So, I picked up an Acer x163w for $79, my fresnels and lens are B/O and I just got my Evercool fan. I've been trying to decide on the light source. My screen will only be 80-85" and the space will always be dark so I have options. I really like the idea of the 250W UHP but the bulbs are supposed to have an operating temperature of, like 900C. I don't know how that compares with the HID MH T15. Does anyone know if I'm looking at serious cooling issues here? And, if possible, can someone tell me if the prices on the site below are "too good to be true". I don't want to buy a bulb and ballast and have it blow up on me in two days. Thanks.

[Sorry, but Lumenlab does not allow links to websites selling products in direct competition]

P.S. I've been lurking for months, reading, reading, reading... I did a google search of the forum first but couldn't find what I was looking for.

if you use it in a normal setup ie. spherical reflector/lamp/precon - then you should be ok with normal cooling setup.

If you decide to get a single ended lamp and use it in a halogen reflector (like Emil from German community) or an ellipsoidal reflector, then you're going to need a much stronger cooling setup as more light will be concentrated at the screen (and thus more heat gets concenrated)

Thanks giorgaki. I may be skipping the precon as it would mean I'd have to reorder another collimator fresnel and lengthen my box. I don't have a lot of room as it is. Other than that, yes, I'd be using a double ended bulb with a spherical reflector (cold mirror). Just out of curiosity, does anyone know the operating temperature of the T15?

I have same questions as you. Now I find much more light source options
As far as I know, this 250W UHP is quite reliable and efficient (actually they are used as the kernal of stage lamps). But to design a cooling system for it (since the size is much smaller the 400W HQI) may be a challenge...

The operating temp isn't the problem, it's the amount of heat energy that the lamp gives off.

A 250W lamp takes 250W of power. There's only 2 ways for the lamp to dissipate power. Light and heat. So if you put 250W of electricity to it, you get 250W of light and heat out of it. Frankly, most of this is heat.

However, when you consider that the "standard" cooling system is meant to deal with 400W lamps, then you know right off the bat that you're dealing with much less, so you'll be fine.