DLP Lamps -- The Drawback of Projection Televisions

DLP lamps are the lights that allow you to see the pictures on a front or rear projection television. Digital Light Projection lamps are required for these TVs, and are much of the reason that the picture quality is so excellent on them--a quality that's often compared to the picture quality in plasma televisions. The drawback to owning a projection TV is that you'll probably end up investing a lot of money over the years in replacement DLP lamps, because they don't last very long and they're not cheap.

If you watch television a lot, you'll naturally have to replace the lamp more often. Obviously, any type of bulb that used longer will burn out faster, and these lamps are no exception.
You'll probably need to replace your DLP lamp every 1 to 3 years, but that depends on just how often you watch television. If you have your television on several hours a day as some people seem to so they can have background noise or programs playing in the background that they only partly listen to, your lamp could burn out in much less than a year, or even after just a few months if you use the television all the time.

An old CRT television could be on for several hours a day and run well for years, but an average DLP lamp will burn out between approximately 2,000 and 2,500 hours. So if you run your television 6 hours a day all year, it should last around a year. If the TV is on only about 3 hours a day, the lamp could last up to 2 years, which is decidedly better because the replacement lamps are usually at least a couple hundred dollars to replace.

This is a good thing to consider before purchasing a projection television--if you use your TV as background noise, you could be spending several hundred dollars a year just to replace burned out DLP lamps. You'll know when it's time to replace one because the brightness will start to fade before it goes completely. Always buy one or two extra DLP lamps when you find them on sale and you'll save more money in the long run, even if you only have to replace the light every 2 or 3 years.

If you find lamps on sale, however, don't stock up unless you're sure they're a good fit--you'll have to buy a specific brand and model to get the right DLP lamp for your television. Your TV's manual will tell you the kind you need to purchase.

Find out more about DLP lamps and other lights you need for home, and get even more articles about outdoor and indoor lighting choices at freelightingideas.com