Place Of Worship Projector Advice

Looking to add a new projector to your place of worship? We can help!

If your congregation has 100 or more people, it’s essential to have a projector that can display bright, clear images without causing eye strain. Our guide offers recommendations for the best projectors for places of worship. But before we get into that, let’s go over the essential factors to consider when choosing a projector for your place of worship.

When it comes to installing your projector, ease and flexibility are key. Our projectors are designed with this in mind, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free installation process for your place of worship.

Places of worship are often dimly lit, making it difficult for congregants to see. This can present an excellent opportunity to install a projector that works well in low-light environments.

To ensure that everyone in your congregation has the best possible viewing experience, it is highly recommended that you select a projector with a brightness of at least 6,000 Lumens (ideal for small spaces with minimal ambient lighting being). This will significantly improve visibility, particularly for elderly worshippers who may have difficulty seeing in dim lighting.

If your place of worship has high ambient light levels, you will need a high-brightness projector that can compete with the existing light levels. This is where a projector with a brightness of 7,000 Lumens or above comes into play.

In addition, a projector with a high lumen level is essential for congregants to read what is on the screen easily, particularly during paperless services where they may need to follow along with hymns. By choosing a projector with a brightness of 6,000 Lumens or above, you can be confident that your congregants will have an enjoyable and engaging experience.

When choosing a projector for your place of worship, consider the following points.

Screen Size

This is probably the most important place to start, knowing the layout and viewing distance is important so you can ensure that your congregation are able to see the display properly. Please call us with the dimensions of your church layout, and we’ll check the screen size most appropriate for you.

For more information on screen size, take a look at our detailed guide “What’s the best projector screen size?“

Brightness

Brightness is an important consideration in selecting the right projector for your place of worship. Some places of worship tend to be very bright environments, without the ability to control or dim the light entering the room. It is therefore recommended that you choose a bright projector that will be able to cope with this. Alternatively if mounting a projector and a screen is difficult then a mobile large format display may be more suited to your environment.

Projector brightness is measured in ANSI lumens. Projectors suitable for places of worship are typically rated from 6000 lumens to 30000 lumens.

If you have very low ambient light and can control the light entering the church, you can save money buying a projector with a lower ANSI lumens rating. As a guide, 6000 lumens is generally the most popular brightness as a starting point for churches.

If you can’t control the ambient lighting in the church and can’t do anything about it, you could opt for high brightness, high contrast projector. In really bright conditions, though, we would recommend you opt for a projector over 10,000 lumens.

Contrast Ratio

Contrast isn’t a major factor when deciding what projector you need for your church. It is measured as a ‘contrast ratio’, e.g. 400:1. This tells you the difference in brightness between a ‘fully on’ pixel and a ‘fully off’ pixel. For instance, on a projector with a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and (for simplicity’s sake) a 1000 lumen brightness rating, ‘fully off’ pixels would actually be 1 lumen in brightness.

(Incidentally, you may be wondering why a ‘fully off’ pixel has any brightness at all. Unfortunately, there is some ‘leaking’ of light with all projectors which means black is not actually pitch black, which is why we keep putting quotation marks around ‘fully off’!).

What does Contrast ratio mean to you?

The higher the contrast on a projector increases the better the perception of depth in the image and means subtle colour variations show up more clearly. Hence subtle textures are more visible. It also means that dark scenes don’t look washed out.

Looking for a projector with a high contrast ratio wouldn’t be too important if you are running song sheets through a computer, although it could be a deciding factor if you are looking to run ‘film nights’ from time to time.

Keystone correction and lens shift

Nearly all of the projectors at Projector Point have a vertical keystone facility. (‘Keystoning’ is the name given to the effect on the projected image when the projector sits below or above the centre of the screen. Keystone correction counteracts this effect by digitally compressing the image at the bottom or top, resulting in a more rectangular image.). Some projectors feature vertical and horizontal keystone (known as 2D) some even have the ability to just adjust one or more of the corners to the image (known as 3D or cornerfit). Look out for these types of keystone correction in the spec.

With digital keystone correction, there is always a reduction in the quality of the image, where possible we would always avoid using keystone correction or keeping it to an absolute minimum. To completely avoid any reduction in the quality you are better off looking for a projector with a lens shift feature. Lens shift allows you to move the optics of the projector so the image moves up or down. As it’s an optical adjustment rather than a digital adjustment there is no loss in quality unless you use the lens shift correction at its extremities.

Optional Interchangeable Lenses

One important feature to consider when selecting a projector for your church is the availability of optional interchangeable lenses. These lenses allow you to customise the projector’s throw distance and image size to fit your specific venue, whether in a small chapel or an ample sanctuary.

For example, a short-throw lens might be ideal for projecting large images in a confined space without requiring a long distance between the projector and the screen. On the other hand, a long-throw lens would be suitable for larger auditoriums where the projector needs to be placed far from the screen.

Choosing a projector with interchangeable lenses ensures that your equipment can adapt to different settings and needs, providing maximum flexibility for various worship services.

Mounting Options

There are many options available to you and your place of worship. Places of worship tend to have very high ceilings so there are several ways to complete your installation. Our ceiling mounts can be made to order, catering for most drops. If it’s not convenient to ceiling mount the projector there are a range of wall mounts available or special mounts that can connect to girders or rigging.

If you are unable to mount the projector in front of the screen, another option would be rear projection. Our sales staff have extensive knowledge in getting the right solution for you.

Laser projectors offer greater longevity.

If you work in a place of worship, you understand the importance of durable, long-lasting equipment. This is particularly crucial for projectors mounted at a height, where changing a lamp can be challenging and time-consuming. With recent sustainability concerns and new laws regulating projector lamps, now is the perfect time to consider upgrading to a laser projector.

While lamp-based projectors offer flexibility and a reasonable lifespan, they require more frequent maintenance than their laser counterparts. The environmental impact of replacing lamps, which often contain hazardous materials, is becoming an increasingly significant issue. New regulations aimed at reducing the use of these materials are making it more difficult and costly to maintain lamp-based projectors.

Switching to a laser projector aligns with these new sustainability standards and offers several practical benefits. You’ll save on maintenance costs and reduce disruptions caused by frequent lamp replacements. Additionally, laser projectors deliver sharper, more vibrant images thanks to the precise control of the light beam. This enhanced image quality is particularly important for displaying text and imagery that must be clear and easy to read, especially for visually impaired members of your congregation.

Popular Projectors For Places of Worship

Regarding projectors for places of worship, several brands stand out for their reliability, image quality, and versatility. Here are a few popular options:

• Epson: Epson projectors are known for their high brightness and excellent colour accuracy, making them ideal for large worship spaces.
• Panasonic: Panasonic offers robust projectors with advanced features like wireless connectivity and long lamp life, perfect for churches looking for durable, easy-to-use equipment.
• Optoma: Optoma projectors are praised for their affordability and performance, offering an outstanding balance between cost and quality for budget-conscious congregations.

If you’re wondering which projector is best for your place of worship, check out our bestselling projectors for Places of Worship.