Lamp Life

This relates to the bulb (lamp) that is used to project an image and is measured in hours.

• DLPs report backlight bulb hours at around 80,000 hours, using bulbs that cost around £100 to replace.
• Projectors have lamps that last up to 5,000 hours and are replaceable, costing up to approximately £200-£300.
• Plasma TVs have a reported half life of 30,000 to 100,000 hours (the time it takes the lamp to fade to half its original brightness). The gases used in plasma TVs cannot be replaced.
• LCD TVs have a backlight that is specified to last between 30,000 and 60,000 hours. Replacements are very expensive.