Projector Lamp - Why prices are so different??

Sony is the OEM one, the others are probably aftermarket. Don't see where it says original Sony on the example. You can tell the lamp looks physically slightly different. The sony one has 4x screws on the front, the one on the site you listed has just indents, white vs black screws. I would just get aftermarket, can get like 5 of them for the price of the original.

Why the price difference? Because Sony can buy generic bulbs and mark them up by putting their name on it. They likely are getting the "pick of the litter" from the bulbs, but they'll be virtually identical.

I'd definitely go for the aftermarket bulb, but I'd try to be sure I could return it if fitment isn't good. Performance wise, assuming it fits, they'll be identical.

vivmk20 wrote: ↑While on other websites it ranges from 90-130. They all are saying it is original Sony.

Here is one example -

https://www.projectorlampsworld.ca/sony ... gJpQfD_BwE

Should I go for it?

That one doesn't say original Sony anywhere in the ad. That, and the price, guarantees it's not OEM Sony.

ChubChub wrote: ↑ Why the price difference? Because Sony can buy generic bulbs and mark them up by putting their name on it. They likely are getting the "pick of the litter" from the bulbs, but they'll be virtually identical.

I'd definitely go for the aftermarket bulb, but I'd try to be sure I could return it if fitment isn't good. Performance wise, assuming it fits, they'll be identical.

No. Aftermarket bulbs in general are significantly worse quality. They tend to last shorter periods (as in less than half expected life span), but worse, they also often have lower light output, or can be slightly off colour, and some can even have flickering issues. For a projector for movies at home, this is a significant concern. Plus, the housing often fits a bit differently, because they don't use OEM housing either.

That said, IMO it's usually not worth it to pay 4X the price for the OEM bulb. I'd pay say $100 more for OEM, but not $400 more. It also depends on how much the projector is worth.

EDIT:

BTW, in the end I just gave up on projectors altogether. Back in 2018, I sold my Sony VPL-HW45ES and bought an LG 65" C8 OLED and I am much happier. I miss the bigger screen size a bit, but I sit closer now, and I'll eventually buy a 77" OLED when the prices drop. The image on the OLED is just sooooooooo much better.

It sucks having to buy OEM bulbs but it is the way to go. I had an old optoma projecter and bought aftermarket bulbs. The first one ($90) i bought the projector would run for 30 seconds and go to bulb fault and shutdown. Returned via Amazon. Second bulb ($130) wouldn't even turn on. Again Returned via Amazon. Ended up buying a new projector. OEM bulb was 1/2 the price of a brand new projector.

Advice is if you are going to buy aftermarket bulb make sure you buy it via Amazon in case you need to return.

Thanks @singhrh @EugW @ChubChub @eblend for your inputs.