I'm just approaching 1000 hours on my lamp, having run it in eco mode for the most part. And it seems like it's about time to replace the lamp.

My question is does running the projector in eco mode even matter? Will it really make a difference in the life of the bulb? I remember reading on numerous occasions that theater owners will dim their bulbs in an attempt to prolong their life, but that it doesn't work anyway.

If it's a choice between replacing it at 1000 hours running it in eco mode or at 2000 hours running it on normal brightness, I'd rather just enjoy the brighter picture the entire time.

So, for those of you with more experience/knowledge, does running in eco mode really prolong the life of the lamp?

I think you have it backwards?

Running it in eco-mode you should get 3000 hours.

Normal is 2000 hours.

Of course, that's the "avg. hours" and you could get more or less.

Why do you think you need to replace the lamp at 1000?

I don't think there is much benefit in running the ax200u in eco-mode. I don't have the info in front of me, but remember reading testing done and it showed a small percentage difference between the 2 modes.

I run normal and am at 2400 hours or so and brightness is very suffiicient on my 140" screen. I did buy a lamp already though, just in case.

It's very confusing. If I'm running in eco mode (which for argument's sake we'll say is half power), wouldn't 1000 hours of use actually be more like 2000 in reality?

The reason I think the lamp is about ready to be changed is because for one thing I've noticed that the picture looks noticeably dimmer recently. And, second, the other day the screen flickered to black on more than one occasion. When I mentioned that to my girlfriend, the first thing she said was that a guy at her work (who also owns a projector) said that's when you know the bulb is about ready to go.

j-bo's right - you have it backwards. Running in low power should put less stress on the lamp, prolonging it's life. Should being the keyword. If your image is getting dim you may be getting close to the end of it's life, or it may keep on running for another 1000 or more hours at that level of brightness.

Try putting the PJ to normal mode and see what the picture looks like, if you haven't already.

I would try running the projector in normal mode and see what the picture looks like, if you haven't already.

I usually switch it to normal mode every so often, just because I originally had a AX100 that suffered from the flicker problem. And I was hoping doing this would help prevent that.

I'll try switching it now and see what happens.

While I'm on the topic, I have a brand new lamp from my AX100. Would it fit the 200? I've assumed that it will, but I'm not sure until I open it up.

While I'm on the topic, I have a brand new lamp from my AX100. Would it fit the 200? I've assumed that it will, but I'm not sure until I open it up.

Yes sir!

Thank you much.