Quite a mouthful and not exactly a catchy title, but please read on. The bulb manufacturers have a very short list of companies they will supply with their bulbs to make genuine alternative lamps. In the case of Philips, that’s currently four, as they need to know that there are exacting standards of production and that the finished product will be distributed both honestly and ethically. Grey genuine lamps are not supplied directly from the manufacturers; they tend to come from OEMs selling off excess stock into markets near their Asian factories, with the product subsequently leaving the territory.

The challenge here is that a bulb manufactured for one OEM’s lamp often gets ‘shoehorned’ into another OEM’s lamp because the correct bulb isn’t available, but there is a grey market item with similar ratings. This isn’t always the case, but the risk is real, and it’s a high voltage one! The simple check is to see if the genuine brand you are buying has been endorsed by the bulb manufacturers; if endorsed, then you are pretty much guaranteed that the lamp is right for your projector.

• Performance – possibly 100%, but only if the right bulb is used.
• Projector warranty – questionable. If the wrong bulb is used, it’s more likely to damage the projector and less likely to be covered.
• Price – similar to genuine alternatives for the most part, though cheaper models do crop up where a grey bulb has been sourced at a very low price.
• Copy lamps or Branded compatible lamps

Copy lamps do not use bulbs originally used by the OEM and have one distinctly attractive feature in usually being the cheapest option. Knowing it’s an imitation, it is generally understood that there will be compromises in quality and it’s a matter of deciding what’s acceptable. Unfortunately, this can only be done through trial and error, and it’s a pretty expensive testing process. Every user has different expectations, and it is possible for the copy lamp to be perfectly acceptable. However, others will prove to be a false economy compromised by low quality and life; it’s basically down to each individual’s budget and appetite for risk.Performance – typically poorer in terms of brightness, color uniformity, and life. This is mostly down to less exacting standards in manufacturing and build.

• Projector warranty – less likely to be honoured by the OEM.
• Price – often the cheapest lamp option. There may be different copies available for the same projector model at different prices; as with most things in life, you tend to get what you pay for.
• Other comments – Although manufacturing and selling copy lamps are legal, there are a number of copy lamps that are alleged to breach the intellectual property of the original bulb manufacturer. There has already been successful litigation in the USA for distribution of IP infringing product (with damages at $28 per unit sold),and current litigation is underway with others in a number of continents. Further information on the quality of copy lamps is available in an independent study (commissioned by Philips) performed by KEMA. The results can be seen at this web address.

All the above options have a new bulb and a new cage. In re-lamping or refurbishing the lamp, the old cage is retained, and the bulb is replaced.

There are three types of bulbs that may be supplied:

• An identical genuine bulb
• A grey genuine bulb
• A copy bulb

The performance risks are identical to the above lamp categories. However, there is also some debate as to the viability of using a cage multiple times, arguing that connectors may have degraded and/or the plastic being heat-stressed. There may be merit in the arguments, although with no moving parts, it is hard to see how there could be issues. In our experience, there are no issues, but perhaps this is down to the quality of processes used in our re-lamping. Quality is also determined by who is doing the re-lamping, and even some OEMs offer the service themselves; however, these are pretty much exclusively provided for large venue Xenon-based lamps that cost many thousands of dollars.

• Performance – variable, depending on the bulb used.
• Projector warranty – As above lamp options.
• Price – usually a little cheaper than the all-new alternatives.
• Other comments – Usually, you will need to send your old lamp off to be re-lamped, leaving you without a working projector unless you invest in a spare.

Now we’re getting more technical. The bulb constitutes a mirrored reflector, some bits of wire, and a burner—the really clever bit in the middle where all the action takes place. Some refurbishment options will swap the burner, retaining some or all the components around it, most particularly the reflector. Our understanding is that no original bulb manufacturer sells their burners to third parties, so any refurbishment service will be using a copy burner. This can become highly misleading when the reflector is retained that still displays the original markings, implying the specification and origin of the burner. In addition to the question of burner performance using copy product, there can also be concerns about the burner alignment. A poorly aligned burner means the light is not reflected accurately, seriously restricting the light output of the lamp and disrupting the color uniformity across the image. Unfortunately, it is not possible to identify a copy burner with the naked eye.Performance – at the level of copy lamps as a maximum, but potentially lower.

• Projector warranty – no chance, although given the reflector retains the same markings, some OEMs wouldn’t notice what’s transpired.
• Price – usually the lowest price point, although there are invariably drawn out logistics involved in the return of the product as it needs specialist assembly.

Unfortunately, these do exist, and there is a growing trade in them that many resellers are unwittingly passing to users. Asian factories are installing copy burners in copy reflectors that then have counterfeit markings. As grey genuine bulbs bounce from agent to agent across Asia, the copy bulbs get mixed in and are sold to the west as ‘genuine’. Because it is impossible to distinguish a copy burner with the naked eye nor test it without a projector, resellers in the western world who don’t buy from genuine sources are unaware that counterfeit goods have infiltrated their product line. The easiest way to safeguard against these is to be wary of items that are too cheap to be true and to be circumspect about buying from individuals on internet auction sites rather than registered companies with a trading history and reputation. Some brands, such as Diamond Lamps, are manufacturer-endorsed as being from genuine supply lines. It is recommended that if you don’t buy the OEM lamp, you seek out endorsed brands such as these.

Strictly speaking the above dialogue is about lamps, but to give a full covering of the options available, some channels will sell you a bulb only solution. As with all the categories above the quality will vary according to the bulb you are supplied and you might be lucky enough to get a genuine identical replacement for a very good price. Counterfeit bulbs are more prevalent than counterfeit lamps, where the burner in an original housing has been changed (as described above) or false markings put on the bulb. As with counterfeit lamps, be sure of the source and if it’s too cheap, be suspicious as it may be more than just the cost of a bulb you’re risking; it could be your projector, your reputation (if you’re a reseller) and even your health!

The key drawback in bulb only solutions is that you need to change the bulb in the cage yourself, so get your wrenches and screw drivers out! In many cases this is quite straightforward though the cages don’t have much ‘give’ on them as they weren’t designed for refurbishment, so be careful not to break any part. Our strong recommendation is to take a long look at the old unit before you buy and maybe even take it apart if you no longer use it to see how it goes together. Just remember that there are some seriously high voltages going on around here, so please be careful.