Buying Projector Lamps Online In The UK - What You Need to Know
UK consumers shopping for replacement projector lamps on the internet often have questions about the projector lamp modules they see for sale online. At Projector Lamp Experts UK we have been helping our customers with their projector lamp questions for many years. We know that due to the number of different websites with the large variety of different projector lamp products for sale, it can be difficult for UK consumers to determine whether or not a replacement projector lamp is genuine or not. From all the advice we have given UK projector lamp shoppers over the years, Projector Lamp Experts UK has put together the following guidelines to keep you up to date and aware when buying an LCD or DLP projector lamp or DLP television lamp on the web.
Take care to find out if the replacement lamp is a manufacturer original projector lamp complete with projector lamp housingMake sure you avoid bare projector lamps which come without projector lamp housingEnsure that your projector lamp or TV lamp comes with a proper lamp warrantyLook for projector manufacturer markings on the projector lamp or TV lamp boxLook for projector lamp manufacturer markings on the projector bulb itselfJust give Projector Lamp Experts UK a call if you need any advice that is not covered in these sections
If you need any information about buying a replacement projector lamp or TV lamp online that is not detailed in the sections below, you can always give Projector Lamp Experts UK a call at 0845 508 4482, and a UK specialist on replacement projector lamps can give you the information or advice you need. If you are unsure about anything before your projector lamp or TV lamp purchase, asking a couple of questions could save you time and money!
Take care to find out if the lamp is a manufacturer original projector or TV lamp with housing
Occasionally you may find that certain UK projector lamp websites are not clear or are even misleading when it comes to whether the replacement projector lamps they are supplying are original manufacturer projector lamps, and also whether these lamps are supplied with plastic projector lamp housing around them.
If you are unsure about whether a replacement TV lamp or projection lamp you have seen on a company's website is a genuine projector lamp or not, it is best to email or telephone the company in question and ask them before you buy the projector lamp. The company's telephone number and email address can usually be found on the contact details page of their website. Finding out these things before you buy the projector lamp may save you time and money because it could save you from needing to return the lamp after it has been posted to you.
If the company you are speaking to does not give you a clear answer you should be wary, and watch out for confusing or misleading wording. Remember that saying "this projector lamp is compatible with your Sony projector" could mean something different to "this lamp is manufactured by Sony."
At Projector Lamp Experts UK, our aim is to make sure that UK consumers are provided with as much projector lamp and TV lamp information as possible. Rather than discourage our UK customers from shopping for a better value projector lamp, Projector Lamp Experts UK provides a value alternative lamp option where one is available. If a projector has a value Alternative projector lamp available, the Alternative lamp can be found below the manufacturer original lamp on the Projector Lamp Experts UK website when you have selected your make and model of projector.
Look for projector manufacturer markings on the box of the projector lamp or TV lamp
When buying a projector lamp online, one of the most important things to take into consideration is whether the projector or TV lamp that you want to buy is a genuine original projector manufacturer's lamp, or if it is not a genuine lamp (a copy or compatible projector lamp). If you have doubts about whether you are buying an original projector lamp or one that is not genuine, one useful indicator can be if the projector lamp's packaging comes with projector manufacturer markings, or if the lamps are shipped in plain white or brown boxes with no projector manufacturer markings. Remember that the logo of the company you have purchased the projector lamp from does not count as a manufacturer marking. Projector manufacturers are, for example, Epson, Sony, NEC, Infocus, Sharp, Hitachi and LG).
If you think you may have been sent a lamp which is not an original manufacturer lamp, you should make sure to check the projector lamp box for stickers that might have been used to cover up markings from compatible lamp or copy projector lamp manufacturers, for example stickers that are put on the projector lamp box for shipping purposes. The picture of two projector lamp boxes below gives an example of how an online projector lamp supplier may use a sticker to cover up compatible or copy projector lamp manufacturer markings (left hand image). An original replacement projector or TV lamp will usually have the manufacturer's logo on the box, for example like the Sharp projector lamp below (right hand image).
Look for bulb manufacturer markings on the actual projector bulb itself
Replacement projector bulbs and TV bulbs that are made by the original manufacturer will most often have a projector lamp manufacturer code stamped on the bulb which can help you to identify which projector bulb company made the actual glass bulb inside the projector lamp.
An example of this manufacturer stamping is displayed in the image below with the three letter projector lamp manufacturer code UHP, which you can see stamped on the second line. The UHP code signifies that the projector bulb in this photograph is an original manufacturer projector lamp, because the lamp manufacturer code UHP is the one used by Phillips to identify its products.
There are a number of other original projector bulb manufacturer codes which can tell you who made the projector lamp in question, and whether or not the lamp is an original. For example, the bulb manufacturer code P-VIP means that the projector bulb was manufactured by a company called Osram. NSH and UMPRD indicate that the projector bulb was made by the projector bulb manufacturer Ushio. SHP indicates that the projector bulb was made by Phoenix. HSCR is the code stamped on projector bulbs made by Iwasaki, and the lamp manufacturer code HS denotes that the projector bulb is made by a company called Matsushita. Each of the major brands of DLP or LCD projector and DLP television use projector bulbs manufactured by one of the above projector bulb manufacturers, and this means that if your projector lamp does not have one of these lamp manufacturer codes printed on it, it could be that the projector lamp in question is not a genuine original lamp.
The projector lamp technicians at Projector Lamp Experts UK have written an informative article with further details and information about the companies which manufacture projector bulbs. You can read this section of the Projector Lamp Experts UK website by clicking on the link below.
Information about the manufacturers of projector bulbs
Avoid "bare projector lamps" which are supplied without projector lamp housing
The original manufacturing companies that manufacture projectors (for example Epson, NEC, Sony, Infocus and Panasonic) do not usually supply the replacement lamps for their projectors as a "bare bulb" i.e. a projector bulb without black plastic projector lamp housing around it. Projector lamp modules that have been refurbished with this sort of "bulb only" projector lamp have been linked with refurbishment issues such as the safety of the refurbished projector lamp, lamp performance and the risk of damage to the projector itself. Projector Lamp Experts UK is extremely concerned about the risks associated with refurbishing a projector lamp or TV lamp with a "bare bulb", and so we have compiled a special advice section of the Projector Lamp Experts UK website which is provided to make UK consumers more aware about the issues surrounding projector lamp refurbishment. You can access this information section by clicking on the link below:
The risks of bare bulb projector lamp refurbishment
Although the price tag can often be an important concern when shopping for a replacement projector lamp, there are much safer cost effective options available to you than refurbishing your projector lamp with a bare projector bulb. If you are a UK shopper looking for a cost effective replacement projector lamp solution, the Alternative Lamps section of the Projector Lamp Experts UK website will provide you with some information about how you can save money when buying projector lamps online in the UK.
The Alternative projector lamps supplied by Projector Lamp Experts UK are manufactured by a leading projector lamp manufacturing company. Every Alternative projector lamp is manufactured according to ISO9001 standards, and each Alternative projector lamp is tested fully for projector lamp brightness, projector bulb performance, and projector lamp life span. The special projector lamp warranty that is supplied with every Alternative projector lamp is increased to 90 days, and this Peace of Mind Warranty also protects you from damage to your projector equipment in the unlikely event an Alternative projector lamp should fail and cause any damage to projector. The Peace of Mind Warranty means that Projector Lamp Experts UK will replace your projector with a brand new projector of equal performance.
Ensure that the warranty you are getting with your projector lamp or TV lamp is a good one
Whenever you are purchasing a replacement projector or TV lamp online in the UK, it is always a good idea to check that the warranty that is being supplied with the replacement lamp for your LCD or DLP projector or TV is sufficient, and will cover you in case of lamp failure. If the warranty being supplied with the projector or TV lamp in question is a "no questions asked" warranty, this may not be sufficient to meet your needs, especially in the case of your projector or television being damaged by a lamp failure. The alternative projector lamps available for many LCD and DLP projectors and DLP television models at Projector Lamp Experts UK are unique in that they are the only projector lamps available in the UK which are supplied with a 90 day warranty that also protects your projector against damage due to lamp failure. Click here for the special Projector Lamp Experts UK section on projector lamp warranties.
If there is any further advice you need about buying a replacement projector lamp online, simply give Projector Lamp Experts UK a call
The projector and television lamp specialists at Projector Lamp Experts UK are always happy to give UK shoppers who need advice on replacement projector lamps the help they need to better understand the variety of different projector lamp products on the market. Projector Lamp Experts UK staff are Gold Level trained Certified Technology Specialists (as designated by InfoComm International). We can help you with any questions or concerns you may have about replacement projector or TV lamps. For more details on how to contact Projector Lamp Experts UK, please visit our Projector Lamp Experts UK contact details page.
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