How To Convert ANSI Lumen To LED Lumen And Light Source Lumen?

We use cookies and similar technologies to process personal information for the operation of our website, statistical analysis, and providing targeted advertising. We share information about your use of the site with our advertising partners who may further share it with additional parties. You may opt out of performance cookies here, and learn more about how we use cookies here”  I understand Cookie Setting Find More

MA Series Monitor - Up to 13% Off All December Plus A Lucky Draw 🍏

Learn more

MA Series Monitor - Up to 13% Off All December Plus A Lucky Draw 🍏

Learn more

ScreenBar Halo 2 – Comfortable, Focused Lighting for Work

Learn more

ScreenBar Halo 2 – Comfortable, Focused Lighting for Work

Learn more

TK705STi: Big Screen, Small Space, Your 100” 4K Cinema

Learn more

TK705STi: Big Screen, Small Space, Your 100” 4K Cinema

Learn more

The No.1 🏆 selling projector - GV50P

Learn more

The No.1 🏆 selling projector - GV50P

Learn more

In this article Table of Contents

• Table of Contents
• Not All Lumens Are the Same: ANSI Lumens vs. LED Lumens vs. Light Source Lumens
• How to Convert Different Units Back to ANSI Lumens
• ANSI Brightness: The Gold Standard for Measuring Brightness

ANSI Lumens vs Lumens : How to Convert Brightness

• 2024-02-16

In this article Table of Contents

• Table of Contents
• Not All Lumens Are the Same: ANSI Lumens vs. LED Lumens vs. Light Source Lumens
• How to Convert Different Units Back to ANSI Lumens
• ANSI Brightness: The Gold Standard for Measuring Brightness

Brightness Illuminance​

“Wait…this projector says its brightness is 1,200 lumens, while that smaller projector says its brightness is 3,000 lumens, and is also cheaper? That doesn’t seem right, what information am I missing?”

Customers purchasing their first projector generally seek to acquire the brightest projector within their spending range. However, there is an inconsistency within the market on how brightness is measured, so how do we make sense of the various brightness specifications? This issue is a result of the fact that some brands on the market choose not to use the internationally recognized brightness standard adopted by the majority of brands, ANSI brightness, but instead advertise brightness specs in different ways. The most common are: ANSI brightness, LED brightness, and light source brightness.

In this article, we’ll break down what each of these brightness terms really means, and why they can lead to such confusing comparisons.

Table of Contents

• Not All Lumens Are the Same: ANSI Lumens vs. LED Lumens vs. Light Source Lumens
• How to Convert Different Units Back to ANSI Lumens
• ANSI Brightness: The Gold Standard for Measuring Brightness

Not All Lumens Are the Same: ANSI Lumens vs. LED Lumens vs. Light Source Lumens

While each of these three methods uses the word "lumens" to describe a given level of brightness, each method measures and defines a "lumen" quite differently. The differences in their definitions cause their values to fluctuate wildly. This can lead to cases where a projector might list a brightness value of 1,000 ANSI lumens, while an equivalent competing model might list their lumens as 2,400 because it uses an LED light source. The question then is: if all of these types of brightness are measured in lumens, why are their values so drastically different?

Suffice it to say that the reason for this inconsistency is because each of the three types of measurement options measures different aspects of a projector’s brightness. For a quick summary of these differences, see the table below:

ANSI Lumens

LED Lumens

Light Source Lumens

Origins

Developed and defined by the internationally recognized association, American National Standards Institute (ANSI).  

Independently claimed by a small number of brands.

Internationally recognized standard.

Purpose

Represent the brightness observed of an image that is projected onto a screen.

Quantify the brightness sensed by the human eye.

Indicate the brightness observed directly from a light source.

Scope of Use

Internationally recognized standard suitable for all projectors.

Applicable only to certain LED projectors from a specified number of brands.

Normally used to indicate the brightness of the light source itself but used by some manufacturers of single-panel LCD. projectors to misrepresent the projector’s overall brightness.

Calculation Method

Average out the measured brightness of 9 distinct regions of a projection screen.

Its method of measurement is designed by the companies themselves, which allows them to claim their LED projectors are brighter to the human eye than traditional projectors. Such methods have not been certified by any international organizations.

Directly measure the light source’s brightness.

How to Convert Different Units Back to ANSI Lumens

1,000 LED lumens converts to 417 ANSI lumens (LED lumen value ÷ 2.4 = ANSI lumens; the conversion rate is based on the manufacture’s publicly disclosed numbers).

1,000 light source lumens converts to 60 ANSI lumens (Light source lumen value x 0.04 to 0.06; the exact conversion rate depends on the efficiency of the projector’s LCD panel for each manufacture).

A quick way to convert the values of one type of brightness to another can be seen below:

Convert LED Lumen to ANSI Lumen

LED Lumen

ANSI Lumen

120 →

50

300 →

120

480 →

200

1200 →

500

2400 →

1000

2880 →

1200

Convert Light Source Lumen to ANSI Lumen

Light Source Lumen

ANSI Lumen

830 →

50

2000 →

120

3300 →

200

8300 →

500

17000 →

1000

20000 →

1200

*In general, a portion of the brands that use LED brightness publicize an increase over ANSI brightness by a factor of 2.4 for LED brightness, but these numbers are speculations based on the most ideal lighting conditions (such as in a dark room).

*The light source brightness for a normal projector with the best optics and light conversion (the amount of light available after processing by the color wheel, mirrors, and lenses) at most is roughly 16 times the ANSI brightness.

Analyzing the tables, one might notice the only constant between them: ANSI brightness. The reason for this is because of how each brightness measure is defined.

ANSI Brightness: The Gold Standard for Measuring Brightness

Based on these definitions, the reason why ANSI brightness acts as the standard for measuring brightness (as shown in the tables above) becomes more apparent. ANSI brightness, as indicated in its name, is the only brightness measure which uses a standard, scientific methodology certified by an international body. This gives ANSI brightness measures a reliability that is not present in other brightness measures.

Other brightness measures may rely on arbitrary factors (as in how the HK effect is measured for LED brightness) or present an indirect brightness value (as in how light source brightness omits the negative effects a projector’s internal components has on its end brightness) to produce misleading/inflated numbers.

Tip

What is ANSI?

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system. Founded in 1918, the Institute works in close collaboration with stakeholders from industry and government to identify and develop standards, and conformance, based solutions to national and global priorities.

Curious about all the different brightness units—like ANSI Lumens, Nits, Lux, and Foot-Lamberts?

Learn more

The latest gaming projector discount and set-up tips

Subscribe today!

Brightness Illuminance​

Was this article helpful?

Yes No

Thanks for your feedback!

Related Articles

See all

07/05/2025 How to Set up a Backyard Movie Night with a Projector Brightness Resolution Built-in speaker Audio eARC 07/05/2025 Shining Bright and Beyond: Why Choose a BenQ 4K Projector HDR sRGB DCI-P3 Resolution 4K 23/04/2025 What’s the Best Viewing Distance for a Gaming Monitor? Viewing distance QHD Resolution Setup 17/04/2025 Best Monitors for PS5: 3 Essential Buying Tips for Gamers Game Console 120Hz Resolution Curved 13/04/2025 What Is A 4K Monitor? Do I Need IT? 4K Resolution Digital creations 07/04/2025 What to Look for in a Home Projector : Easy Buying Tips Setup Projection distance Resolution Installation Living room 26/02/2025 Best Monitors for AutoCAD: Specs Pros Check—Beyond 4K Resolution Color Accuracy Color management Digital creations Productivity See all Filter Clear All

• {{item}}

{{itemGroup.title}}

• {{itemTag.title}}

{{productsCount}}Result

{{displaySortType}}

• {{item.displaySortType}}

• {{item}}

• Save {{currency}}{{item.saveAmount| numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}} Save {{item.savePercent| numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}}%

  {{item.productWordingTag}}

  {{item.title}}

  • {{spec}}
  • {{point}}

  {{currency}}{{item.finalPrice| numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}} Save {{currency}}{{item.saveAmount | numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}} Save {{item.savePercent | numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}}%

  new device price{{currency}}{{item.regularPrice| numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}}

  Buy Now Pre-order Add to Cart Buy Now Notify Me Out of stock Discontinued Learn More Learn More

  Compare

Compare Products

• {{item.title}}

  {{currency+' '}}{{item.finalPrice | numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}}

  Save {{currency}}{{item.saveAmount | numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}}

  Save {{item.savePercent | numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}}%

  {{currency+' '}}{{item.regularPrice | numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}}

compare now

Clear All

Max 4 products to compare reached.