All of a sudden one day the projector no longer has the same brightness it used to. Increasing the brightness on the controls does nothing. Does this mean the bulb is burning out? It has less then a 1,000 hours and is rated to last 3,000 hours. Has anyone had this problem and how did you fix it?

I have an oppotunity to purchase a new Sony VPL-VW50 for $1500. From the specs and the forums I've read, the projector looks great and it definatley fits my budget. I am concerned that at the listed 900 ANSI Lumens, it may not have a bright enough picture with ambient light for my use. I will not only be using the projector for movies with controlled lighting but will also like to play pool and have either music videos playing or watch the game. I can turn he lights off that are directly over the screen and dim the lights that are approx 10' from the screen but the pool table is approx 17 form the screen. There will obviously be lights over the table. Does anyone know if the exceptional contrast ratio of the Sony is enough for me to enjoy it in this way? Or is it for movies in controlled lighting only?