Projector bulbs

Tea Drinker
Don
Joined
13 Apr 2010
Posts
18,426
Location
Sunny Sussex
Sorry lamps :p

What's the difference with the cheap Ebay Hong Kong lamp only compared to the UK full lamp and holder.

I'm looking at a projector on Ebay that has 200 hrs left and a new Hong Kong lamp makes it good VFM but a UK full lamp and holder makes it not worth the bother.

What's the lifecycle of the lamps, is it just the lamp? or does the hours also impact on something else like the internal screen? do the lamps just suddenly pop? do they fade out?

Thanks
 
You'll get two answers....One that copy lamps are fine, and the other that they're not as good. It all depends on your interpretation of value for money. "Cheaper up front but replace earlier and possibly not as bright or colour stable" vs "More costly but guaranteed performance"

Go have a look at the projector section of AVForums and see wht you can learn from the experience of those on both sides of the fence.
 
As a variation on the above answer, the cheapo unit has associated risk. If a lamp blows, it has the potential to damage the insides of your projector. Do you really wish to risk that for a saving of maybe £80?
Personally I went with an OEM unit from my manufacturer.
 
Thanks for the replies, I assume they just pop like any other bulb and don't fade?

Also I think I've taken the list from AV forums >£1000 and narrowed it down to the following using http://www.projectorpoint.co.uk/screensizecalculator/screensizecalculator.cfm? as I have only 3.7 from wall to wall and a wall 2.00 in width the following give me some adjustment and range where as the rest I would have to move the projector forward, which I don't want

In

Epson TW3200 1.32 to 2.8 width range @ 3.7 too dear lamps a fortune
Optoma HD800X DLP 1.52 to 1.91 width range @ 3.7 None on EBay
BenQ W500 DLP 1.45 to 2.66 width range @ 3.7 None on Ebay
Panasonic AX200 LCD 1.21 to 2.48 width range @ 3.7 None on Ebay
Epson TW680 LCD 1.78 - 2.78 width range @ 3.7 None on Ebay

Out

Acer H5360 DLP move to 3.4m to 2.00
Optoma HD600X move to 3.4 to 2.00
Optoma HD65 DLP move to 3.3 to 2.00
Infocus X9 DLP move to 3.4 to 2.00
Optoma HD700X DLP move to 3.3 to 2.00
BenQ W600 DLP move to 3.5 to 2.00
Themescene Optoma HD20 DLP move to 3.6 to 2.00
Epson TW420 LCD 1.96 - 2.55 to fine a range
BenQ W1000 1.98 to 2.36 to fine a range

Optoma HD75 DLP ? No info not listed

Any obvious errors in the above ?????
 
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Lamps do fade over time. If operated and cooled properly then they won't pop.

What happens is that at the end of the lamp's life it will fail to strike... in other words it won't light up. These are arc lamps. An electric spark jumps across a gap inside a glass vacuum bubble. Eventually the spark gap becomes too large and that's when the lamp needs replacing.

Lamps shatter if they are subject to heat stresses because of poor ventilation or switching off the mains power before the lamp has cooled properly. They can also fail if the manufacturer has problems in glass purity or in the molding process that means there's a stress in the glass that weakens its structure. The main manufacturers have good screening processes to detect most of these faults before shipping. Those companies making pattern lamps might not be as diligent. That's your gamble.
 
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