I do not think that any of the projector manufacturers have "reasonably priced" bulbs. The reason for this is probably as follows. 1. In order for the projector to be practical for anything other than an almost pitch-black room, particularly those designed for larger screens, the bulb has to be REALLY brigt (so much so that looking directly into the lens is bad for your eyes, but y would u do that anyway!) Would you rather buy enough curtains to cover every window in your living room completely (and possibly install doors in un-covered doorways) or use a better bulb and not have to worry about this as much? 2. The bulb needs to not only be bright, but also to last a long time. Projectors are frequently mounted on the ceiling. If they used cheaper technology in bulbs that were bright, having the projector mounted ANYWHERE, (as opposed to just sitting on the table) let alone on the ceiling would be totally impractical because you would have to dismantle the thing to replace the bulbs every 2 weeks. Think of it this way- would you rather replace a $20 bulb every 2 weeks, or a $200 dollar bulb every year! 3. in order for the projector to be compact and easily transportable, the bulb cannot "burn" very hot. If the bulb generated a lot of heat, either the projector itself would have a shortened lifespan, leading to having to replace the WHOLE PROJECTOR (or perform expensive repairs), or it would have a behemoth fan, which would make the projector much less transportable, and harder to mount on the ceiling, and if you put it on a shelf you had better hope it's built like a tank! :) Some people take projectors with them on business trips so that they can do presentation. Imagine having to carry a projector that had a fan the size of your average desk fan to a presentation! :)

From what I've read, Epson has the cheapest projector bulbs I've seen- still somewhat pricey, but below $200. However, you should also try to find out how long the bulb actually lasts when looking at projectors- replacing a relatively low cost bulb MORE OFTEN may end up costing as much, or more than, replacing the more expensive bulbs LESS often- so look not only at the price, but at the bulb life-especially if you're planning on mounting the projector. The bulbs become dimmer with use, and the life may just be when it's noticably darker than usual, not when the bulb actually burns out. When it's on it's last legs so to speak, most newer projectors will give you some kind of warning- a flashing light on the projector, or even showing "please replace the lamp" on the screen.

I have an Electrohome ECP2000. It has 3 CRT's and no bulbs to burn out. The disadvantage is that it is big and weighs about 100 lbs. I also have a Proxima 2750, the bulbs are $10-$20 and only are rated 50 hours. That's why i use the Electrohome mostly, no bulbs to go bad.

you can try and look in http://projectorlampsworld.com they have a wide variety of lamps.

I bought a projector on sale and have had to replace the bulb and they are expensive, but I bought a warranty so the cost of the bulb is covered for several years. The warranty alreay paid for itself, I suggest you get one when you buy your projector.

I was in the same situation as you a few years ago, thinking a projector might be the way to go, but after considering the cost of the screen (not cheap for a good one) and the nuisance of mounting it, and the cost of the bulb and the fact that the two technologies at the time (DLP, and LCD) had various drawbacks, I went with an LCD monitor and have been very happy with the result. The projectors have dropped in price since then, but the bulbs are still spendy. Eventually, perhaps, there will be laser or superbright LED-based projectors on the market, and these will have very long lifetimes, and run much cooler than halogen bulbs. But I don't think they are available today. Another thing you may not have thought of is that projectors typically don't come with tuners. So you'd have to use some source of input like a DVD player, cable box, etc. You won't be able to watch over-the-air broadcasts, for example, without a separate box of some sort. My recommendation is to get a good LCD TV. You will be very happy with it, I'm sure.