Lamp replacement question

Hey guys, I'm new so please excuse me if you've heard this question before. I have what I believe is a busted lamp in my friends Infocus X2 (I heard a firecracker type snapping sound as well as a little smoke coming from the lens). My question is do I have to replace the lamp with the specific lamp from the Infocus website, or can I buy a cheaper lamp and install it? Will doing that screw up my projector? Thanks for your time,


Josh

[Sonnie]

Hi Josh and welcome to the Shack!

You do not have to buy it from Infocus, but make sure you get a quality lamp.

You can check with our sponsor Discount-Merchant and see if they have a lamp that will work for you.

[lcaillo]

Just make sure it is the same lamp by matching the numbers on the outside of the bulb reflector. Be sure that it is the original Osram or Philips lamp and not a replacement from someone like LTI.

Thanks for the quick responses. So in essence, the exact model that Infocus offers on their website as the replacement lamp for my projector is not the only one that will work in my projector, is this correct?

[Sonnie]

I can't say that with absolute certainty (maybe Leonard can) because I don't know for sure if anyone else is making a bulb that will work for your projector. However, I would suggest it's probable that there are other options out there.

[lcaillo]

The lamp was likely made by Osram and you may be able to buy it from another source other than Infocus. You might find just the lamp without the housing for less money. You may also find some "replacement" lamps as opposed to OEM lamps. Those are the ones to avoid. You want the same lamp from the same manufacturer who originally supplied it to Infocus. Infocus is likely not the cheapest source for the lamp.