I am glad that you are forward thinking about the life of your
projector. I suggest my quick write-up on
maintaining your projector.
As to your specific question,
DLP is often better with
haze/
smoke as long as they have sealed optics. Not every
DLP projector will have sealed optics, especially the more budget friendly ones. So, what does that really mean?
Smoke and
haze fluid will be drawn into the
projector by the cooling fans. It will deposit within the
projector and has two effects. First, it will potentially have an
effect on the optics, and this can dim or blur the
image. Secondly, the fluid will adhere to almost everything, also allowing dust to stick to everything. As with all electronics, heat is the enemy.
The burn through which you mentioned with
LCD projectors is actually inherent with that technology. It will be exacerbated through the addition of
haze/dust buildup (increased heat), but it is likely that you will see this with your
projector at some
point no matter what. This is due to the
LCD panels and polarizing filters absorbing the light radiation.
There are ways to minimize the effects of
haze/
smoke on your
projector. First, check with the manufacturer to see if they have filter kits. Some manufacturers who have projectors that are likely going to be in an entertainment setting know that there is the chance of contamination. They will sell additional filtration to minimize the effects of the
haze/
smoke. However, this does not mean that you will be impervious to its
effect. You should still provide regular maintenance. Alternatively, you might want to consider a separate enclosure with filtered air for the
projector if you are going to have it in too caustic of an environment.
I agree that solid state lighting will have less problems as they require less cooling. Additionally, if you are using a
projector that has liquid cooling of the optics, then there will be less needs for fans. Liquid cooling is usually only found on large
venue projectors with higher brightness than you are looking for.
So, your takeaway should be that you need to follow your manufacturers guidelines for properly maintaining the
projector and talk to your sales rep about additions to prevent damage from
haze.