Do you have a projector with a lamp in your home theater? If so, now will be a perfect time to stock up on replacement bulbs, as regulations prohibiting the manufacture and sale of products containing mercury, including lamps used in projectors, will soon come into effect.
As reported on flatpanelshd (via rehders.de), EU regulation 2023/2049, which will come into force on January 1, 2026, prohibits the manufacture and import of products containing mercury. And while the new law primarily targets light bulbs used in home and commercial settings, it also applies to ultra-high-performance (UHP) projector lamps. Projectors using UHP lamps will no longer go on sale in the EU once the regulations are enacted, and owners will not be able to purchase replacement bulbs for their lamp-based projectors.
Many of the best 4K projectors that have come out in recent years use a laser or LED light source. One advantage they have over UHP lamps is that they last over 20,000 hours, which is the typical lifespan of a projector. UHP lamps, on the other hand, need to be replaced every 2000-4000 hours on average to maintain the projector's standard brightness level.
Several manufacturers, such as Epson, BenQ, and Optoma, still offer traditional lamp projectors in their lineups, and that's mainly because UHP lamps can provide high brightness at an affordable price. Lamp-based projectors are also widely used in business and educational settings for the same reason. On the other hand, high-end home theater offerings from projector brands like Sony and JVC have mostly transitioned to laser-based light engines, which can also be found in the best ultra-short throw projectors.
Although the upcoming regulations on mercury-based products are limited to the EU, projector manufacturers will likely stop producing new lamp-based projectors as the market for those models shrinks. And the same situation will apply to UHP lamp manufacturers, who will no longer be able to sell replacement lamps in EU countries.
Analysis: Do new EU regulations spell doom for lamp-based projectors?
With new regulations soon to come into effect, it's hard to imagine projector manufacturers moving forward with producing new lamp-based models. The ban on UHP lamps may be limited to the EU, but there have also been global conventions advocating for an international ban on products with mercury, which is used in fluorescent lighting.
In the United States, Vermont and California have already enacted bans on CFLs (compact fluorescent lights), and several other states are considering the same. Clearly, the future of mercury-based lighting is a failure, an increasing health hazard due to improper disposal of fluorescent lamps, which often end up in landfills.
Unfortunately, any ban on projector lamps will mean that another item will end up in landfills: projectors. Home theater projectors have been steadily shifting toward laser-based light engines, while portable models typically use eco-friendly LED lamps. If you bought a projector in the last five years, there's a good chance it uses one of those technologies.
However, home theater projectors manufactured before 2020 are likely to use UHP lamps, and any regulations prohibiting the sale of replacement bulbs will effectively turn those models into doorstops. Lamp-based projectors can be found in many boardrooms and universities, and all of those projectors will need to be replaced.
There is no doubt that removing hazardous materials such as mercury from the environment is a positive development for public health and that we will all benefit from it. However, if you live in the EU and own an expensive home cinema projector with a lamp, you will understandably be upset and look to stock up on replacement bulbs.
