For a long time, projector owners had no choice but to buy replacement Sanyo projector lamps from the manufacturer via their high street retailer, or by post. This was a slow and expensive exercise. Also, there were a lot of Sanyo projector lamps to choose from, meaning only the most popular models were kept in stock. You might have to wait for weeks until your lamp came in.

Two things have happened recently to change this. The first was the arrival of online stores. These are usually free from the confinements of storage depots and warehouses, and can order Sanyo projector lamps – plus numerous other brands - direct from the wholesaler. The second was the rise in manufacturers supplying genuine, quality alternatives to Sanyo’s own lamps. These are made to the same high standards as the originals, and in fact are often purchased from the same OEM.

OEM means original equipment manufacturer. Owing to the highly specialised nature of the product, there are only a handful of faculties making projector lamps across the globe. Each will supply a number of companies, such as Sanyo, Toshiba, Sony etc, working from the blueprints supplied by those companies. They also supply lamps to o.

These products are not fakes. They are identical to the manufacturer’s originals in everything but name. Often, the same bulbs are used. Otherwise, a trusted name such as Osram or Phillips manufactures them. There are two types of Sanyo lamp: one is heavily marketed and boasts media-winning packaging. The other comes in a plain wrapper without the frills. But either way, inside the box is a Sanyo-quality product.

So, why are projector lamps so special? They are sold as an integrated unit, comprising a number of delicate and specialised components. The key to all this is an ARC tube filled with mercury vapour at very high pressure. This is ignited and then maintained by a complicated system of electrical ballasts, designed to give optimum light without risk of the bulb overheating or exploding. Pressurisation of the bulb and calibration of the ballasts is subject to intense quality control in both Sanyo original, and alternative brand lamps.

The one thing you must be sure of, when looking for value Sanyo lamps online, is to go to a supplier selling both branded originals and alternative replacements. These suppliers are authorised dealers for Sanyo (although always check) and will never knowingly sell fake, badly manufactured bulbs. Avoid any site that is selling so-called Sanyo projector lamps for ridiculously low prices. Making projector lamps is a precise and exact science; thus there has to be a "cut off point" price-wise.

Be particularly wary of very low cost "manufacturer’s originals" on sites not offering an alternative. They will tell you that, with prices this low, why would you want to buy Sanyo projector lamps from anyone but Sanyo themselves? The truth is they are not from the OEM that supplies Sanyo projector lamps. They most certainly are not manufacturer’s originals. At best, they are badly put together reconditioned items that are potentially dangerous to both you and your projector.