Renting Projectors

Tuesday, November 1, 2005
Posted by Brawlin Melgar

When Renting a Projector, you need to take into account the primary use of the projector, full motion video vs. static data. You also need to match the brightness of the projector to your audience and room size.

Larger rooms and audiences require higher bulb strength brightness. (Projector bulb strength brightness is measured in ANSI lumens or lumens).

Projectors range from around 1000 to 5000 lumens in brightness. The higher the lumen the brighter the projector.
  • Less than 1000 lumens  -good for low ambient light, presentations.
  • 1000 -2000 lumens -These are the most popular units being sold and rented today. Very practical and will work with some ambient light.
  • 3000 lumens -Much Larger unit than the1000 to 2000 lumen units. Good for audiences of less than a hundred with ambient light.
  • 5000 lumens  - For audiences of 100 or more under brighter lights
  • 6000+ lumens - For large events like conventions, conferences and tradeshows where thousands of people need to view a presentation at the same time.

As a general rule, as you increase bulb strength brightness, you reduce portability. High lumen projectors are larger and weigh more than low lumen projectors. 

LCD Projectors vs DLP Projectors
LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display and DLP stands for Digital Light Processing.

LCD also delivers a somewhat sharper image than DLP at any given resolution.

LCD projectors work better for static Microsoft PowerPointŪ presentations or detailed financial spreadsheets. DLP works better for full motion video.

LCD projectors usually produce significantly higher ANSI lumen outputs than do DLP projectors with the same wattage lamp.

DLP-based projectors generally produce a much smoother looking image compared to LCD-based projectors of similar resolution.


DLP projectors tend to be more compact because they have fewer components.

All of the current 2.5 pound portable projectors on the market are DLP projectors. Most LCD projectors are five pounds and up. The higher lumen models are significantly heavier and larger. High lumen projectors are not considered portable.