A reader asks, “How long does a DLP lamp last?”
Under normal conditions, standard DLP lamps should last 7000-8000 hours. Your own lamp and television watching habits will vary, but if you watch TV…
- 2 hours a day, your lamp could last for more than 10 years
- 5 hours a day… 4 years
- 10 hours a day… 2 years
8000 hours. That’s a lot of Law and Order!
There are some things that could decrease the expected life of a lamp, such as widely varying room temperatures, poor ventilation around the television set, electrical spikes, as well as other factors.
Be sure to see this post on how to make your DLP lamps last longer.
DLP lamps are expensive, but considering how much viewing you get they don’t really seem to cost that much. A $300 lamp that lives a full life will cost merely $0.03 to $0.04 per hour!
And since there’s nothing worse than losing your lamp in the middle of the big game, you should consider getting yourself a back up lamp if your current lamp is getting up there in hours.
