Daylight Outdoor Projectors: Choosing the Best Projector

Ever found yourself pondering what makes a projector good for use outside during the day? Not just when it’s nice and overcast, but rather when the sun’s out in full force. We have the answers you’ve been seeking for so long and are ready to reveal the secret to enjoying your favorite movies and series in the daytime.  

There’s this persistent myth that projectors are only good in dark home cinema rooms or at night when camping under the stars. That’s not entirely true. Sure, dark environments are better, but there’s no reason to deprive yourself of enjoyment during the day with your projector. The key is illumination power and viewing conditions! Let’s dive into it.

The key factor in choosing a projector for daytime use is projector brightness, measured in lumens. As a general rule, the more lumens your projector has, the brighter the projected image will be.

Lumens measure visible light for a light source. Total light is measured in lux. A sunny day drenches us in almost 100,000 lux. So, we can’t seriously claim that projectors can outdo the sun. Depending on your projection size, to outdo natural sunlight you will need hundreds of thousands of lumens. Such projectors simply do not exist.

Now, an average bright day measures roughly 6000-10,000 lumens as perceived by humans, and that’s a tough number to match for most entertainment-focused projectors. But not impossible, thanks to the relativity of viewing conditions. 

To project during full daylight outside you need more lumens, and we mean a lot more. Sure, professional projectors deliver up to 10,000 lumens, but they’re hardly portable or affordable since they are primarily designed for large venues like expos and conventions, not family movie sessions.

What you need is a capable projector that you’ll be able to easily carry and set up nearly anywhere, but one that has good parity with a bright day. So, the 2600 lumens that GP520 4K outdoor projector delivers can be a good starting point for locations with plenty of shade. With this home cinema model that performs perfectly as an outdoor projector, you’ll enjoy movie sessions outside as long as you have a spot in the shade to project onto. 

For better results, choose darker days when illumination from the sun is limited. On such days, depending on your local conditions, you can even consider using a portable projector. The very minimum you will need is 500 lumens, which is what good portable projectors as GV50 offer. 

Time matters too. If you think 11am-2pm timeframe is great for movies, you’ll need more illumination or settle for not getting the full picture. We recommend later hours when solar power begins to diminish. If you can’t do nighttime, better the hours before sunset, or early morning. 

Locations with more shade to block direct sunlight are great. If you insist on setting up in the middle of a huge park, your experience won’t be as good as in the middle of a wooded section where trees help redirect much of the sunlight, or a partly covered spot in your garden that can help creating a shade place for your screen projection. With the GV50 you can even experience an outdoor projector viewing onto the ceiling, if that’s the only partly covered spot you can find. With its 360º angle rotation and tilt capacities, you can project a screen up to 120”. 

Importantly, choose your screen carefully. Slightly off-white screens that aren’t glossy offer the best experience, though an overly matte screen will diffuse light too much and compromise image clarity. Avoid dark-colored screens, as those “soak up” light. The most popular options for outdoor viewing are inflatable screens, which often feature just the right combination of screen color and texture.  

As an alternative, you can use a sheet, as long as well stretched to help you get a solid image. The best part: you don’t have to mind with the color of the sheet, nor even to place it perfectly aligned. Thanks to GP520’s Auto Cinema Mode feature, the projector automatically adjusts the image in 3 steps: wall color correction, ambient light adaptation and distance-based adjustment, ensuring a great picture quality, tailored to ambient conditions.