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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Topic: Extended Warranty - General Question
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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!
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Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 01-19-2014 04:26 AM
The key here is that you DO sock the money away...you WILL start to use that fund, trust me.
A typical repair bill on a DCinema is going to be thousands, not hundreds. Series 2 projectors are now starting to be 4 years old (first ones hit the streets in 2010)...the vast majority have not had any issues or if their was infant mortality, the issues were addressed early in their life. So it is a game of odds. That said, some have failed and we are starting to see the failure rate rise with age (not huge but enough to take note when someone is hit with a $5000 module replacement).
Another thing to keep in mind is that these projector companies don't repair most or anything after the warranty expires...your only choice is to buy a new module. So the cost isn't going to be cheap. If you really lose, the thing that fails is the light engine and now you are into a $20,000 bill (or there abouts). That is a BIG expense to have hit you all of the sudden. I believe they all will repair light engines but you have to send it away for it to be repaired...you'll be down for that. Or, you could buy a new one, send yours out and when it gets repaired, have a spare on the shelf for the next one. What are you going to do if it is just a stuck pixel? What is the threshold for "good enough" when it is your money on the line?
As you have noted, extended warranties get expensive FAST. If you think of your projector as a 10-year life cycle (typically the longest you can get a warranty for)...then you have to figure what you would spend in 10-years in warranty versus what you would spend repairing the projector in 10 years. I would say that the odds you will have a light engine fail or have a show compromising issue is high between the two machines in 10 years time. However, if you bought two projectors worth of warranty for 8 years (presuming you started with a factory 2-year)...you would have spend $40K on warranty to protect yourself from a single light engine failure and maybe a couple of modules. It would have been a better deal to just buy one. They only way you "win" is if you end up having both fail and perhaps a module or two.
Really, I see extended warranties as only protecting single screeners and maybe twins as the cost of them are just too high for larger quantities. Heck, you'd be better off just buying a spare projector to rob parts off if you had 3 screens or more rather than buying a warranty for all three.
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Marcel Birgelen
Film God
Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 01-19-2014 10:56 AM
I haven't checked myself, but I'm wondering: Is any of those extended warranties actually covering something like a single stuck sub-pixel?
Even a single stuck "sub"-pixel in the "on" position, on any odd 2K machine is a major distraction in every dark scene, especially if it happens somewhere in the middle of the picture. And with age, the chance of hitting on one is only increasing.
quote: Carsten Kurz The bulb manufacturer/his insurance. At least for parts.
And do they pay right away or do you first need to file a compliant and wait until their insurance clears the case?
quote: Steve Guttag Really, I see extended warranties as only protecting single screeners and maybe twins as the cost of them are just too high for larger quantities. Heck, you'd be better off just buying a spare projector to rob parts off if you had 3 screens or more rather than buying a warranty for all three.
Although I agree with this, it obviously only works if all of the projectors are of the same type. Many multi-screen venues around here did a "tiered upgrade", moving their older Series 1 projectors to smaller screens, while upgrading their larger screens with a Series 2 projector. In some odd cases it's even a multi-vendor situation. Like they started with a Barco DP100 to not miss the Digital 3D train, but switched to either Christie or Sony for their remaining screens later on, once it became clear that 35mm was going the way of the dodo.
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Mark Kosinski
Film Handler
Posts: 2
From: Chillicothe, IL, USA
Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 01-19-2014 06:08 PM
I really appreciate everyone's input. I am going to do a lot more investigation into what the extended warranty would cover, etc. Since we have until the end of summer with the factory warranty, I wanted to get a head start on what the general consensus is toward extended warranties.
Our board has done a great job separating out $ for maintenance and other type of issues such as that. We found ourselves in a very difficult position with the original purchasing of the digital equipment. We were not in a position to spend $120,000+ for upgrading the two theatres. Luckily, we have a pretty amazing community. Our city council funded the project at 2% interest and contributed $50,000 to help. Just a couple months ago, we paid off 3 yrs of the 5 year loan. We have also managed to give away nearly $15,000 over each of the past 3 years to local youth programs. That number will hopefully skyrocket when we have the projectors paid of in a year or two and the mortgage paid off in 7 yrs.
I will re-post when I get more info about the warranty and exact model numbers of the projectors. Again, I appreciate everyone's help.
Mark
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