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What is the Best Projector Warranty Available in 2023?
- BenQ
- 2023-11-14
We’ll dig into the fine print of the warranties from market leading projector brands to see what is covered for popular projectors.
According to Futuresource the average projector used in a business cost over $2000 in the United States. But what does a typical projector warranty cover – and who has the best warranty available today for a mainstream business projector? We’ll take a look at some of the market-leading brands and models and break down these elements.
BenQ provides a three-year warranty on all projectors - regardless of the model. Schools and companies can upgrade the warranty to a five-year one for an additional charge. For Epson projectors, the warranty will vary by model. For example, while the PowerLite EB-L630U has a three-year limited warranty, the lower-priced PowerLite X49 only has two years, and the EX11000 business laser projector only has a one-year warranty.
Most business products are designed for heavier use than consumer products. However many projectors have warranties that have significant usage or environmental limitations that can void the warranty. For example, many BenQ projectors are rated for 24/7 use – making them ideal for classroom and commercial applications without warranty risk. But the warranty for most Epson projectors including the EX11000 can be voided for “excessive” or “continual” use. The warranty on the Sharp/NEC PE456USL states that the warranty can be voided if you use it “in excess of 12 hours per day and 260 days per year.” For Panasonic “warranty does not cover damage which occurs to the projector, or its components caused by excessive continual usage, in excess of 12 hours a day for more than 5 consecutive days per week. These usage limitations are often overlooked and discovered after something goes wrong.
If you have a projector mounted over 6 feet in the air – any maintenance required to keep the warranty valid is going to be a hassle – and require a ladder. Every BenQ laser and 4LED powered projector has a sealed engine that eliminates the need for filter maintenance as well as replacement lamps. But in 2023, many of the most popular projector brands still have filters that need to be cleaned to avoid invalidating the warranty for “neglect.” Here are some of the maintenance requirements found in the user manual or other online locations for popular business projectors.
Sony VPL-FH780 – The manual states that “when the message that prompts cleaning the air filter appears, clean the air filter.” But how often does the message appear – and how often should you plan to clean or replace the filter? Of course, it will vary per installation but Full Swing Golf, who uses and supports Sony projectors for their golf simulators, recommends that the filters be cleaned every month when in a commercial installation.
NEC/Sharp PE456USL – clean filters regularly – timer set at 1000 hours. According to an NEC article in Technology for Worship, this is a general rule for NEC laser and lamp projectors.
Panasonic PT-Z580 – filters should be washed and dried when dirty and replaced every 7000 hours. Filters can only be washed twice during the 7000 hours period.
Epson EX11000 – Clean filters when dirty or there is a message using a small vacuum designed for computers or a very soft brush.
Ever since Sony discontinued their commercial cinema projector line, people have been asking about the imaging chip used in a projector. According to this article, one reason that these projectors were discontinued was that the liquid crystal technology used in the projector could not hold color. BenQ projectors all use the same DLP technology that is used in commercial cinemas today – without the risk of color fading or turning yellow. Texas Instruments warranties the DLP chip for 100,000 hours of use.
The top projector brands have different ways of providing support for professional projectors. For BenQ business projectors you can email the company – or simply call them at 888-512-2367. BenQ uses automated customer feedback scoring systems to monitor the quality of their support. While all the brands offer email support, some brands can charge for certain services, such as Sony where you need to subscribe to get access to technical manuals or other documents – and depending on the number of users these subscriptions can cost up to $4200 per year.
With dozens of projector brands and hundreds of models, it is difficult to compare all projector warranties. But let’s look at popular business projector models from market leading brands. Here is a breakdown of the warranty for the top selling business projector models in 2023.
|
BenQ LH730 |
Epson EX11000 |
Panasonic PT-Z580 |
NEC PE456USL |
Sony VPL-FHZ80 |
Warranty Length | BenQ LH730 3 Years | Epson EX11000 1 Year | Panasonic PT-Z580 3 Years | NEC PE456USL 3 Years | Sony VPL-FHZ80 3 Years |
Rated for 24/7 Use | BenQ LH730 Yes | Epson EX11000 No | Panasonic PT-Z580 No | NEC PE456USL No | Sony VPL-FHZ80 No |
Warranty Use Limitations | BenQ LH730 None | Epson EX11000 Can be voided for “excessive” or “continual” use | Panasonic PT-Z580 Can be voided for “excessive” use over 12 hours per day and 5 consecutive days per week | NEC PE456USL Can be voided for “excessive” use over 12 hours per day and 260 days per year | Sony VPL-FHZ80 None |
Maintenance Required for warranty support | BenQ LH730 Maintenance Free | Epson EX11000 Regular Filter Cleaning to avoid overheating | Panasonic PT-Z580 Regular Filter Cleaning and replacement after 2 cleanings or 7000 hours | NEC PE456USL Regular Filter Cleaning every -suggested every 1000 hours | Sony VPL-FHZ80 Filter Cleaning – as often as every month depending on use |
Imager Warranty | BenQ LH730 Texas Instruments DLP Chip – 100,000 hours | Epson EX11000 None | Panasonic PT-Z580 None | NEC PE456USL None | Sony VPL-FHZ80 None |
Phone Support | BenQ LH730 Yes 888-512-2367 | Epson EX11000 Only while in 1 year warranty | Panasonic PT-Z580 Yes | NEC PE456USL Yes | Sony VPL-FHZ80 With White Glove subscription |
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