Not all manufacturers offer the same kind of warranty. Before you buy, you may want to check what type of warranty your projector comes with and whether it can be extended. There are three basic types:

• 'Return to base'
  
  Return to base warranties are the most basic and the most common. In the event of a problem, the projector needs to be returned to the local service centre. It will be repaired, usually within two to three weeks, and then sent back to you. Some manufacturers are quicker to make repairs, but the turnaround time is always subject to stock of the relevant spare parts. If they're out of stock, it can take an indefinite amount of time to make a repair. For this reason, we recommend that if you rely on your projector you should purchase a warranty upgrade.

 
• 'Repair-or-replace'
  
  This warranty is only offered as standard by NEC. In the event of a problem with your projector, Projectorpoint or NEC will attempt to resolve the problem over the phone. If it cannot be resolved, an NEC technician will visit you on site the next working day. If he cannot repair the projector on site he will leave you with a replacement.

 
• 'Swap-out'
  
  If you have a projector problem that cannot be resolved over the phone, a replacement projector will be despatched to you and your projector will be collected. You retain the replacement projector. This is nearly always carried out on a next working day basis, although sometimes it is subject to stock of replacement projectors of a similar specification.

Length of warranty

An average warranty is two years, although as projectors become more reliable, more and more manufacturers are offering three year warranties.

Warranty upgrades

If your projector comes with less than a three year warranty as standard, it can normally be extended to three or four years, or a 'return to base' warranty can be replaced with a warranty that offers a better service level. To see the options available, see the detailed projector summaries in the Buy section.

Lamps and cables

As far as we are aware, none of the manufacturers' projector warranties will cover the lamps and cables for whole of the warranty period. Lamps normally come with a 60 or 90 day warranty, as they are subject to knock damage. Please contact us if you would like information on a specific manufacturer's policy on lamps.

Physical damage

Warranties do not cover damage from physical knocks. They basically cover the components of the projector (apart from the lamp and cables) from physical defects.

'Dead on arrival'

If you report a fault with a projector within the first seven days of it arriving, a replacement will be despatched to you. With some projectors the faulty unit needs to be collected before the new unit is despatched.