Shouldn't a 1400 lumen projector be able to display a good image with the room lights on?

Question

I have a Dell 1100mp and it displays a very dim image that I can only see when the lights are off, I thought 1400 Lumens was Bright.

Answer 1

not really no i have a benq with 2200 lumens and is viewable with some intermediate light but all projectors work best with as little light as possible but all projectors should work perfect with no light if the picture is dim with no light then there is a problem maybe the options settings need changing or if its an lcd projector its been scortched and the picture will have turned a yellow coulor.

Answer 2

First of all, few projectors deliver rated lumens when calibrated for colour accuracy.  Read some reviews at the link to see how ratings and reality differ (and this difference is unpredictable).

Second, NO projector (or TV) will give an optimum image with the lights on. Contrast ratio is degraded and the image will always look at least somewhat washed out. Special screens can help.

Third, effective brightness varies with the distance and size of screen, so a projector that gives a good brightness level  on a small screen may be too dull on a larger screen.

Answer 3

The Dell 1100mp projector is rated at 1400 for static slides, not for video or DVD processing.  The lowest bulb setting is a mere 285 lumens even under a total dark setting due to the processing of the image via the 2X speed color wheel.  And if you subject the projector to gaming videos the images are really quite dark.  In the future, should you decide to purchase another front projector, check out the reviewer's ratings [not the manufacturer's ratings] in order to find out the true lumen output of the projector.  The minimal basic lumen rating for video games and movies is around 350.

Good luck!