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3M MP8745, 180W Projector Lamp

An old projector that is still kicking around and rates well among its users is the 3M MP8745 LCD projector. The main features behind the MP8745 when it first was being marketed to the world back in 2002 was its brightness and its picture-in-picture mode.

The 3M MP8745 uses an unconventional 190W projector lamp that distributes just enough power to provide 1500 ANSI lumens. The lumens that most manufacturers provide are the sweet spots of brightness that more than likely are located in the middle of the image. It is a number that represents the best possible environment with the brightest part of the screen.

The important thing to note about the MP8745, and this is probably why it was so expensive when it came out ($7500 US), is that the lumens is more of an average. This means that you get better consistency for brightness spread over the entire image, making the MP8745 and incredibly bright machine.

The components used to reflect the light through the chassis of the projector are surely high quality. This minimizes the light that is lost due to inefficiencies and defects in the architecture of the projector.

The contrast is nothing to brag about with a ratio of 200:1, but the resolution is pretty solid with XGA quality picture. We have to keep in mind that it is after all an LCD projector that was built in 1999, so as long as you don’t pay an arm and a leg for it today, you still are getting away with a pretty good deal.

Lamp life is a little short, enduring 1500 hours of use, but replacing a lamp should be inexpensive considering companies like www.myprojectorlamps.com sell the lamp for $274.99. To make sure you get the most out of the lamp, I would almost be certain that you should keep the machine running in regular mode and not eco-mode. The reason behind this is efficiency, and you can check out an article from the past about this issue.

The key idea that drove the sales for the MP8745 was its option for picture-in-picture. Even today, there are not many projectors that offer this feature. The reason for this is that most people don’t even use this feature. The thing is, those people who use picture-in-picture, use it a lot.

I remember when I first got my television with PIP, I used it all the time to watch two or three shows at once, and eliminating commercials. Ever since TIVO, people have been less concerned with PIP and more concerned with their schedule.

Overall, a pretty good projector for the right buyer who wants the machine to last.