After many years experimenting with and learning about home theaters, it is hard not to interject some personal experience into the subject matter sometimes. When I was a teenager, I was piecing together my first home theater projector. I had a state of the art front projector that took up fully two thirds of my bedroom. Intellivision was a modern marvel with 64bit video game technology. Only one thing was lacking, I was buying a new stereo to complete the home theater experience.

There was no way I could have afforded a brand new stereo, but I did, with some patience and searching, I found some demonstration models that were within my meager budget. I completed my first home theater system when I was about 16. Is the demo model still a viable option though? And will it work for home theater projectors in the same fashion?

A fair discount is often given to the purchaser of a demo model. This is done mostly due to the fact that the demo model has indeed been used to a certain extent. While this may not be an issue for some audio and visual equipment, it is necessary to look at the whole picture before deciding if this is the right way to purchase a home projector.

Obviously you must decide if the projector will fit your personal needs. What kind of media display does it offer? Will it be suitable for mounting in your home? Will the cables be included? Is there still any warranty left on the projection unit? Is the projection screen included with the projector? This last part can be especially important since you can be assured that the screen and the projector are fully compatible if the unit has been displayed in the store.

Once all these questions have been answered, even if they are all answered favorably, it is necessary to look at what may be considered the most important two factors to consider when looking at demo models.

The first question to ask is what is the discounted price? While this is usually around ten percent, frequently an otherwise demanding store may be open to negotiations. The second very important question is to get an idea of how much the projector has been run. By knowing this simple fact, you can ascertain roughly how much bulb life will still be in the headlamp.

While it may seem silly to haggle over a light bulb, projector lamps can be a very expensive replacement part, usually costing between a couple of hundred and five hundred dollars each. Is any discount in the price of the home theater projector going to be outweighed by the purchase of a new bulb in the next few months?

With some careful searching and a little patience, a demo model is an excellent and affordable opportunity for the home theater enthusiast, just be careful and remember not only what to look, but what the relevant questions are when you are shopping this way.