At work we have a projector that gets used for at 4 hours a day every day of the year, and 7 hours on Saturdays and Sundays. We got around 2500 hours out of this bulb (apparently the average for it is 2000) but it has finally blown.

Anyone know where to get these cheaply?

Any experience with brans that are better than others and last longer?

Bulb brand is dependant on projector make and model. as is price.

What is the make and model?

I remember I had a guy ring up wanting to return a projector and get a replacement because the bulb blew. After explaining to him that it wasn't a warrenty issue but a wear issue he said that he wanted is money back as he didn't know that when he bought it....

Ahhh that was a classic phone call.



last edited by Kat at 10:02:34 19/Sep/05

Maybe Try Here?

ahah kat your joking right? i cant believe someones that stupid...lol.

It's a Sony something or other... VPL PX40

Ta kat for that wonderful relevent insight...

also http://ht.com.au/scripts/xworks.exe?PART:S2802#Tof
lists a bulb at $826 :( from harris technology, but i believe they're on the high end of the market, but there isnt much of a price span when you're dealing with bulbs unfortunately...

Yeh it's looking like they are going to be expensive. The projector itself was purchased for soemthing rediculous like $7500. It gets enough use though so it hasn't been a waste of money.

Try video pro service center. Thats where we buy our Sony projector bulbs.

We get good prices from them, but then we are a long term customer and have education discounts.

Yeh Videopro have offered $750, about $100 less than RRP. JB's don't stock them.

Where else might have them?

Yikes, $750 - puts buying a projector into perspective for home entertainment

the easiest way to get cheap projector lamps is to buy bulk - best done when you're buying the projector with a bunch of other expensive equipment.


$700-750 is a good price for a Sony.


how much if you buy 5?

last edited by koopz at 12:58:43 19/Sep/05

a wear issue he said that he wanted is money back as he didn't know that when he bought it....

Make some damn sense women.

Well considering this bulb has lasted well over a year, we don't want to buy that many... the discount would have to be very good, otherwise it's just as expensive as buying a whole new projector.

Random, or you could always read

http://www.pcauthority.com.au/review.aspx?CIaRID=2638

This Acer projector is currently doing the special price rounds at at around $99X from either Big W or Office works.. BigW are offering a screen for 180odd aswell... Bulbs for this particular model have been sourced at around the 130-160dollar mark aswell...

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=Benq+PB6110 (its also known as a pb6110 since benq = acer nowadays)

Also the thing about buying the bulbs in bulk is your warranty obiviously starts at the time that you purchase the bulb not when you put it into your machine, so yeah the overall cost benefit isn't that great if you simply use them up one by one because you're not covered if by the time you get to bulb 4 a year or something down the track and its fubared

otherwise it's just as expensive as buying a whole new projector.

in a 5 year period you'll spend more money maintaining a projector than it's initial cost. your Sony will still be going hard in 5 years if you take care of it - unlike most brands. still, I'm not an expert on the subject


I'd just buy a cheap working replacement projector off e-bay and sell the VPL PX40


*edit* props to Boxhead for the links. Acer/BenQ are doing great things to make projectors more affordable for us ;)

last edited by koopz at 13:14:30 19/Sep/05

I remember I had a guy ring up wanting to return a projector and get a replacement because the bulb blew. After explaining to him that it wasn't a warrenty issue but a wear issue he said that he wanted is money back as he didn't know that when he bought it....

I had a mate who bought a graphical calculator while at uni, that came with a 12-month warranty. After he had had it about 10 months, the battery ran flat, so he took it back and told the girl at the shop that it had broken. She tried to turn it on, and when it didn't, she gave him a replacement calculator (with a new battery and new warranty). After that, he ran the battery flat intentionally every year just before the warranty ran out, so that he never had to pay for new batteries. Shows there is no such thing as too cheap for a uni student...

Oh yeah, sorry for the hijack

Most retailers will not give you a new 12 month warranty when your goods are replaced.

I think you can get bulbs heaps cheaper buying direct from somewhere like Japan / Hong Kong, a friend of mine came across a really sweet online shop for them but I have nfi what it was.