[David Scott]

Owning, as I now do, an Infocus X1 which works and an Infocus X1 bulb which doesn't has got me wondering about the economics of bulb replacement.

With such an old - and cheap - PJ forking out £200 for a replacement bulb doesn't look like a great investment, when I could easily get hold of a better projector with a reasonably low number of hours on the bulb for not much more.

It got me wondering what everyone else does. How often do you all replace bulbs and how often do you take it as an opportunity to upgrade the PJ? Do people with expensive projectors replace the bulb and bottom feeders like me replace the whole thing? Is there a mathematical formula involved? Does it depend how long the bulb lasted or if there's an 'r' in the month?

All bulb related contributions gratefully read.

David

[kbfern]

If a new bulb is going to cost £200 I would definatley stump up £500 and get a new X9.You will be getting hd performance for an extra £300 and a new warranty to boot.

Spending £200 on a bulb will get you a couple of 1000 hrs use but at standard res only.

You should see a huge increase in resolution,but obviously you will have too feed it with a hd signal via bluray or skyhd or high res games to get the full benefit.

[bobbetts]

I have just recently replaced my 1st projector (Optoma H30) after the lamp blew. A new lamp would have cost £240 but paid £390 for the HD700x. The extra £150 is well worth it. It is quieter, better resolution, brighter and I cannot believe it cost a little over a third what I paid for the H30 a number of years back.

My advice, do not think twice, replace the unit with a 720p model, you will be amazed.....providing you have a hi-def source.

[David Scott]

Thanks guys,

I'm sure that what you say makes sense.

So in what situation do people actually buy new bulbs then? Is it more sensible with dearer projectors or do the same principles apply?

[kbfern]

I would say if you have a 720p projector and the bulb goes and you can get a new bulb for £200 get a replacement bulb as a new 1080p pj will cost you £800-£1000 min.

But if you have a 480p projector as you have, £200 for a new bulb is a waste as for £500ish you can get a new 720p projector.

I think there is a bigger jump in image quality from a 480p to 720p than from a 720p to a 1080p.

[Critters]

Originally Posted by kbfern

I think there is a bigger jump in image quality from a 480p to 720p than from a 720p to a 1080p.

I somewhat agree, and would rather have a good 720 than a cheap 1080 as resolution only makes up part of the overall quality of the picture.