The Difference Between OEM, Original, Equivalent, & Compatible Lamps

The difference between these lamps is mainly due to the manufacturer of the lamp and lamphousing.

What is an OEM Lamp?

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. This is the exact same lamp and housing that originally came with your projector and was built specifically forthe projector's manufacturer. Projector manufacturers usually do not producethe lamps themselves; the actual lamp manufacturer is normally either Osram, Philips, or Ushio. The projector manufacturer contracts one of these companies to manufacture the lamps, which are then delivered to the projector factory and shipped with your original projector or stocked to be later sold as replacements.

OEM lamps aregenerally considered the highest quality lamps you can buy. Unfortunately, OEM lamps are the most expensive option and have the shortest warranty, usually 90days or 500 hours. OEM Lamps are also technically the only lamps that won't violate the terms of your projector's manufacturer’s warranty. Inreality, projector manufacturers will almost never refuse to honor your warranty because of the use of a non-OEM replacement lamp, but it is possibleif a defective lamp was the actual cause of projector damage.

 What is an Original orDiamond Lamp?

An Original Lamp is very similar to an OEM Lamp, and the terms are often confused. The differenceis that these lamps use a housing manufactured by a third party, but the lamppart itself is the same as the OEM. These lamps are not specifically produced for the projector manufacturer, but rather produced to be sold by replacement lamp resellers.

Original lamps often have a brand name to differentiate themselves in the market. Original lamps are less expensive than OEM lamps, and generally include a longer warranty, most often 90-120 days.

 What is an OEME quivalent Lamp?

An OEM Equivalent Lamp is an exact replica of the OEM lamp but manufactured by a company other than Osram, Philips, Ushio, etc. These lamps are also placed in a third party constructed housing.

Equivalent lampsare significantly less expensive, but are expected to have roughly the same quality construction and specifications as the OEM lamp.

 What is a Compatibleor Copy Lamp?

Equivalent and Compatible Lamps are often confused. In general, low quality Equivalent Lamps (made by a third party) are referred to as Compatible or Copy Lamps.These lamps will work in your projector, but are not made to the same specification as an OEM, Original or OEM Equivalent Lamp. They may have a short usable life and/or have a lower brightness. Price and warranty varies by reseller, but these lamps are generally very cheap and often include a long warranty (150-180 days) to help offset the low quality.