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A minor heresay...

1357 Views 44 Replies 20 Participants Last post by CaspianM, May 9, 2006

madpoet

Discussion Starter · May 5, 2006

About to commit some small heresay here... I often see references to "no expensive bulbs!" Now look, I love CRTs as much as the next guy but let's have some reality here. Bulb cost ranges $250-$450 each (unless you have a REALLY esoteric bulb). Average lifespan is 2000 hours. So even at $450 each over 10,000 hours you will go through $2200 in bulbs. Not cheap, I agree!

Now take a new set of 8" tubes... $2400 for most CRTs, right? Considerably more for 9". Now most people will buy used, but if we're comparing like for like (new bulb vs new tubes) we have to be consistent here. Most people estimate 10,000 hours out of a set of tubes. Which one was more expensive exactly?

Look, there are tons of other pros/cons for the whole CRT vs digital war. Let's just be accurate with our facts. It's not the bulb cost that adds up to more money

Don't shoot me.

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1 - 20 of 45 Posts

ecrabb

· #2 · May 5, 2006

It's a good point, but it's a crapshoot how many hours you'll really get out of that $300 bulb. CRT is a fairly known quantity (depending how you use it, of course.)

My old man just had a bulb explode in his Infocus with LESS than 500 hours on it. That may not be typical, but the bulb died in our office projector with LESS than 300 hours on it. $300 a pop. That's a buck an hour.

Between my personal experience and the stuff I've read, people are simply not getting that "average" lifespan. I'd say 2000 hours is more like a best-case scenario - rather than an average. I have no stats - I'm just going from personal experiences and what I've heard and read.

Still, I have a CRT because the machines are cheap and I love the picture, and because the projector is practically disposable given what I paid for it - although I realize that's not the case with a nice 8" EM (or 9" obviously).

SC

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madpoet

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 5, 2006

I'll agree that 2000 hours is a mark many won't ever see, but on the flip side you get stories of people at 4000+ hours. Now me personally, I've never taken a digital beyond 900 hours before I ditched it

HoustonHoyaFan

· #4 · May 5, 2006

Lets also be clear that the performance of 5,000 hour tubes is not the same as 0 hour tubes.

darinp2

· #5 · May 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by madpoet
Average lifespan is 2000 hours.

I also wouldn't assume 2000 hours average, although I get the impression that the Panasonics do well. They've been out long enough with high enough volumes that a person could do a poll of bulb life for Panasonic projectors like I did for the X1 back when people were claiming short bulb lives here. Along the lines of what HHF pointed out, I have found it interesting that many people here claim 10,000 hours for tubes, yet there was some serious complaining when a CRT with 4,000 hours was used in a comparison (and the new digital of course didn't have 4,000 hours on it, even though I put a 50% neutral density filter on it which simulated dimming pretty well).

--Darin

Brian Hampton

· #6 · May 5, 2006

Interesting topic today as I sit here waiting for the UPS guy to pull up with my new full set of G70 tubes direct from Sony. (My mailman always delivers mail before 10 AM but UPS is always here after 5.)

Whichever is cheaper or whatever may be ... I know I love the look of CRT and haven't been in love with the picture quality of any digital pj that I've seen thus far. The Ruby demo I saw looked fine but I can't pretend to consider something that expensive for my personal entertainment (my system is fairly budget driven.)

-Brian

p.s. There are here!!! Yippeee!!! (And it doesn't look like UPS managed to fully destroy them although it's clear they did thier usual best.)

stefuel

· #7 · May 5, 2006

What about color accuracy within the lifespan of a tube vs lamp

Chip

Tinman

· #8 · May 5, 2006

Average bulb life from what I have been reading on the net is around 700 hours. They are usually nice and blue by then anyway so that any idea of white balance is shot out the window.

Yes, your mileage may vary. For now, 10K hours typical and even 3 times this much on a set of tubes is still far more cost effective. Sorry.

Marc

CaspianM

· #9 · May 5, 2006

If talking about 8"LC and 9" then you need to go to higher end digitals for which it seems lamp price is higher and Ruby is the extreme. I also think that CRT's at 5000 hr does better in performance compared to 1000 hr lamp. Not only they dim (50%) but also lose color accuracy big time. I have a cheap Sharp which has already lost some brightness at 70 hour.

Curt Palme

· #10 · May 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoustonHoyaFan
Lets also be clear that the performance of 5,000 hour tubes is not the same as 0 hour tubes.

BUt the light output of a digital bulb at 500 hours isn't what it is at 0 hours either.

madpoet

Discussion Starter · #11 · May 5, 2006

Yep... like I said, there are TONS of factors. Tinman, I can't agree with the 700 hour figure. Keep in mind that those who have problems are FAR more likely to post than those who don't. Just a reality of the net. Anyway, all I wanted to do was to clarify that I think it is a misleading statement simply to say that CRTs don't have expensive bulbs.

CaspianM

· #12 · May 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by madpoet
Anyway, all I wanted to do was to clarify that I think it is a misleading statement simply to say that CRTs don't have expensive BULBS.

Sound like a true diehard BULB guy.

If you really consider everything you will realize that CRT offers better performance/dollar regardless IMO.

RVonse

· #13 · May 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by madpoet
Now take a new set of 8" tubes... $2400 for most CRTs, right? .

The red hardly ever has to changed out so it is only 2 tubes at $600 from VDC. So thats only $1200.

CZ Eddie

· #14 · May 5, 2006

That red tube just keeps going, and going and...

...is probably good through two blue/green retubes.

darinp2

· #15 · May 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaspianM
Not only they dim (50%) but also lose color accuracy big time.

I think the UHPs lose red relatively, but the Ruby that has been mentioned uses a Xenon lamp (Xenons are also used in commercial film projectors) and my understanding is that they hold their color balance pretty well.
Quote:

Originally Posted by CZ Eddie
That red tube just keeps going, and going and...

...is probably good through two blue/green retubes.

I wonder how many people around here have red tubes with close to 20,000 hours that would still be considered good.

As far as bulb life, some brands and projectors seem to be better than others. The Panasonics seem to be doing well as I mentioned, while some of the Optomas are getting complaints. I would be shocked if a poll of Panasonic AE300, AE500, and AE700 owners (of which there are a lot and so makes a good sampling) didn't result in an average life way above 700 hours, but wouldn't be as surprised if some of the recent Optomas were closer to that.

--Darin

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CZ Eddie

· #16 · May 6, 2006

Darin, I have had several OG reds that are still going strong and have no visible on-screen wear, despite the blue/green already having been replaced.

None have 20K hours as far as I know, though. lol

CaspianM

· #17 · May 6, 2006

I think CZ Eddie talked about red tube not me but that is OK.

CZ Eddie

· #18 · May 6, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaspianM
I think CZ Eddie talked about red tube not me but that is OK.

s'okay, this way if I'm wrong... we can blame it on you.

Btw, we should mention that despite the tubes being strong for 10K hours, they do require the occasional tune-ups for color balance, convergence and focus. And I seriously doubt that any tube (other than red) is good for 10K hours, unless it is properly set up and not overdriven.

darinp2

· #19 · May 6, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaspianM
I think CZ Eddie talked about red tube not me but that is OK.

Sorry. I fixed it.

--Darin

CaspianM

· #20 · May 6, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by CZ Eddie
s'okay, this way if I'm wrong... we can blame it on you.

In this forum we are always right.

It is Darin that is of course wrong. Your safe!

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