How Bright is Bright Enough for House of Worship Projection Systems?

Choosing a projector for houses of worship starts with two key factors, both focus on projector lumen output or brightness: (1) size of the space (eg. 100 person or 250+ person sanctuary) and (2) amount of ambient light present in the space during projector use.

Most sanctuaries or worship gathering spaces will not be totally dark during a service. So unlike a home theater room or even a conference room, digital projectors for churches need to have some serious lumen output to overcome the daylight or partially dimmed electric light for clear, easy to read images.

The room size and distance between the projector and the screen is also an important factor. The bigger the room and the further the projector from the screen, means a greater need for high brightness.

Rules of Thumb

Spaces designed for 100 to 200 people with some ambient light control.

Look for 5000 lumen output projectors. At this light output level, most will produce clear, easily visible images and still allow some ambient light in the space.

Sample list of some popular 5000 lumen projectors: 

• Optoma EH501 (Original Philips UHP Lamp)
• Hitachi CP-X5022WN (Original UHB Lamp)
• Epson PowerLite 1985WU (Original Epson E-TORL Lamp)
• Epson PowerLite 1960 (Original Epson E-TORL Lamp)
• NEC P502HL
• Sony VPL-VW5000ES
• Panasonic PT-VW530U (Original Panasonic UHM Lamp)
• Canon REALiS WUX500 

Spaces designed for 200 or more people or for spaces with substantial ambient light.

Look for 6000 lumen output or higher projectors. If there is considerable ambient light in a large space, higher brightness levels will be required.

Sample list of some popular 6000+ lumen projectors: 

• Panasonic PT-RZ670BU
• Panasonic PT-D5700 (Original Panasonic UHM Lamp)
• NEC PA622U-13ZL
• Sanyo PLC-XP200L (Original Osram P-VIP Lamp)
• Sony VPL-FHZ700LW
• Optoma X600 (Original Philips UHP Lamp)
• Canon REALiS WUX6000 (Original Ushio NSH Lamp)
• Epson PowerLite Pro G6900WU (Original Epson E-TORL Lamp)

Brightness is not the only specification to consider when researching a house of worship projection system, but it is probably the most important to ensure ease of viewing and clarity of image for the congregation.