How many lumens are needed? (1 Viewer)

[Matthew Will]

Hello,
How many lumens would I need if it is for certain I have a completely pitch black room? I have a decent sound system in my basement waiting for a 100" tv but I dont have the money for any high cost equipment. Let me know. Thanks - Matt

P.S. - What do people think of the option of using an actual school projector with an LCD panel to project movies and games?

 

[Scott Falkler]

What do you mean by school projector? If it's a "data projector" it would work fine.

 

[Matthew Will]

I am talking about the projectors you put transparencies on. Sorry I do not know what they are called specifically. Matt

 

[Scott Falkler]

Ok, I know what you mean now...
I've never had experience with overhead projectors w/ LCD panels, sorry...

 

[Neil Joseph]

Well, this is a bit of a tough question. The short answer would be, you could get away with a fairly dim projector in a pitch black room of 300-350 a.l. Obviously when you introduce ambient light, things change dramatically. The projectors you speak of can work ok. If you have the inputs you need particularly component or even DVI for a HTPC setup then you are in business. What model are you looking to acquire?

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

It really depends on your tastes, along with:

1. Your screen size
2. Your screen gain
3. Your ambient lighting (non in your case)
4. Your screen format and projector format (4:3? 16:9? 2.35:1?)