Digital projectors are a great addition to any home or office and the advantages of having one don't need to be explained here. However the joys of having the big screen image, hooked up to your surround sound in the lounge are all too often shattered with the globe, often remaining that way for several months until you can afford a new one.
Digital projector lamps are a powerful light source used to transport the image from the projector to the screen. While very strong for their designed purpose, omitting light, the same cannot be said about their durability, a point of contention with many a disgruntled digital projector owner.
Although digital projector lamps are rated with an estimated life in hours, typically a lamp will peter out after 2,000 to 3,000 hours of use, many fall short of the indicated life. There are number of reasons for this. Like with all manufactured products there will be faults. While most projector lamps come with warranties ranging from 30 days to 6 months, research shows that many projector bulbs blow after the expiration of the warranty but well before the indicated lamp life. I own a Hitachi LCD projector and have experienced this problem first hand Not only did my lamp blow after only 1000 hours use but it also exploded inside the projector. After learning the hard way myself here are a few tips to avoiding similar problems, while maximizing the protection of, and hence, life of, your expensive projector lamp.
Always check and clean your air filter before use, especially if it has been stored. Dust build up in the air filter pad can cause lamp cooling problems resulting in overheating, lamp explosion and in some cases fire.
Never move your projector during use. When the lamp is hot it is most vulnerable. A slight jolt could easily cause the lamp to blow.
Always allow the lamp to fully complete its cooling cycle before turning your digital projector off.
Ask your dealer to clean the inside of your projector once a year to avoid excessive dust builds up.
