I watched Get Smart last night and the transfer seemed good but it was dark through out and made me think my bulb was going in my projector. I did notice however that a lot of the scenes were at night or in the evening so that may have been the explanation since outside daylight scenes seemed ok there just weren't many of them. Has anybody else noticed this or do I need a new bulb? Or new projector?

Tom Brooke

The movie is not dark.

Projectors generally have a lamp-hour counter accessible via a menu, so you can see how many hours it's burned. And the lamp has a rated life expectancy, generally in the low thousands of hours. If the lamp has reached 50% or more of its rated life you can expect gradual dimming. Nearer the end, the dimming becomes more rapid and noticeable.

All of the above is general, not specific to any one projector. YMMV.

Older projectors also can start to change color, tinting yellowish, as their panels and prisms age and go brittle. This often reads as "dark." This happens faster if they're not well maintained, with frequent filter cleanings and excellent ventilation to prevent heat buildup inside the projector.