Hey guys,
Because of my work schedule and having to take care of my kids during the day, I find myself turning the Z4 ON/OFF 3-4 times a day to catch/wacth my recorded shows. My previous projector, X1, did not have an auto sliding door and seeing that door open close 3-4 times a day, every day has me worried about the adverse effects of turning the projector on and off so many times a day.

Yes. Restrikes shorten the life of the bulb. Depending on how long you walk away you may be better off just leaving it on.

Hey guys,
Because of my work schedule and having to take care of my kids during the day, I find myself turning the Z4 ON/OFF 3-4 times a day to catch/wacth my recorded shows. My previous projector, X1, did not have an auto sliding door and seeing that door open close 3-4 times a day, every day has me worried about the adverse effects of turning the projector on and off so many times a day.
Not sure about the effects on the door, but each lamp strike has been said to take 2 hours off the lamp. Also, I guess like any bulb, turning them on can lead to failure just by the sheer nature of surge in power.

wao..I guess I am glad I asked. Thank you..

Each time you strike it figure on 1 to 2 hours of bulb life. When u do shut down give it 30 minutes to a hour before starting it again I am told.

Depends on the PJ as well. Some of the better ones ramp the power to help minimise this and also have a proper cool down phase with the fans still running and are good to go PDQ.

Bulb strikes shorten the life of every lamp on the planet. Lower wattage lamps last longer than higher wattage lamps. Heat is the nemeses of all things electronic. Class dismissed.

I wouldn't leave a pj running in my house if I am not around. If you have to leave turn the PJ off unless it is only short minutes. Who care how long a bulb lasts when fire hazard is consideration.

I'm gonna go strike my bulb right now!

Id just leave it on if you're not going to be gone for a loong time.

kam1996 -- You've gotten the inputs, figure out the "cost" effect for yourself. One added item, you really shouldn't be turning on your PJ for only an hour of watching (consider that you should really be able to watch your stuff it for at least 2 hours, anything less is a waste of your resources). You should also leave it off for more than an hour (more than 2 hours is preferable) between uses. This is why I have a "regular" TV set for "normal" watching. I've recently replaced my 27" CRT with a 32" LCD flat panel display for that use (it works better for occasional, short, DVD watching too).

When I turn on my PJ, it's on for at least 2 hours and for as long as 12 hours. I also don't use it if my room temperature is over 75 degrees F (the cooler the better -- heat is bad as CMRA said).

FYI: The "1 lamp strike = about 2 hours of lamp life" was posted by an Infocus PJ engineer on these threads.

Hey guys,
Because of my work schedule and having to take care of my kids during the day, I find myself turning the Z4 ON/OFF 3-4 times a day to catch/wacth my recorded shows. My previous projector, X1, did not have an auto sliding door and seeing that door open close 3-4 times a day, every day has me worried about the adverse effects of turning the projector on and off so many times a day.

How else can you watch if you don't turn it on. Just relax and don't listen to all the BS that is out there. Just don't turn it on/off 30 times a day. You will be fine w/ a couple. When the bulb dies buy another - it will likely be several years down the road.

Multiple strikes are bad for the bulb but leaving it on all the time may wear down the LCD panels faster (blue polarizer burns for example). Thus, I'd watch TV on a TV and save your PJ for movies or >1.5 hours viewing periods.

The question isn't whether you've turned it on and off too often, the question is when will you turn it on next? The rule of thumb leads to an obvious conclusion: don't turn it off if you'll turn it back on within two hours.

If you find that you want to turn it on again within two hours, put a dollar in the bulb jar and learn to estimate better.