How is Projector Brightness Measured?

The brightness of a projector's image is measured in 'Lumens', the most common standard being ANSI Lumens. The “American National Standards Institute” (ANSI), developed the ANSI Lumen as a universal, easily comparable, measurement of a projectors brightness level.

In recent years some projector manufacturers have switched to advertising other types of lumens, such as ISO Lumens and LED Lumens. ISO Lumens are based on standards developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation. The ISO standard features slightly different requirements during measurement, such as a highly controlled environment and compliant equipment.

As a general rule, 1 ANSI Lumen is approximately equal to 0.8 ISO Lumens.

Unfortunately, some smaller and no-name brands do not use a standard measurement, such as ANSI or ISO lumens. These brands can advertise some extraordinary ratings, we've seen some no-name projectors advertise lumens in excess of 8000 at a price of under $200, which is simply not possible. After testing we found this projector to only offer approximately 100 ANSI Lumens. Sticking to reputable brands that advertise ANSI or ISO lumens will ensure the brightness specification you see is correct.