Projector Lamp Life

[Zing]

If the specs say a lamp's life is 2000 hours, what happens at that point? Is that actually its half-life where it starts getting dimmer and is on its last leg or is it the expected end of its life?

I've got just shy of 1700 hours on my lamp that's got a rated life of 2000 hours. Last night was the first time I've noticed diminished definition. Well lit scenes looked like they always have but the dark scenes had me struggling to see any detail. I was thinking the 2000 hour point was its half-life. After what I saw last night, I'm thinking I have less than 300 hours left to change the lamp (or the entire projector).

 

[Rope]

Half life refers to overall brightness, meaning at half life the picture will be half as bright as it was when new.

I would surmise that the 2000 hour, as it pertains to a bulb, would be an estimate, not brick wall. If you're seeing video degradation, I would change the bulb.

Rope

 

[Towen7]

The 2000 hour thing is a wild guess about how long the bulb will produce an acceptable image. The ISF guy that calibrated my projector told me that over time the proper settings will drift as the bulb wears and that the first place you'll notice it is in the dark areas of the image. You can try adjusting the other settings to compensate but it sounds like a new bulb is in your future, even if it comes inside a new projector.