Using a projector during the daytime in a well-lit room or the outdoors can present its own problems. The image quality and viewing experience deteriorate considerably. Bright colors appear washed out. Instead of deep blacks, dark areas in the image tend toward grey. The Solution: Selection of an appropriate projector with higher brightness and contrast ratio specs. A projector screen suitable for daylight viewing will further help resolve the image quality issue.
The Problem with Daylight Projector Viewing
You want to watch movies with your family and friends in the backyard in fine sunny weather or are looking for a camping projector. Maybe you’re planning to show a video of the bride and groom at your friend’s outdoor wedding party. Or you are looking for a projector you want to use in your living room where you can’t always turn the lights off.
In all these scenarios, you’ll need a projector that can beat the sunlight and let you have good picture quality. In this article, we discuss the issues faced when you are using a projector in well-lit areas or direct sunlight. We elaborate on the solutions and provide further recommendations to enhance your experience for daylight viewing.
Why Ambient Light Affects Projector Images
Your projector essentially throws out a beam of light onto the screen. In a dark room, the projector image or light on the screen does not get mixed or diluted by any external light source. So most of the projector throw reaches the screen and is reflected in its pristine form. In areas with strong ambient light, the projected beam gets weakened by interference from external light and the image color saturation gets affected. The contrast ratio is not as great as it is in darker conditions
So there is competition between the projector light on the screen and the external light source. In outdoor daylight, the brightness of the external light is even higher and this dilutes the projector beam further. One way of letting the projector light win this competition is to use a high brightness projector or a high “lumen” projector.
Lumens are the unit of measure used to specify a projector’s brightness capabilities. The higher the lumen number, the higher the intensity of light that the projector throws out.
(For more details about this and other projector features and specifications, please read our Projector Buying Guide)
How Many Lumens For an Outdoor Projector?
Below is a good guide for the projector brightness needed for various settings:
- Indoor use with low (lights out and windows covered) to normal ambient light – minimum 1500 Lumens
- Indoor use with normal to high ambient light – minimum 3000 Lumens
- Outdoor use, daylight projector viewing – minimum 4000 Lumens. However, the minimum number will increase the greater the distance between projector and screen, as in very large outdoor venues.
The Screen Matters
Certain screens can deflect ambient light in a direction away from the viewer. These Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) Screens selectively reflect the projector image back to the viewer as long as the projector is positioned in a particular way relative to the screen.
Consequently, ALR screens provide the advantage that projectors with lower lumen brightness can be used to give sharper images with better color saturation.
Things You can do for an Existing Projector
So we’ve discussed the brightness factor and the screen requirements. But other important considerations will help improve image quality in the daylight.
Place the projection screen on the side of the room where the least amount of light falls on the screen. If you use a projector outdoors, place the projector screen in a shaded area or under a temporary awning or canopy to reduce the direct sunlight falling on the screen. This will help you get better images even with relatively lower projector brightness.
Additionally, If a smaller image size can be tolerated, it is advisable to place the projector closer to the screen. With the increase in image light intensity on the screen due to the close proximity of the projector, you will get a better quality image. Contrast will also be better.
However, for a bigger venue, a larger screen is required making it necessary to place the projector further away from the screen. The image quality is badly affected. If the projector needs to be placed some length away from the screen, your only options are a brighter projector and/or an ALR screen.
Other Things you should care about in Daylight projection
There are some important considerations for projectors used in outdoor viewing.
Projectors are not designed for external use for long periods of time. Because of the higher ambient temperatures outdoors, the projector unit tends to heat up. This is detrimental to the electronics in the unit and, therefore, the life of the projector. Especially the bulb, which faces the biggest brunt of the heat, will require earlier placement.
It is also for this reason projectors should not be installed in a fixed mounting outside. You may decide upon a portable projector for camping or backyard use.
If the projector is required for outdoor use, you may not have a direct electrical outlet to power your projector. Consider a portable projector with internal batteries that can be charged to provide more than 3 hours of viewing. However, keep in mind that portable projectors running on built-in batteries are not able to provide the best brightness, and therefore, the best images. So using a more powerful projector and arranging an extension cord to a power outlet is a better idea.
Conclusion
We’ve discussed the various specifications required to improve your daylight projector viewing experience. Projectors do not like external light. If you can’t dim the light and want to use the projector for your living room or your camping trip, the right projector brightness and screen type combination are the most important considerations.