Bulbs, when do they go south?

[Lex]

I have a projector that was a budget entry model from ViewSonic. The lamp is either at 3000 or 3500 hours now. It seems to be performing ok, I do clean the filter every 100 hours as it recommends. So, it was estimated to go 4000 hours using whisper model. I have kept it in save mode, and I keep the brightness and contrast dialed down quite a bit. Maybe it will go 4000, maybe more?

Is there anything I should be aware of, looking for as signs it's about to go, or should I just replace at 4000 hours even if it's performing well? If it blows inside the cabinet, is that a really bad thing? Or will it more likely just burn out? I've never been inside the pj. One thing's for sure, I'm getting my money's worth out of the little 1K PJ-51.

[JonMarsh]

Hey Lex, glad to hear you're getting lots of good hours of that bulb!

Generally, the econo mode will eek out the most lifetime- 3K plus hours is pretty typical.

Your brightness and contrast settings have no impact on bulb life- they only affect the transmissive characteristic of the LCD panels. It's a lot different than for the "older technology", CRT projectors, where those settings can make a two to one difference or more in CRT tube lifetime due to physical effects on the phosphor and cathode.

One thing to consider is that most halide and even UHP bulbs lose brightness as they age, so though you may eek out some extra hours without any penalty (as long as the bulb doesn't go south explosively), you're probably getting half or less the brightness as when it was new. If the bulb fails internally, causing a current overload, then the bulb is likely to explode, plus you may have problems with the electronic ballast unit which drives the bulb.

My recommendation? Don't push your luck too far, anymore more than you'd see how long you can get away without doing an oil change at the recommended interval. The risk isn't worth the savings, IMO.

Regards,

Jon

[Lex]

Ok, thanks Jon, good advice. Of course, when the bulb costs a 1/3 of the price of the PJ, it gets to be what is the best decision as well. I mean, I could sell the projector likely as is for a 1/3 of the price I paid to someone wanting to get into home theater projectors cheaply I bet, not have to buy the expensive bulb, then get another 1K projector and only be out 300 more than I would have been if I bought the bulb. What is your opinion there?

Well, keep in mind I chose to use this as a daily grinder, and also own a Studio Experience 2HD with ultra low hours on it. I could move on to using it daily, and eventually add a newer technology projector to replace it down the road. I like having a practically new one on hand to switch over to if a problem develops. (I remember well having my 60" RPTV go out on me, leaving me in a crunch)

[Snap]

Lex- We have 2 Eiki 4100 lumen projectors at our church. We replace the bulbs every year to year and a half tops! We also clean the filters every 6 months. We have a hard time realizing that the projectors are getting dim simply do to the fact that we are used to seeing the screens every Wed and Sunday durring the service. We just get used to the level of the projectors. It does become very apparent as soon as we change one bulb and compair it to the other projector that has not been changed yet.

John is definatly right about the bulbs going bad over time. We made the mistake once of having got 4 bulbs at one time. 2 to go into the projectors and 2 on stand by. Once we got around to using the other set of bulbs that have been sitting in storage at the church, there was barely ANY noticable change from the ones that we had just taken out! The humidity in NC or something made the spare bulbs go bad IMHO after sitting on the shelf in the closet for a year.

Another thing I am sure you are aware of, keep your fingers off the bulbs. Some of our lights also have the same problems with fingers on the actuall lamp. Something in the oil in our fingers does bad things to the bulbs. That is the only thing that I can think of that caused a bulb to totally fail in 3 months use! I know for a fact it killed some of my Elipsodel Stage lights FAST! (Sorry for the spelling on the Elipsodel lights. I am not sure how to spell them.)

I would get a new bulb every year or so personally.

[Lex]

Yeah, I would guess that finger oils on the bulbs as hot as they get would not be a good thing at all. Anyone that has ever replaced a quartz halogen bulb knows, touching the bulb is a big fat huge no no. If you do, it will not last long.

Well, truly for average TV viewing, I am not all that critical. The pj still takes care of my daily needs ok. Like I said, there may be something to the idea of just selling it as is, and moving on to another 1K pj. Someone is bound to take a chance on it for 300 bucks, don't you think? Heck, I think I would if I was not the one selling it, lol.

Doug

[George Bellefontaine]

Sell it, Doug. I'd say it has served you well and at the cost of lamps, it just makes sense to get something like a 4805 dlp or one of the cheaperlcd projectors. If you can't find a buyer, then I'd just max out the lamp and let it explode, then trash the whole darn thing :lol: .

Regarding lamps coming to an end, about the only thing I have noticed is a dimmer picture and an annoying flicker. But with all the pjs I have owned I still pretty much replace the lamps at or just before the rated expiry .

[Lex]

What is the 4805 George? Is that a Chevrolet or a Lexus?

Lex

[George Bellefontaine]

What is the 4805 George? Is that a Chevrolet or a Lexus?

Lex

Definitely not a Lexus.

[Burke Strickland]

$1,000 for PJs? I could swear I saw a set of pajamas on sale at WalMart for less than ten dollars! :>)

The first bulb in my Sony W400Q "blew up" inside the projector, making it very obvious that it was no longer fit for service. :>) The replacement bulb was rather expensive (over $450) but at the time, a replacement projector would have been significantly more than today's "throw away" models.

However, when the bulb started flickering toward the end of last year, I decided that $475 -- $500 would make a nice down payment on a new projector and chose to step up to a newer model. The good news is that it performs a lot better than the seven year old design it replaced. The REALLY good news is that (presumably after 3,000 hours) its replacement bulb will only cost $220 -- $250.

Burke

[Dean McManis]

Lex,

I'd say that there is a good chance that you could find someone who is willing to pay for a new bulb if they are getting a very good price for the projector.
So the sell-the-old, buy-the-new approach might indeed have merit.

I have run some projector bulbs past their recomended lifespan and even though they do have a notable light dropoff over time, if you have good room light control, you can get used to the lower light output just fine, as your eyes will adjust (up to a point).

At the bulb's end I have also noticed flickering, and sometimes near the end it will take several strikes to fire up the bulb. I haven't yet had a bulb in one of my own projectors fail before replacement, but I've had bulbs at work implode and wreck the unit. Mostly they just won't start up again when they fail.

Before you absolutely decide to set aside or sell the unit you might check out e-bay and AV classified ads as sometimes people buy a spare bulb when buying a projector, and then when they sell the unit they either include the extra with the purchase, or they have an extra bulb on their hands for sale at a bargain price.

I've bought one bulb this way (at half the retail price), so it's a possibility. :T

-Dean.