I use my projector most every day for about 4-8 hours. My current projector is an Optoma H78DC3. The longest that I have ever had a lamp last was about 10 months.

I am interested in some other people's experience on here that use their projectors daily. What do they use, how long does it last them. How happy you are with it.

I am thinking about buying a new projector, and have heard some bad things about the Panasonic projectors (as far as quality and reliability). My personal experience is that Optoma is about the same. I dont know if the bigger brands have better quality/reliability, or if there is another projector built for a power user like me.

It's hard to say if which brand, if any, is going to better than another. For the most part, the major brands out there (Panasonic, Sanyo, Mitsubishi, Epson, Optoma, Hitachi, Infocus) are all very good. Are there quality control issues at times ? Of course. You may have heard more "bad things" about Panasonic, but it could be because they've had some of the more popular projectors out there in the recent past. However, to try to answer your question, there are some other things we'll need to know.

Does the projector run continuously for the 4~8 hours you use it, or do you cycle it off and on a couple of times ?

What are the temperature conditions when running ? (i.e. hot & humid)

Are you at a high altitude ?

Is the projector out in the open ?

Any info you can provide about your setup is helpful.

I use my projector most every day for about 4-8 hours. My current projector is an Optoma H78DC3. The longest that I have ever had a lamp last was about 10 months.

I am interested in some other people's experience on here that use their projectors daily. What do they use, how long does it last them. How happy you are with it.

I am thinking about buying a new projector, and have heard some bad things about the Panasonic projectors (as far as quality and reliability). My personal experience is that Optoma is about the same. I dont know if the bigger brands have better quality/reliability, or if there is another projector built for a power user like me.

Several folks here who run their PJs more than that.

As for reliability, all electronics have a failure rate of somewhere between 2 and 25% - luck of the draw, quality of vendor and warranty are all very important for any purchase.

I run it continuous for 4-8 hours. I know that off/on operation is not good for the bulb.

Temp is cool, due to it being in the basement.

Not high altitude - Cincinnati

Ceiling mounted - with about 10 inches from ceiling.

Thanks for the feedback. I was unsure if the bigger brands like Sony and Mitsubishi generally produce more reliable products.

I need a projector that can be an everyday workhorse, and my experience has been that might not be the design intent for some. My background is actually in Quality Engineering, and I know that there is going to be some luck of the draw, but I also know that some manufacturers have better design for quality. Escpecially with all of the outsourcing in China, it makes a difference.

About all that's left selling PJs are big names. Epson, Panasonic, Infocus, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Optoma, Sony, Hitachi, and BenQ. Sure there is Runco, Christie, and JVC but not really in this forum. Read the threads for all these brands and you will find something gone wrong with each of them, some a little more complained about here than others. You will also find those who have run these for thousands of hours and not a glitch. The LCDs will give you more flexibility in mounting than the DLPs but if you have an 8 foot ceiling and a 12 to 16 foot throw, all of these will serve you well.

I've run my old Mits HC3 ( LCD ) for 10 to 12 hours stretches days on end. The original lamp is just over 2000 hours without any issue. BTW, no polorizer issues at all. Grayscale track is still OK.

That was partly why I bought an HD1000 about 6 months ago. It has about 600 hours on the original lamp at the moment, but has been run for many 6 to 8 hour sessions without any signs of problems.

I've setup a few neighbours with Epson Home 20's, and they've been running for years without issues. I recently purchased a 400, partly based on Epsons reputation for high-longevity, and my neighbours experiences with the Home20's I set them up with.

Jonathan

I've got an NEC LT260K that is @ 20,000 hours currently. This is my second of this model, as the first developed several stuck mirrors around 5-7000 hours.
(replaced under warranty too, despite my violation of the "hours of use" clause)

Typically, this projector sees about 11-12 hours of use every weekday, and 18 hours per day on the weekend. Hardcore? You bet.

Single best thing you can do to make a projector last? Voltage correcting UPS. I never used to come close to seeing the manufacturer's stated bulb life... until I plugged into a UPS. Now, they last all the way till the bitter end. I have stacks of bulbs that still work, albeit a bit more dimly! Yay for mercury :p

I'm a little nervous about getting another projector... gonna have a hard time measuring up to my old workhorse!