Do projectors work in daylight?

[Goldfiinger]

Hi all, I'm due to remodel my home and have an issue with where to place our TV. The wall we want it on is conducive to having a TV there visually when the TV isn't on. So I'm thinking would it be possible to use a projector instead.

The problem is said wall is adjacent to 4m patio doors and will have daylight on it at all times.

So question is, do modern projectors still degrade in daylight or has this been overcome in recent years?

I'm assuming the answer will be a resounding no but wanted to check with the avforum as you guys always know best.

Thanks

 

[mb3195]

If you have no control over light then projectors are a waste of time really. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news

 

[Goldfiinger]

No that's good to know. We will have blinds but won't want to use them every time we have it on. So if it's non starter then it's best to know now.

Thanks for the reply, you've saved me wasting my time.

 

[Darko]

Projectors have come on leaps and bounds and i do find my projector (2000Lumens) does produce a fairly good image with light interference but it still looks washed out and dark films are a waste of time, I have my projector in my front room and have roman blinds up and they seem to do the job, that said on cloudy days i dont normally bother lowering the blinds.

Cheers Darko

 

[Barcoing Mad]

Without wishing to troll, it appears that my post was considered unhelpful, even though it pointed out that (1) a PJ in a non-light controlled room would be severely compromised, even with an ambient light rejecting screen. (2) Night time use is going to be possible. (3) Consider using curtains, blinds.

So I think I answered the question.

 

[Atmos]

You can use a Projector in the day but you have to spend thousands on one of those special reflective screens like Black Diamond.

Black Diamond | Projector Screens | Screen Innovations

 

[Talgo]

Short answer is no..
You can but it would be a frustrating experience.. the darks are only ever going to be as dark as the screen itself so a white screen in a light room is well white and the projector is throwing light at it the more light the lighter the blacks .. you see the problem .. your far better off with a big tv.. however in a dark room a projector is awesome.

 

[jimster99]

I say you can, but the image could be a bit washed out. But if you throw a smaller image with a powerful projector, you may be within the "acceptable" range.

 

[jimster99]

Hi,

To follow up, I have just tested this and my Optoma HD131xe is usable in day light when throwing a 2.5m wide image. However the image is significantly fainter than at night. It's still very watchable but it doesn't have quite the same wow factor. I attach a couple of screen shots below taken in the middle of a sunny afternoon. This is really a "worst case scenario" since the sun shines directly through the glass panes to the left of the projector screen! These are taken on an iphone, which for some reason doesn't really capture the reality of the image - in real life it looks fantastically sharp.

Note my projector has 2,500 claimed lumens (less in reality) which puts it, I believe, towards the upper end of the range for brightness for home use DLP projectors. It is running in eco mode and is about 3 years old (so it may be less bright than when it was new, although it only has 100 or so hours on the bulb). Also note that screen brightness varies with size. I am using a 2.5m wide screen. I would not want to go much bigger than this because it would lose too much brightness to be usable in daylight. But if you reduce size (say to a 1m wide image) I am certain you would get a very bright image, even in direct sunlight!

 

[ShanePJ]

The price you need to pay to get a projector to work in a room without any light control is massive. High Reflexive Screen and a high ANSI lumen's projector (3 Chip DLP ideally) would be king. Then ensure that the projector is pointing in the opposite direction to the any light coming into the room to stop sunbeam saturation the projectors light output.

From that point, you would still be fighting with the light, A 75" or even bigger would be more cost effective option. It would not have the natural feel of a projector, but the experience would still be enjoyable.

So, If you've got money to throw away, then yes it's do-able to a fashion, if not, no!

Regards, Shane.