lumen, which is the unit measuring the amount of light a light source emits. It means that the more the lumens from a light source the more the brightness from that source.
Regarding projectors, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standardizes the lumen to ANSI lumen to measure the brightness of a light source. In 1992, ANSI devised the ANSI lumen primarily to measure a projector’s video lumen output. Today, the projector light output uses ANSI lumens as a measure. There is ambiguity in converting ANSI lumens into lumens. While some use the equation lumen = ANSI lumen x 2.4, others use lumen = ANSI lumen x 7.0. However, for comparison purposes, it does not matter as long as you use the same conversion factor for the comparison of different projectors.
In contrast, ISO lumens are a distinct kind of brightness measurement that are based on standards established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO lumens are measured in a highly regulated setting, usually using equipment and a particular set of test patterns that may differ from the ANSI norm. Because of differences in standards and measuring parameters, ISO lumens and ANSI lumens may yield different results.
How Ambient Light Impacts Projector Performance
You can understand lumen as a measure better when you consider some real-life examples. Some of the common light sources you are familiar with in daily life emit the following amount of light:
- Candle - 14 lumens
- Light bulb 100W - 1600 lumens
- Sunrise or sunset - 400 lumens
- Midday with a clear blue sky - 20,000 to 100,000 lumens
- Midday with overcast sky – 1000 to 2000 lumens
- Movie-set lighting - 1000 lumens
- Office lighting – 400 to 500 lumens
Imagine, now, if any of the light sources constitute ambient light, then you would need a projector with a light source that can overcome the ambient light to be able to watch a movie or presentation clearly. Alternatively, you would try to minimize the ambient light by darkening the room. This is something akin to what you would do with your mobile phone when you are in bright sunlight. You either move to the shade or increase the brightness on your mobile phone. Thus, you can see that the brightness of a projector is very important while choosing one. Typically, the brighter the light source of a projector, the better it is able to handle ambient light.
The effect of a lower brightness in a projector’s light source when ambient light is very bright is to render the screen projected white. You can overcome this by using a projector with higher brightness. This would reproduce images with clarity and true colors.
Factors to Consider for Choosing a Projector for Different Environments
The foregoing information will help you to decide on the most appropriate projector for your home based on several factors that include:
- Ambient light
- Screen size
1. Ambient Light
As we learned above, you need to look for a projector with a brighter light source to overcome ambient light. If you use the projector in low, moderate or strong ambient light, then you need to choose a projector that can fight the ambient light adequately.
The situations where ambient light is different are as follows:
- Low ambient light – this could be situations where your home does not have too many windows where natural light cannot penetrate contributing to low ambient light. You could also be using the projector in the woods while camping in the night away from artificial lighting
- Moderate ambient light – this could be in your backyard at night with artificial lighting from neighbors’ houses and street lighting. You could also be using the projector indoors where natural light can leak inside, contributing to moderate ambient light
- Strong ambient light – this could be in your backyard during the day when the sun is out. You could also be using the projector indoors where sunlight can stream in through a number of windows, contributing to strong ambient light
2. Screen Size
You could be using a projector for several reasons that may include
- Watching your favorite movie on a large screen
- Teaching a class at school during the day
- Making a presentation at your office
- Screening instructional videos in the backyard during the day
In all the above situations, screen size plays an important role in choosing a suitable projector.
Generally, the brightness of the light source in a projector is directly proportional to the screen size. This means to say that as the screen size increases, the brightness in the projector’s light source also has to increase proportionately. If you attempt to increase the screen size without increasing the brightness of the light source, you will not see sharp and clear images.
Based on the type of environment that prevails while using the projector, we recommend the following types of projectors to suit the environment:
XGIMI Projectors for Strong and Moderate Ambient Light Environments
XGIMI HORIZON Pro - Incredibly Crisp 4K Detail Projector
The XGIMI HORIZON Pro is an LED-based light source projector, and a versatile one serving as one of the best projectors for the living room. Its features are truly amazing, and they include:
- Bright light source delivering 1500 ISO Lumens
- Lifespan of up to 17 years (30,000 hours) when used for 4 hours daily
- 4K 3840*2160, 8.3M pixels resolution
- Long throw projection by placing 13 feet from any wall and projecting a 150” razor-sharp theater screen
- Long throw projection by placing 10.5 feet from any wall and projecting a 120” razor-sharp theater screen
- Projects onto to a 200-inch screen with resolution up to 3840x2160p to bring you the highest 4K image quality
- Provides vivid pictures in both HDR and 10-bit color
- Automatic focus function keeps images vivid and clear even at the maximum screen size of 200 inches
XGIMI AURA - The 4K Ultra Short Throw Laser (UST) Projector
This is one of the most advanced projectors for brightly lit rooms that can serve adequately in environments with strong or moderate ambient light. The AURA comes with a laser-based light source with the following relevant features:
- Very bright light source delivering 1800 ISO Lumens, similar to a TV
- True 4K UHD with 8.3M individual pixels onscreen
- UST projection 11.7” from any wall to project on a 120” screen with razor-sharp images
- UST projection 4.3” from any wall to project on a 80” screen with razor-sharp images
- Advanced Laser Phosphor Display (ALPD) technology that provides consistent brightness, brilliant color display, and razor-sharp picture quality even in diffused lighting
- 20,000-hour lifespan of laser light source with consistent brightness over long years of usage
- Picture size and picture quality are adjustable at will
XGIMI HORIZON - Plug-and-Play Home Cinematic Projector
The XGIMI projector is perhaps the best plug-and-play projector. It is one of the finest projectors for the living room or any other room at home. Its features include:
- LED-based light source delivering 1500 ISO Lumens
- Lifespan of up to 17 years (30,000 hours) when used for 4 hours daily
- Full HD home projector
- Industry-leading crystal-clear 1080P picture quality and intelligent imaging features projecting onto a giant 200” large screen
XGIMI Projectors for Moderate and Low Ambient Light Environments
XGIMI Elfin – Pocketsize Smart Home Projector
One of the best projectors for brightly lit rooms is the XGIMI Elfin projector. It provides the brightest visual experience for its size, regardless of the content.
- LED-based light source delivering 600 ISO Lumens with 10+ years of usage
- HDR10 provides contrast ratio with bright color and true-to-life visuals with incredible color depth and detail
XGIMI MoGo Pro+ - Full HD Resolution Android TV Portable Projector
This full HD resolution portable projector is one of the finest projectors for daylight viewing in any of the rooms at home. Its small size does not come in the way of always projecting clear and bright images.
- LED-based light source delivering 300 ANSI lumens with 10+ years of usage
- Full HD 1080p resolution with the projected image always clear and bright
- High-capacity built-in battery ensures 2 to 4 hours video playtime outdoors
- Compact size, weighs only 1.98 pounds
- 100-inch full-HD large screen turns home into a theater
Conclusion
This full HD resolution portable projector is one of the finest projectors for daylight viewing in any of the rooms at home. Its small size does not come in the way of always projecting clear and bright images. You have now understood the importance of ambient light in relation to projectors when using the projector to screen movies at home. Ambient light is already present in a space, and they differ from place to place. Often, ambient light can be strong, moderate, or low.
The projectors that you use to screen movies in your home, indoors or outdoors, need to overcome ambient light to give you picture clarity and true colors. The projectors also need to adjust for screen size. Thus, ambient light and screen size become important while choosing the most appropriate projector for your needs. XGIMI offers a range of projectors, including some of the most advanced projectors for daylight viewing.
The best way to overcome hurdles posed by ambient light and screen size is to ensure the light source in the projector is as bright as possible. The brighter the light source, the easier it is to overcome ambient light. Similarly, the brighter the light source, the larger is the screen size that you can achieve without losing clarity of images. XGIMI offers a range of projectors, including some of the best projectors for the living room.
Light sources with 2200-2400 ANSI lumens of light can overcome strong and moderate ambient environments. These light sources can also project onto a screen size up to 200”.
Light sources with 300-900 ANSI lumens of light can overcome moderate to low ambient light environments. These light sources can also project onto a screen size between 100” and 200”.
Based on these attributes, XGIMI offers six models of projectors that can serve the purpose of projecting onto a screen size up to 200” as well as overcome strong, moderate, and low ambient light environments.
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