Have you ever find yourself caught in a dilemma between buying a new lamp to replace the dimming projector and changing a new projector?

It is not uncommon for users to encounter such a problem, as the projector they bought 3-5 years ago is likely to have been phased out and replaced with better and cheaper models. Since even the lower tier brightness projector lamps cost around $400-$500, it is difficult to choose between the two.

The followings are a summary of points to help you consider if buying the lamp or the new projector is more cost effective:

Cost difference between New Lamp and New Projector
–       Slight difference in cost might prompt user to favor buying a new projector

Lamp Hours
–       Old projector probably have very low lamp hours which translates to frequent changing of the lamps
–       The latest projector now have in excess of 5000 – 6000hrs for some models, that is a good 2 x lamp life comparing to the old 2000-3000 hrs lamps

Lamp replacement cost
– User might also want to include any additional cost incurred when engaging a vendor to change the projector lamps into costing considerations

Projector Setup
–       User will have to take note if they will incur additional installation charges for using a new projector

Availability of parts
–       Projector spare parts are usually kept in production for about 5 years after the projector has been phased out
–       Parts that are reused in newer models will be kept in production for longer period
–       It will be advisable to check the availability of parts to decide if continue usage of the old projector is a viable option

Performance
–       New projector models are usually manufactured to be better and cheaper, so user can take the opportunity to access if the current projector is able to meet their requirement of should they change for a more powerful one

Energy Efficient
–       New technologies have improve the performance and lower the energy consumption of the projectors
–       Might be a good option to look into energy efficiency if your organization is moving towards energy saving

Hope the pointers will help our users make better decisions when coming across such a situation in future.