There are several examples of automotive implementations of static projector applications, from door panel logo projectors producing small images and rocker panel projection along the length of the car, to general welcome lighting projected around the vehicle. There are also countless aftermarket implementations available. These previous implementations help set the expectations and requirements for future implementations with dynamic content.

Projectors for automotive applications can have varying optical flux requirements, around 100 lumens for some augmented reality head-up display systems and over 1500 lumens for some high resolution headlight systems. Dynamic ground projector (DGP) applications also have varying flux requirements, but will typically be below 50 lumens. The main parameter that determines the required brightness in a DGP application is display size, but there are also several parameters that might restrict maximum brightness such as required mechanical form factor, required power limit, ambient brightness, or desired thermal performance.

There are two main units used to determine the brightness of a projector or a display. The optical flux of a projector is typically measured in lumens (lm), a measurement of the total light output of the projector, while the brightness, or luminance, of a display is typically measured in candela per meters squared (cd/m²), or nits. The relationship between luminance [cd/m²], illuminance [lux], and optical flux [lumens] are described in the equations below.

Ultimately, the brightness of the displayed image is all the end user, driver or passenger, will see in a DGP implementation. The projector flux, displayed image size, surface the image is displayed on, and ambient lighting conditions will all determine the overall perceived brightness of the displayed image.