Different types of projector lamps:

Did you know there are 4 different types of projector lamps used in your projectors? These lamps are:

1. Metal Halide lamps which include HID lamps (high-intensity discharge lamps) and UHP lamps (ultra-high-performance lamps)

2. LED - longer lasting

3. Lasers

4. Hybrid projectors - a combination of LED and Lasers

Lumens: There are ‘Lumens’ in your projectors, but do you know what they are?

A ‘Lumen’ is a measure of the light output of the projector lamp, and it measures how much light the projector lamp is capable of producing. That means, the higher the Lumen rating of a projector, the brighter the projector will be. In short, the Lumen specification of a projector is an indication of how bright the projector is.

What is a Metal Halide lamp? The most common type of lamp used in projectors is a Metal Halide lamp. These lamps work with an electric arc inside high pressure glass bulb, and it contains a mixture of Mercury vapour and metal Halide vapour. A Metal Halide lamp is very efficient and produces a high intensity white light (about 75-100 Lumens per watt). Metal Halide lamps get very hot in projectors, which is why it requires a high-speed fan to cool it down while running. Upon starting up the projector, the Metal Halide lamp needs at least a minute to reach its full brightness and will require the same amount of time to cool off before shutting down. All types of projectors use Metal Halide lamps, including: LCD, DLP and LCoS projectors.

What is an LED? A light-emitting diode. LED projectors utilise LED in red, green and blue RGB colours. This means an LED tends to be quite small, considering it does not have to split white light into individual colours. The small build of the LED means there is a lot of saves space in the projector. An LED projector has a half life of over 20,000 hours, some even claiming 60,000 hours. Unlike the Metal Halide lamp, an LED is quick to start-up and shut down, with no cooling down needed. Another major advantage of LED projectors is that the brightness of the individual colour LED can be independently controlled. As much as there are advantages to using LED's, there are also disadvantages. LED are currently not as bright as Metal Halide lamps and are also more expensive too.

What are Laser projectors? Laser is short for: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. In short terms, a Laser is a device that amplifies light and focuses it into a narrow beam of parallel rays of light. Laser projectors project a very good picture with high contrast ratios. The life for a Laser lamp is in the range of 30,000+ hours. Lamps in Laser projectors do not produce that much heat, hence why a cool down cycle is not needed when turning the projector off. They are vey robust and reliable lamps. However, Laser lamps are quite expensive, but for what they are, worth the price.

What are Hybrid Projectors? Hybrid projectors use 2 types of lamps, hence the use of ‘Hybrid’. Most often, it uses LED and Laser Light sources. The main benefit to using Hybrid projectors is that it is not as expensive as a full Laser projector lamp but the brightness of the Laser lamp is not as bright as it would usually be on its own.

Contact us to discuss your requirements or questions.