It is usually recommended that manufacturer’s originals, rather than unbranded copies, are used when replacing Hitachi projector lamps. Poorly produced alternatives are often short-lived, thus negating any savings you’ve made. Worse still, they can be dangerous.

Hitachi projector lamps are subject to very high levels of quality control. This is essential when you consider how projector lamps are made. The bulb contains mercury vapour, which is contained under pressure. Imagine the prospects if this glass suddenly exploded, releasing its contents into the air (or worse still, into the face of the person using it); Hitachi projector lamps have a lifetime guarantee against such things happening.

Projectors can be expensive to repair when they go wrong; luckily, replacing the lamp is one of the few maintenance projects users can undertake themselves.

You should remember that a projector lamp is far more than just a bulb. Hitachi projector lamps are sold as a unit which comprises several elements. These include an ARC tube containing highly pressurised mercury vapour; a quartz reflector, fittings and wiring and the external housing. This is only a very simple outline; the current that activates the mercury vapour, for example, is regulated by electrical ballasts, which supply exactly the right voltage to ignite and sustain the bulb’s output while in use.

Original components are made of top quality materials and manufactured to exacting standards. The reflector, for example, is a hard quartz globe lined with highly reflective material. To hold the ARC tube in place, the base is filled with extra-strength caulking material. The mercury vapour in the arc tube is compressed at ultra-high pressure to exactly the right level. All this means expensive technology and a team of expert engineers and scientists, whose role is to ensure the mercury vapour will ignite correctly, and that the tubes, reflectors and wiring assembly are structurally sound.

Hitachi projector lamps vary in their output of lumens. This means machinery must be recalibrated for each specific model - precise calibration is essential. The highly specialised nature of manufacturing and the cost of the production machinery and materials, means there are very few manufacturers of high-quality Hitachi projector lamps in the world.

However, this does not mean you are stuck with buying a "manufacturer’s own" labelled product. There are online companies selling both manufacturers’ originals and alternative lamps for the same projector models. The bulbs and other working parts can be manufactured to the same quality standards as the originals. In fact, in many cases the bulb is the same – it’s simply the housing, packaging and non-working hardware that are different. "Unbranded" bulbs are often made by known professional lighting manufacturers such as Phillips or Osram.

Provided you go to a trusted and reputable retailer, it is possible to buy copycat Hitachi projector lamps which are every bit as good as the manufacturer’s original. Those worried about invalidating their projector’s warranty can rest assured that neither copyright nor warranty is affected in any way.