It all started with a light bulb, then watts and lumens. While we don’t use watts to measure light sources anymore, it is still just as important. Lumens is the generic term, and ANSI lumens sit on the bases of lumens.
Both Lumens and Ansi Lumens are important measurements in the lighting world. Lumens (SI) are a unit of measurement used to describe the amount of visible light emitted by a lamp or other source.
Whereas, ANSI lumens are the measurement used to determine brightness. It is based on the amount of light emitted by a device and is often used for projectors.
Consider these two scenarios: when purchasing a light bulb or lamp, we usually look at the number of lumens they produce so, to understand how much light we are getting from that bulb.
With ANSI lumens, we look at the brightness of the video output of projectors alone.
Why Is Lumens Important?
How can you use lumens in your day-to-day life is the better question.
Above, we learn lumens measure the brightness of the light output in a particular source. Light bulbs, lamps, canless recessed fixtures, and even projector headlights deal with SI lumens.
SI Lumens and color temperatures (measured in Kelvin) go hand in hand as it measures the color. A bulb with low lumens will have a dimmer light compared to a bulb that has a higher lumen. For instance, a LED bulb with 450 lm will produce a duller light than something with 1100 lumens.
For me, lumens are important because it helps when choosing bulbs for certain rooms in my home.
If you refer to the designer’s rules when calculating the number of lumens, you’ll need for a bedroom. It says that you need 10-20 lumens per square foot. Therefore, if your bedroom is 16 by 14 feet with an 8 ft ceiling, then you’ll need approx 2,381 lumens. That’s 3 A19 bulbs at 800 lm.
Another reason you’ll need to know the term lumens is when transitioning from traditional to LED bulbs.
To get the same level of brightness from traditional bulbs, you’ll need to understand the LED Watt equivalent table. For example, to produce 250lm of light, an incandescent bulb uses 25W and LEDs use only 2-3W.
You can find more information on LED Watt equivalent in this post.
How To Use Ansi Lumens When Buying Projectors?
Most projectors have a number on them that tells how bright they are. This number is called the ANSI lumen.
It’s more accurate than other ways of measuring brightness because it is the standardized procedure designed by the American National Standards Institute. Therefore, you can compare a projector easily and find the best one for your needs.
How does a consumer use ANSI to purchase a projector? When buying projectors, you’ll need to pay attention to the ASI lumen count of the projector.
There are three different projectors, the ones that use light from LEDs, lasers, and lamps. They’re all different, but one thing is the same: they deal with ASI lumens. Besides this, ambient and screen size plays a key role in determining how many ASI lumens you will need.
Ambient lighting deal with whatever light is in the room before the project is used. Where there is a lot of light, a projector with a higher brightness is needed.
Compared to the low lighting room, which needs a device with lower brightness and a higher contrast ratio. In terms of size, a large screen requires a projector that has a higher brightness.
There are other factors to consider when choosing a project. But as far as ASI lumen goes, the information above will suffice.
The Main Difference Between Lumens And ASI Lumens
Lumens are important because it measures the brightness of a light source. ASI deals with lumens hence, the word “lumens” is in the unit name.
However, ASI is the accurate measurement of the light brightness of a projector. Thus, if you are in the market for such a device, you will consider the ASI lumens. If looking for a bulb or lamp SI lumens are the measurement you’ll need.
Lumens vs. Watts
Lumens and watts are two different measures of light output. Similarly, lumens measure how much light is produced by a light source, while watts measure the amount of electrical power drawn by a device to operate.
Put simply, lumens measure luminous flux (how bright something looks), while watts measure power input (how much energy it takes).
If you’re replacing a traditional fixture with LED, it’s easy to look up the lumens required for those applications.
For example, if you’re replacing a 40-watt incandescent bulb with a LED bulb that has an equivalent wattage of 3–6 watts and 590 lumens, you are still getting the same amount of brightness just at lower energy consumption.
Conclusion
Lumens measure the brightness produced by every light source, whereas ASI lumens specifically measure projector brightness. Let’s not forget wattage, which calculates how much energy it uses. Hopefully, this post helps you understand the difference between the three units.
