Finding the best projector for a church is a unique challenge. Churches and places of worship are truly spectacular buildings, whatever the size. But they come in an array of unusual shapes and sizes which aren’t always projector-friendly.
We know that those responsible for maintaining these beautiful properties can find it tricky to find the best projector for their church because no two churches are alike, and many churches were not designed with modern technology in mind. Even so, churches remain at the heart of so many communities up and down the UK, and with our advice you can pick the best projector to present to you congregation.
Churches require bright projectors
Traditional churches are, by design, vast structures often cloaked in lower levels of light and stained-glass windows often present poor ambient light levels. Unbeknownst to their builders, this can play into your hands when looking to install a projector, which work better in low light.
Most churches are built on such a scale that it is still beneficial to install a projector with high brightness. We advise choosing a projector of 4,000 Lumens brightness and above so light can cross the area from your projector to the screen. You may have elderly worshippers, so good visibility is key.
High brightness projectors become increasingly important for churches with high light levels. If you require the lights to be switched on and cannot close the curtains, a projector will have to compete with the light levels already present in the room. This will mean you’ll need your projector to work that bit harder.
Finally, to avoid your audience needing to strain their eyes to see what’s on the screen, A projector with a high lumen level is the key to overcoming this issue. Especially, if you hold a paperless service, your congregants may need to read the screen to join in with hymn singing.
Flexible installation is essential
Depending on how modern your church or place of worship is, installing a projector system can be relatively simple, or best with seemingly insurmountable challenges. Churches were designed to accommodate large numbers of people, yet when they were designed and built, sometimes hundreds of years ago, the architects couldn’t have imagined the challenges of installing a projector. However, there are always workarounds.
Horizontal and vertical lens shift is essential, with these features you can move the projector within its housing, without having to move the actual machine around the room, or resort to keystone correction, which can unfortunately degrade the projected image by digitally manipulating the shape.
Lens shift earns its keep when a projector is off-centre. Typically, it’s ideal to place your projector in direct line of sight of your screen. If you can’t do that or you install it slightly higher, lower or off to the side, then lens shift will give you more flexibility to line things up.
Throw distance should also be considered during installation. Without a large amount of space for projector installation, meaning you must place it close to the projected image, a short throw projector will mitigate.
Short throw projectors can create a larger image from a short distance. In contrast, if the best place for your projector is near the back aisle, a model that can utilise long throw or interchangeable lenses will present a clear image at the right size, no matter how far away it is from the projector screen.
Laser projectors offer greater longevity
For those that work in a church, you’ll be aware that longevity is vital. This is especially the case when installing at height, as it makes changing a lamp a big job. That’s why a laser projector installation could be the ideal upgrade for your church or place of worship. Lamp-based projectors are flexible and offer some longevity, however they will always require more maintenance than their laser counterparts
Less maintenance saves precious pennies and reduces disruption. On top of this, a laser device will also give you a sharper and more colourful image due to the precision with which the light beam can be controlled. This is important, as it ensures any text and imagery you wish to display will be easy to read, crisp and clear for visually impaired audience members.
So, which device to pick? Here’s our roundup of the best projectors for churches in 2022.
Round 1: The best large main screen projectors for church halls
Category | Projector |
Best value projector for large church halls | Epson EB-2250U |
Best performance projector for large church halls | Epson EB-L630U |
Best flexibility and features for a projector for large church halls | Epson EB-PU1007W |
First, we look at the projectors best suited to the larger churches or main worship halls. The aforementioned criteria will play a significant role in helping you determine which of these models best suit your requirements.
Best value projector for large church halls
Epson EB-2250U
Price: £875 (Excl. VAT)
- Lamp light source
- High brightness – 5,000 ANSI Lumens
- 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) resolution
- 10,000 hours’ lamp life in eco mode
- 16:10 contraest ratio
- Five-year return-to-base warranty
Ideal due to sheer affordability and high brightness, the Epson EB-2250U is a great option. It offers VGA or HDMI as an input, but there’s also the option to set up RJ45 for remote monitoring to USB and the option of a wireless LAN module, which allows for more flexible use.
It’s a solid choice for large venues working with a lower budget with the brightness and installation flexibility you need in a large space.
Best performance projector for large church halls
Epson EB-L630U
Price: £2,252.00 (Excl. VAT)
- High brightness – 6,200 ANSI Lumens
- Laser light source – up to 20,000 hours of use
- 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) resolution
- 3 years return to base warranty
For large venues looking for a model that ramps up the performance, the Epson EB-L630U projector offers a bright 6,200 ANSI Lumens, native widescreen WUXGA resolution (1920 x 1200 pixels, 16:10 aspect ratio), LCD display for colour accurate images and a laser light source for up to 20,000 hours of use.
Lens shift makes for easy setup so you can align the image without moving the entire box around; handy if you’re working in a more challenging space.
Connectivity here is also great, with the usual HDMI as well as HDBaseT for really high definition content.
A special offer on the EB-L630U from ProjectorPoint.
- 3 year return to base manufacturer warranty.
- Whilst stocks last purchase the EB-L630U and you have the option to purchase an Epson Coverplus 5 year return to base warranty for £50+VAT (Normally £300).
- End user registration required directly with Epson to activate warranty upgrade.
- Optional Epson Coverplus 5 year On Site Swap Service Projector Warranty also available for only £99+VAT. Please contact us for further details should you wish to purchase this with the EB-L630U.
Interested? Order now or speak to our sales team for more information.
Best flexibility and features for a projector for large church halls
Epson EB-PU1007W
Price: £3,958 (Excl. VAT)
- High brightness – 7,000 ANSI Lumens
- Laser light source
- 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) resolution
- 20,000 hours’ lamp life
This versatile laser projector suits churches with a higher budget. The EB-PU1007W delivers bright true to life images, thanks to the 7,000 Lumens display which offers clear whites, deep blacks, vivid details, defined shadows and high contrast imagery. As a laser light source projector, the EB-PU1007W offers great longevity and the model has a range of lenses to help with adjusting for short or long throw, including a zero-offset ultra-short-throw lens.
As standard the Epson EB-PU1007W ships with a 3-year return to base manufacturer warranty. Whilst stocks last, purchase the EB-PU1007W and we will upgrade the warranty free of charge to an Epson Coverplus 5-year return to base warranty (worth £675). You will not find this offer anywhere else online. (End user registration required directly with Epson to activate warranty upgrade).
Round 2: Projectors for church aisles and smaller screens
Category | Projector |
Best value projector for small churches | BenQ SH753+ |
Best value laser projector for small churches | Optoma ZH403 |
Best performance projector for small churches | Epson EB-L530U |
For churches or places of worship with more limited space, here is a list of alternative models that will fit with a smaller space.
Best value projector for small churches
BenQ SH753+
Price: £822 (Excl. VAT)
- DLP display technology
- 5,000 ANSI Lumens
- 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution
For small venues on a modest budget, the SH753+ from BenQ is a more accessible projector offering images at Full HD resolution.
It still gives you all the brightness you need, even if there is some ambient light, as well as great connectivity options, including wireless.
Best value laser projector for small churches
Optoma ZH403
Price: £837 (Excl. VAT)
- Laser light source
- 4,000 ANSI Lumens
- 300,000:1 contrast ratio
- 1920 x 1080 (Full HD resolution)
- Five years/12,000 hours’ lamp life
The big draw for the ZH403 from Optoma is the massive jump up in must-have features that it offers for a marginal price increase.
Using a laser light source, it has in-built longevity. You’ve still got your Full HD resolution and a good level of brightness to overcome high levels of ambient light in a smaller venue. A good all-rounder if you ask us.
Best performance projector for small churches
Epson EB-L530U
Price: £1,744 (Excl. VAT)
- Laser light source
- 5,200 ANSI Lumens
- 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) resolution
- 20,000 hours of use
- Three-year return to base warranty
Although more expensive than the previous two models, the Epson EB-L530U has multiple advantages if your church has the budget.
High contrast ratio, high brightness and WUXGA resolution take this projector up a notch or two against its competitors. High contrast gives images greater clarity and lens shift capabilities allow for a range of installation options. The icing on the cake is the wide range of ports for flexibility when it comes to connectivity.
Investing in a new projector system for your church
At ProjectorPoint we understand that your church or place of worship is at the centre of the community for you and many others just like you.
Making that much-needed projector upgrade can be a major decision due to the costs involved. If you wish to seek advice to help find the projector best-suited to your church, please get in touch with ProjectorPoint today.
Give our friendly staff a call on 0800 073 0833 or fill in this online contact form. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us today, and we’ll be happy to discuss the options to find a device that works for your church.