Projector Lamp Mode Settings Can Have Significant Impact on Lamp Life

Extending lamp life by smart operator use of features provided in the projector settings, can reduce the frequency of buying replacement lamps  - saving on both the purchase price of the new lamp and the staff time and hassle factor of replacement.

The major lamp manufacturers - Philips, Osram, Ushio, Panasonic, Iwasaki, Phoenix - have improved the lamp technology such that new lamps can now deliver 4000 hours or more even when operated at full power 100% of the time.

However, the projector manufacturers have been just as important in helping extend lamp life with built-in, operator controlled settings that allow modulating brightness to meet different presentation requirements. When full brightness (eg. full power to the lamp) is not required, lamp life is extended. Most manufacturers also have an Auto Power OFF setting when no activity is detected for a set period of time.

Here is one example of the range of features offered by many manufacturers to help extend lamp life.

Benq interactive projectors designed for education offer a strong palette of options that allow teachers the ability to stretch lamp life, reduce operating costs as well as manage the curriculum delivery to minimize distractions for the students.

Benq offers up to four lamp modes depending on the projector:

• Normal - Full lamp brightness
• Economic - Lowers brightness to a pre-set level
• SmartEco - Auto detects input content to determine brightness for optimum color and contrast
• LampSave - Auto detects input content to determine brightness for optimum lamp life

Benq claims the the Economic mode will extend lamp life from 4000 hours to over 5000 hours, the SmartEco mode will extend lamp life to 6500 hours and the LampSave model will push lamp life to 10,000 hours.

In addition, Benq offers two auto settings when no source or projector activity is detected.

• Eco Blank - Creates a blank screen when no activity is detected for 3 minutes (can also be triggered from the remote by the teacher)
• Auto Power Off - Automatically turns the projector off after 30 minutes of no activity.

Taking advantage of these setting options can help significantly reduce the frequency of lamp replacements while not lowering the impact of interactive projection learning for the students.

Read this detailed description of these Benq extend lamp life features.

See Benq replacement lamps, including rated lamp life, for the full range of Benq projectors.