Replacement Bulb... HELP!

Hello everyone I thought this would be a great place to start to get a possible answer. I have a Mitsubishi HC1500. I bought this bad boy last year with the all mighty tax return. Well I get some solid use out of atleast 8 hours a day. Well with a 2000 hour bulb I figured I'd be replacing this bulb once a year around tax return time no biggie. Well now I get the message on every time I turn it on saying "Bulb approaching shut down. Replace bulb soon." Well it still works but I want to get a replacement as soon as possible.


SO my question to the experienced community is can I simply buy a replacement BULB (cheaper) or do I have to dish out the big bucks and buy the whole LAMP setup that includes a new housing for the bulb... It seems pretty dumb to spend 250.00+ to get a bulb and a new housing when I can buy the bulb alone for 150.00 and simply put it in the old housing... Am I right in understanding this or is one of those things the projector companies made difficult for the masses in order to make an extra buck.

IF I can simply replace the bulb alone does anyone know what bulb I need to get, like a part number and any special instructions, like do I need to do anything crazy like saudering? Sorry to be such a cheap noob but I was prepared to spend a tax return to replace the bulb never thought it would reach burnout in a mere 7 months... Thanks again.

[lcaillo]

Just get the raw lamp, but make sure that it is the identical OEM lamp, not a generic replacement. Do not buy it off of ebay. There are lots of reputable dealers as alternatives.