Epson BrightLink 436Wi Projector - Performance

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Eric Pfoutz

Epson BrightLink 436Wi Projector - Brightness

The Epson BrightLink 436Wi is rated at 3000 lumens, for not only white light output, but color light output. Although, for this review we were not able to measure color light output. We were able to provide measurements for white light output, which is the standard in the industry for determining a projectors actual brightness. Ultra short throw projectors are a little different when it comes to determining projector brightness. The reason for this is proximity to the screen. For our measurements, the meter was placed flat against the screen. This method is used when measuring light output for non ultra-short throw projectors and seems to have produced the most realistic measurements.

The BrightLink 436Wi has two modes of light output if you are familiar with Epson projectors. They are Normal Mode and ECO Mode. Eco tends to drop the brightness by about 25%, but extends the life of the lamp. The first set of measurements were taken in Normal Mode and represent the brightness for each of the color modes that the Epson features. Presentation Mode, which is the default mode for projector produced 2148 lumens. Switching to Dynamic Mode produced 3002 lumens. This seems to the mode the projector was rated by. Dynamic Mode is bright and certainly packs a punch, but it will generally shorten the life of the lamp. Theatre Mode drops the light considerably, to 1927 lumens, but this is common since this drop in brightness is to help produce a blacker black. Photo Mode didn't see much of a drop, if any. It produced 1959 lumens. I should note that light uniformity, when measuring a ultra-short throw projector, varies a bit across the screen. This is mainly due to the meters' proximity to the screen. The readings used for this review were from the center of the screen. Srgb Mode produced 1817 lumens. Blackboard Mode was a bit dimmer at 1611 lumens. Whiteboard Mode measured 1975 lumens.

Eco Mode, as mentioned earlier, was less bright, but the image was still bright enough to handle lights in the room or even a window open. Presentation Mode measured 1501 lumens. Dynamic Mode put out 2006 lumens. Theatre Mode was still bright and a strong performer at 1295 lumens. Photo Mode did not produce any visually noticeable difference, but measured 1200 lumens. Srgb mode increased brightness a bit, to 1372. Blackboard Mode was as expected, producing 1169 lumens. Whiteboard Mode was a slight increase in lumens to 1295.

Epson BrightLink 436Wi Projector - Audible Noise

The 436Wi is a fairly quiet projector and I am happy to report, not a distraction. It is rated at 37 dB which is a little higher than normal, but it was not loud enough to make much of a difference. Eco Mode makes it virtually silent at 29 dB.