Brightness is one of the most important factors separating an okay projector from a great one. A brighter lamp will mean more vibrant colors and a clearer overall picture. It also makes the projector more versatile since it can compete with more ambient light from the environment. But you’re probably asking yourself: how many lumens is good for a projector?

So, how many lumens is enough?

When you’re shopping for TVs you can judge the pictures side-by-side between models in the store and basically expect them to look the same way at home in your living room. Projector pictures are more space-dependent, however. The distance and the ambient lighting will both play a role in how bright you need your lamp to be.

Let’s talk about ambient light first, because that’s the most significant factor. If you’ll be using your projector in a completely dark room, a lamp of around 1,000-1,200 lumens should be plenty to get a good picture. When we say completely dark, though, we mean movie theater dark. If you can’t fully cover all the windows in the room, this will limit your TV viewing to night-time, as even filtered sunlight can wash out the image.

If you want the option of having a few lights on without ruining the picture, a brighter lamp is a smart idea. Something around 2,000 lumens should be plenty bright enough to compete with standard indoor lighting or bleed-over from closed windows. You should need anything over 3,000 lumens unless you plan to watch the projector in fully-lit spaces.

The distance the light has to travel will also affect how bright you need it to be. The further the projector is from the screen, the bigger the image will be. In most home theater applications, a distance of around 6-8 feet should be sufficient to get a good-sized screen. Further away than that, and you’ll want to get a slightly brighter lamp—at least 1,500 lumens in a dark space, or around 2,500-3,000 in moderate lighting.

By Karl

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All that is to say when it comes to selecting a projector to use in a shoot, go for the brightest one you can find. Fast forward three years and I have since purchased a projector of my very own: an Epson EX3240. It was basically the brightest, highest rated projector that I could find (3200 lumens) without spending a fortune (less than $400).

The problem with using a projector as a light source is that it’s tough to get it into desirable positions. Projectors are designed to be stationary, and all mounting systems that I have found for them are designed accordingly. Ideally, I would have it mounted onto a ball-head so I can position it at any angle. The best solution that I have found to date is a laptop stand. The stand rotates on a single axis point to a 90-degree angle, allowing horizontal and vertical positions. I literally just use duct tape to attach the projector to the stand.

There are a number of ways to use projectors in a shoot. You can aim it behind the model, you can aim it onto both the model and background or you can position it in a manner that it falls on the subject but not the background. Once you determine where you will aim your projector and you begin calculating your exposure, make sure to keep track of what the ambient light in the room is doing. Below, you can see how the tungsten light in the next room affected the ambient exposure.

By NICK FANCHER

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Choosing the Best Ultra Short Throw Projector

To be able to get the most out of your ultra short throw projector, make sure that you buy from a trusted brand known to produce exceptionally great imagery.

In addition, the projector should have high-quality, vivid images and would not get distorted or become blurry when an image is further enlarged.

Here are some of the factors that will make an ultra short throw projector the best in the lot:

• Screen resolution: It should be able to produce images of at least Full HD or 4K quality.
• Lumens: Choose a high lumens rating of 2,500 an upwards so that you can use it in ambient lighting condition without sacrificing image quality.
• Portability: Find one that you can easily carry it with you during business trips or destination presentations.
• Lens shift: These are lenses that can be moved to change the angles of the projector.
• Lamp life: Look for a projector whose lamp will last at least 10,000 hours, and more with an ec-mode feature.

By James

See Full Story at www.tgdaily.com

A Cinema in your Very Own Home

With the myriad of TV options from Netflix to cable to Blu-ray, more people are opting to stay home than go to the movies these days. The concept of home theatre cinema is now more prevalent than ever. For cinephiles looking to take the home cinema experience to the next level, factors from the acoustics, the physical space and seats, down to lighting make a huge difference.

Key to the home theatre experience is the quality and size of the viewing screen. The question begs – which is the best option for your home, TV or a home projector, and what are the factors to consider? 

Which is Best – TV or Home Projector?

To get the maximum out of the huge variety of available programming, there are fundamentally two hardware choices – A flat-screen TV or projector.  Both options offer screen sizes that dwarf the typical flickering 27-inch CRT sets of the early TV age. A huge screen, accompanied by a sophisticated stereo sound system, fully justifies the name of “home theatre.”

Key factors that will influence the choice include image quality, flexibility, ease of set-up and maintenance, and of course the total cost of ownership.

The first consideration will be size. Of course, this will be mainly determined by the available space in the user’s home, but it’s likely that you’ll be going for the largest set-up the room will allow. This means taking into account your room configuration. You will need to consider the throw distance, and the projector features that will give you placement flexibility. You’ll also want to see how your set-up can make the optimum use of otherwise dead space in your room.

Let’s now consider the overall visual impression you’re seeking.

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Epson is well known not only for printers, but also for their collection of projectors as well. Their latest effort? The ultra-bright Home Cinema 1450 3LCD projector, which is a Full HD projector that touts to deliver versatile and bright performance when it comes to immersive sports games, streaming as well as video games with family and friends.

The Home Cinema 1450 projector, being an ultra-bright 3LCD projector that is able to offer immersive, Full HD 1080p entertainment, is touted to deliver up to 3x higher color brightness compared to other comparable models in the same market segment — in addition to 4,200 lumens of color brightness as well as 4,200 lumens of white brightness. In other words, you will be able to enjoy immersive, vivid images even in well-lit rooms.

“Bright Epson Home Cinema projectors take relaxing at home with friends to the next level – from watching life-size athletes take on rivals to playing the latest console game,” said Rodrigo Catalan, senior product manager, Projectors, Epson America. “The Home Cinema 1450 delivers an ultra-brilliant image, even in the living room with the lights on. Just plug the Home Cinema 1450 into a streaming or gaming device to transform it into a massive, vivid display for hours of entertainment.”

With your eyeballs being able to enjoy 1080p widescreen performance, offering simultaneous, side-by-side image display from different sources that make for fun and easy content sharing. Apart from that, it also comes with a host of connectivity options, so that viewers are able to enjoy the latest in entertainment together alongside bright, immersive images regardless of any room that you are in.

With the Home Cinema 1450 projector, you will be able to enjoy easy-to-use setup tools alongside a built-in 16 W speaker that ought to work fine by itself without having to have hook it up to a home theater system or speakers. Expect the Home Cinema 1450 to arrive with a recommended retail price of $1,499.

by Edwin

See full story at www.coolest-gadgets.com