Projection Light bulbs (1 Viewer)

[Bill Griffith]

I'm thinking of getting some sort of nice digital projector for my new Home theater. It would strictly be used for movies.

I don't know a whole lot about these projectors as I've just started to look at them. I've heard I want something with a relatively low Lum. level, since the room will be dark when watching movies.

But the Bulb(s) is what concerns me. I was speaking to a friend and he has a friend that owns a pretty expensive unit $12k or higher and he says it costs him $500 to replace the light bulb. The light bulb says it lasts 400 hours which I would figure if your watching regular TV and movies that you would probably need a new lightbulb evey 3 months. Or in my case about every 8 months or so.

Is this true. Do the light bulb(s) in the projector burn out that fast and do they cost that amount of money? Is it typical for all Digital Projectors or just some?

 

[Mathew Shelby]

The life on "most" bulbs nowadays is somewhere between 1500-2000 hours. Some projectors, such as the Infocus X1 I have been reading about even have projected lighbulbs that go for 3000 hours! I have been doing some research and I find that the average cost of a bulb is $350-$500. Of course, as the number of hours you use the bulb goes up, the quality of the picture has been reported to go down with some projectors. My only advice is that if you find a good deal somewhere, STOCK UP! I have been looking seriously at the Infocus X1 for a couple of reasons. First, the price is perfect for someone as an entry level projector. I have seen it for $1400 online. Second, if you purchase it before March, Infocus will give you an additional three year warranty (that makes five years total). Third, I have heard some extrememly good reviews from people on the "other forum". Fourth, value. The extended bulb life, the extended warranty and the decent specs make this a good projector in my opinion.

 

[Neil Joseph]

I personally don't know of any projector with such a short bulb lifespan. The one I have will last 2000 hours although the manual suggests replacing when it reaches 2500. The cost to me is around cdn$600 or us$387.

 

[Doug_B]

Careful about stocking up on bulbs. The bulbs may come with a short warranty (e.g., 90 days), which is useful if the bulb fails in this time interval. If you buy your bulbs in advance and don't use them right away, you may sacrifice the warranty.

Doug

 

[Mathew Shelby]

Doug, point well taken.