Rear Projection Television Lamp

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Rear Projection Television

What Does a Rear Projection Television Lamp Do?

What Does a Rear Projection Television Lamp Do?

In a rear projection television, the cathode ray tube or LCD chip creates the image, but the lamp provides the light that allows the image to be projected onto a lens or series of lenses, which then project the image onto a larger screen without reducing quality.

Unlike some front projectors, most rear projection televisions have one lamp for all three colors (red, blue, and green), rather than one lamp for each of the three colors used to create the image.

The quality, age, and maintenance of the lamp influence the brightness of the image once it's displayed on the screen. Most rear projection televisions include settings that allow you to control the brightness of the lamp. Some users have experienced a reduction in black levels because RPTV lamps provide even light. Reducing the brightness from the showroom setting to the standard setting may correct this. It will also extend the life of the lamp.

Unfortunately, like many fluorescent bulbs and standard lightbulbs, the rear projection television lamp's brightness may decrease with time. It's also possible that the lamp will fail without warning. Without the lamp, you won't be able to view any images on the screen. If your rear projection television is your only television and the lamp is nearing the end of the manufacturer's indicated life, you may want to order a replacement bulb so you'll have it on hand when the lamp fails.