Running a projector safely for a month

I have an art show starting up in the next week or so, and am curious about the possibility of using a projector to display an interactive program for the duration. Problem is that the show will last for the entire month of October, and I don't see how a projector bulb could last that long. Does anyone know if displaying a blank, black screen will help save the bulb over time? I might be able to rig an Arduino and a distance sensor to "wake up" the piece when someone walks by, then go back to black when they leave.

Look into renting/buying ($200-300) an LED projector instead, no bulb to burn out.

Turning a bulb on and off too often will actually shorten the life of a bulb due to the repeated thermal shocks.

Darn. The show starts on Monday, and we don't have any money to buy or rent an LED projector for an entire month. Do you have any tips for getting a projector to last an entire month on one bulb? I don't expect traffic to be very heavy, so it might only need to be "on" for an hour or two per day.

h4t:
Darn. The show starts on Monday, and we don't have any money to buy or rent an LED projector for an entire month. Do you have any tips for getting a projector to last an entire month on one bulb? I don't expect traffic to be very heavy, so it might only need to be "on" for an hour or two per day.

Doesn't your projector have a "no signal bulb save" mode, where it shuts down the bulb for a period if it doesn't receive a signal...?

At least start with a fresh bulb ....