Best Projectors for Daylight Viewing and Buying Guide

Hot summer nights are fantastic for outdoor backyard movie viewing for adults and kids of all ages for that reason you will want to make sure you have one of the best projectors for daylight viewing.  During the summer the sun doesn’t set until 9:00 PM or later in some places depending on where you live. You will have to take into account the length of the movie in case you have really young ones that have an earlier bedtime or people visiting that will not be able to hang around too late.  For these reasons you will probably want to begin the outdoor movie prior to the sun setting.  

Starting a movie with the sun still shining can pose some viewing challenges, thus you will need to take that extra sunlight into consideration.  There are techniques to beginning your daylight viewing of the movie.  The number one  thing you will need to start watching your movie with some lingering daylight will be  a projector with a higher number of lumens.  

The higher the lumens, the better, but your projector should have a minimum of  at least 2500 lumens. The  list below has been carefully crafted to provide you the help in selecting the best projectors for daylight viewing.  Take your time and make the final decision that best fits your needs.

Best Projectors For Daylight Viewing to Buy

1. YABER Y31 Native 1920x 1080P Projector 8500L Full HD Video Projector

projector for daylight viewing

The YABER Y31 Native 1920×1080P Projector is designed to be easy to operate. It features an innovative 4D+50° keystone correction which makes it simple to project and align images from different locations. The high resolution of this projector is paired with a remarkable 8500L output which allows it to deliver bright and detailed images and videos.

This projector also comes with its inbuilt HiFi stereo sound systemthat allows audible sounds without connecting speakers. The advanced cooling system alongside an intelligent temperature control helps to keep the temperature of the unit at an optimal level. The Y31 projector offers several connectivity options including 2 HDMI ports, USB, VGA, and AV ports

Pros
  • Portability Projector
  • Easy to set up and control
  • Sharp and clear images
Cons
  • It may not work very great in small rooms

2. ARTSEA 5G WiFi Projector for iPhone, Native 1080P Projector 9500L Full HD Projector Outdoor Video Projector

best daylight projector

The Artsea 5G WIFI projector offers a lag-free streaming watching experience thanks to ultra-fast 5G technology. The Wifi projector enables wireless screen sharing functions thereby, making it possible to stream from iOS/Android devices or Windows Systems or to play games online as the case may be. And even when there is no Wi-Fi available, the projector can be connected to your iPhone with an original USB cable. T

This projector is a Full ultra HDprojector with high resolution and an advanced all-digital display which allows it to deliver superior quality video. The HiFi stereo surround speaker complete with noise reduction technology makes it possible to use this projector with no external speaker.

Pros
  • Versatile and portable
  • Suitable for indoor and outdoor with sharp display
  • Loud audio output
  • Best of widescreen visual experience
Cons
  • Hard to get the entire display in focus

3. Bloomidea Professional LED Movie Projector for Indoor & Outdoor Home Theater Entertainment

With a 6500 Lumens output, this is one of the brightest mini projectors you can find around.  It is suitable for indoor and outdoor home theater to give you a high-quality display. The projector diffuse reflection technology enables you to watch home entertainment like games, videos, and sports events without straining your eye.

This projector has a multi-functional interface that allows it to connect to a wide range of sources including Fire TV Stick Smartphone, Roku Express, PCs, and tablet devices. This unit also features an independent Hi-Fi speaker for a robust audio experience.

Pros
  • Suitable for low light environment
  • Compatible with other electronic devices
  • HiFi level speaker with high-quality images
  • Low noise design
Cons
  • No Bluetooth or wifi connections

4. ViewSonic PG800HD Projector

With a 6500 Lumens output, this is one of the brightest mini projectors you can find around.  It is suitable for indoor and outdoor home theater to give you a high-quality display. The projector diffuse reflection technology enables you to watch home entertainment like games, videos, and sports events without straining your eye.

This projector has a multi-functional interface that allows it to connect to a wide range of sources including Fire TV Stick Smartphone, Roku Express, PCs, and tablet devices. This unit also features an independent Hi-Fi speaker for a robust audio experience.

The ViewSonic PG800HD projector with its 1920 x 1080 resolution and 5000 lumens of brightness is an ideal 1080p projector for large venues, and business and education environments. It features 1.3x optical zoom, centered lens, vertical lens shift, and vertical keystoning. It is designed to deliver a powerful audio-visual performance. It is user-friendly with its self- on and off configuration capacity which will be determined by the user. For rear projection, a short-throw projector to produce a larger image from two feet away will enable the PG800HD to produce a 21-inch image from 2 feet away.
Pros
  • It is a versatile projector. Its advanced visual features make it ideal for professional installations, large venues, businesses and education environments.
  • It has a big screen projection.
  • It is easy to set up.
Cons
  • Expensive.

5. YABER Y30 Native 1080P Projector 5000 Lumens Full HD Video Projector (1920 x 1080)

The Yaber Y30 is an indoor and outdoor projector that adopts an advanced German LED light source, high quality materials and delicate manufacturing process. It has bright large-screen with great image clarity, unmatched color accuracy and sharp image detail. Its use is relevant to both homes and businesses. With its 5000 lumens high brightness, the Y30 projector gives over 50+% brightness than other mini projectors and it gives your eyes a better service. The YABER Y30 TV projector can be used in low light conditions. With its motorized feature, Y30 projector allows the reduction of the image up to 50% of the original length and width with the the use of the remote control and to adjust the focus, you just need to rotate the lens of the projector.

Pros
  • The remote control makes it easy and convenient to operate.
  • It has high resolution which gives its images a clear detailed presentation.
  • It is dynamic as it can be used with different gadgets such as android smartphones, iphones, ipad, media players and others.
Cons
  • The Y30 projector does not support Dolby sound. A video with Dolby sound will not emit any sound on the projector. You must turn off the Dolby audio option when downloading or playing a video.

6. BenQ MH535FHD 1080P Home Theater Projector

The BenQ MH535FHD projector is an ideal home entertainment projector. With its brightness of 3600 lumens, the BenQ MH535FHD projector ensures brilliant color performance making it fantastic for entertainment such as movies and sports. The BenQ projector vertical keystone correction and a 1. 2x zoom allow for easy installation. It supports Bluetooth speaker when it is paired to the Firestick and it is long-lasting with the optimized projector lamp life, which is up to 15,000 hours with SmartEco technology
Pros
  • It is bright for any environment: Its 3600 lumens gives you the ability to watch in your living room or backyard with ambient lighting.
  • It is long-lasting: The Projector lamp life is up to 10, 000 hours which means you can enjoy 4 hours of entertainment daily and have it last 10+ years.
  • The vertical keystone correction and a 1. 2x zoom make it easy to install.
Cons
  • Speakers could be louder. Use alternate external speakers.

7. ONOAYO 5G WiFi Projector 9500L Full HD Native 1920×1080P Bluetooth Projector

The ONOAYO 5G WiFi Projector 9500L is designed with a bi-directional Bluetooth technology that allows easy connections to your phones and speakers to play your music and videos. It has a sealed dust-proof optical engine which hinders dust/ debris from entering the projector. This projector can easily play your Microsoft files and Adobe PDF files directly from your USB stick or flash drive and view them all, on the projector. With the lag-free WIFI signal input, you can easily connect WIFI to mirror what you display on your mobile devices.
Pros
  • High lumens
  • Easy-to-focus pictures
  • Low cost
Cons
  • Loud fan noise

8. Gzunelic 8000 Lumens Home Theatre LED projector with Native 1080P

outdoor projector

The Gzunelic 8000 Lumens Home Theatre LED projector features a max power led lamp which allows it to project images at its maximum brightness. To prevent overheating this unit is designed with 4 silent cooling fans.

This projector is equipped with a Mstar motherboard chip that manages the color of the images excellently. Digital keystone also allows both vertical and horizontal correction for seamless focus. There is also an inbuilt dual HiFi speaker which enhances the sound production for you to enjoy your music and movie with no external speakers required.

Pros
  • Easy to set up
  • High-quality pictures
  • Innovative zoom function
Cons

    9. Epson Home Cinema 1060 Full HD

    The Epson Home Cinema projector gives an ideal home view that any family would ever dream of. It is portable and easy to use. It gives widescreen images up to 300″. To connect easily with Blu-ray ray Disc, games and for streaming via 2x HDMI port, Epson Home Cinema is an ideal projector. It features 3,100 lumens of color Brightness, a built-in speaker and setup tools. The Epson Home Cinema 1060 does not support audio output.

    Pros
    • It gives a large screen view of 300″.
    • It is portable and easy to operate.
    • It supports gaming and streaming via 2x HDMI port.
    Cons
    • It doesn’t support Educational and other businesses use.
    • It doesn’t support external audio output.

    10. Optoma HD146X Projector

    The Optomal HD146X is designed to bring the cinematic experience into your home.With its 3,600 lumens, 25,000:1 contrast ratio, reference display mode, and REC.709 and REC.709b colour support, the optomal HD146X home theatre projector gives extraordinary video quality perfect for movies, sports and gaming. It  serves as a fantastic projector for daylight viewing as it transforms the user’s living room to a cinema when paired with a Blu-ray player, high-performance gaming PC or console. To mount it on the ceiling, you have to buy a bracket that you use to mount the projector on ceiling.

    Pros
    • It is easy to install.
    • It supports full 3D 1080p.
    • It is portable and movable from one room to another.
    Cons
    • It is not suitable for business or educational purposes.

    11. VIVIBRIGHT F40 Native 1080P Full HD Projector.

    The VIVIBRIGHT F40 projector is a newly upgraded led projector. It provides standard 1920/horizontal and 1080/vertical native physical pixels, 15,000:1 contrast ratio and matches the best sound quality, as well as true color LCD panels. It offers clear and bright colors even in daylight environment with its 4200 Lumens led white light. With up to 300″ large screen, the F40 projector is ideal for gaming, home or outdoor theater, video projector and PPT presentations. The F40 also supports HDMI, double USB Port with Multimedia direct play function, the Standard configuration with Most professional-level digital audio interface (SPDIF out interface), and audio output. The power supply of this projector is 90-240V AC, 50-60Hz.

    Pros
    • It gives clear and vivid image even in daylight environment.
    • It supports diverse purposes: gaming, video projection, and theatre and PPT presentation.
    • It can serve long hours (up to 8hrs).
    Cons
    • It does not support Bluetooth.
    • It is not compatible with 3D.

    12. WiMiUS P20 Native 1080P LED, 5000 LUMENS MOVIE Projector

    The WiMiUS P20 projector is created based on customer’s need. It has an improved brightness, resolution, contrast ratio, lamp, and speaker, and so on. Its 5000 lumens makes it possible to use it when the lights are on or in the darkness. The P20 projector comes with ±50° wide range keystone correction which makes it easy to adjust the picture to whatever angle you prefer using the remote control. It is built with dual 3w speakers which makes it needless to have external speakers when playing movies. The P20 projector has a reverse projection capability but lacks Wifi functionality. It is not only suitable for entertainment but also can be used for business in small rooms.

    Pros
    • The WiMius P20 has a great native resolution of 1920×1080 and contrast ratio of 8000:1, which makes it gives the perfect image view that is more detailed than 720P projectors.
    • It has dual 3W speakers that play sound when you watch a movie.
    Cons
    • It can only be used for PPT and other business use when it is connected with PC.

    Buyers Guide: Projectors for Outdoor Daylight Viewing

    Projectors come in a wide range of brightness levels that vary between white and color brightnesses which are measured in lumens. The predominant lumens measurement typically advertised for a projector is typically the white brightness lumens rating. White brightness tells us the amount of white light that is transmitted by the projector.

    The color brightness is just as important as the white brightness.  Color brightness measures the amount of brightness of the blue, red and yellows.  The higher the number the greater the detail and vivacity you will see. If the projectors color brightness is lower than its white brightness, you will most likely see dull and darker images.

    Depending on your requirements make sure to verify and take the color brightness into consideration when making a purchase.

    What is a good brightness for a projector?

    Guidelines to follow when projecting between 90” to 120”:
      • Dark Rooms used for home theaters: 1000 to 2500 lumens
      • Classrooms / Meeting rooms (not totally dark): 2500+ lumens
      • Very Large, Bright areas (outside): 4000+ lumens

    Native Resolution vs. Maximum

    Dots per inch (dpi) or pixels per inch (ppi) are common references to indicate how many dots or pixels are displayed when showing images or other content.  Resolutions range from 480p from the lower end to 720p and 1080p which is HD quality to 4K which is today known as ultra HD.

    The higher the resolution the better.  This provides the projector with more pixels to draw the content to provide cleaner, crisper, higher quality images.  

    Projectors use microdisplays which could be DLP, LCD panels or LCOS chips.  These microdisplays have a fixed amount of pixels. Thus, native resolution is the true physical resolution that exists on a projector provided by these chips / panels.  A projector will never be able to display more “actual pixels” than it contains on the microdisplay panels or chips.

    What is the maximum resolution when discussing projectors?  Well the maximum resolution has nothing to do with the projectors physical display but instead it involves signal formats.  Many projectors are built to deal with a wide range of resolution formats. The maximum resolution is the largest resolution signal that a projector has been designed to handle and display.

    What does it mean to convert a non-native signal format to a native resolution?

    When a projector receives a signal that does not match the native resolution of the projector, it must transform that signal to the format of its native resolution.  The process of converting signals to match the native resolution is known as scaling.

    Example:  If the projector’s native resolution is 1280×720, but the signal that it receives is 1920×1080.  It will “scale” the resolution down and compress it to display in 1280×720. The projector in this case has been programmed to support his type of scaling from 1920×1080 to 1280×720. Scaling works in both directions depending on the signal received by the projector.

    Scaling will always make the resulting image less clear than the original signal.

    Aspect Ratio

    There are several different projector formats that exist that are used for various purposes.  Typical business projector formats have an aspect ratio of 4:3 or 16:10 and are either XGA, SVGA, WUXGA, or WXGA format.

     

    FORMAT ASPECT RATIO PIXELS NOTES
    SVGA 4:3 800×600 Low resolution, affordable, perfect for projecting simple data, charts, and video clips
    XGA 4:3 1024×768 Widely used, most computers use XGA as native resolution, pairing the projector to computers is very common
    WXGA 16:10 1280×800 This has become very common with notebooks and smartphones. This is the widescreen version of the XGA
    WUXGA 16:10 1920×1200 This is becoming the standard for higher end notebooks and workstations. MOst commonly used for installation projectors and scenarios that require bright, HD content.
    720p 16:9 1280×720 The 720p format is usually used in more economical projectors.
    1080p 16:9 1920×1080 The 1080p format is the most common format found in most home theatres. It corresponds to the 1080i/1080p HDTV and blu-ray formats.
    4K Ultra HD 16:9 3840×2160 4K Ultra HD is typically found in higher end projectors and provides the highest resolution for home theaters

    Home Theatre and entertainment projector formats usually have an aspect ratio of 16:9 for best wide screen TV viewing. The three top formats are 720p, 1080p or 4K Ultra HD.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is a good contrast ratio for a projector?

    One of the biggest determinant of overall picture quality is the contrast ratio, which is the difference between the brightest white a projector can produce  and the darkest black. The contrast between white and dark will provide you with the sharpest picture eliminating any washed out or dull colors as shown above.  Having the correct brightness is critical for optimal visibility.  When you hear a contrast ratio of 1000 x 1, that means the brightest pixel will be 1000 times brighter than the dimmest.  Good contrast is mainly about seeing greater detail on the projected image, no matter what the image is being shown either video,  text, graphs, or pictures.  Keep in mind, if you are planning on using the projector outside for daylight viewing  the contrast ratio won’t matter much whether its 20,000:1 or 1,000:1.  Any significant light source will lessen the contrast ratio benefits, therefore it would be ideal to close the shade or turn off the light or wait until sunset before you start projecting.

     

    Final Thoughts

    From the above-listed projectors kinds and brands, you have varieties of choices to choose from. As we have mentioned in this article we review the top projectors for outdoor viewing.  The main requirement for daylight viewing is high lumen ratings.  This article lists these such projectors.   Every one of these projectors has their functions; some specially designed for video viewing and some for educational and business purposes. The best projector for daylight viewing that we have reviewed is the ONOAYO 5G WiFi Projector for its 9500 lumens brightness and its multipurpose functions.

    I have a degree in engineering and am passionate in helping people find the best products for the money using my own personal experiences. I'm a father, son, brother, uncle, coach, husband, and engineer who loves to spend time with his two boys and beautiful wife. In my free time my passion is to help others. I love anything and everything technology and spend many hours researching products that I have interests in for myself, my family and friends. My hope is that my time spent researching products will help you save time and money so you can free up your time and spend it doing what you love to do most!

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