Update on my Panasonic. The bulb finally went in early Feb 09. No warranty left so I went to Ebay and found a replacement made by Philips. The bulb cost $85 with shipping included. This is a bare bulb so I had to install it in it's cage. No big deal and I wore surgeons gloves so as to keep skin oils off the bulb. Reinstalled it and it worked fine. Alas, three weeks later the tv won't come on and the "bulb warning lamp" flashes. I contacted the firm where I purchased the bulb (under warranty) and was told to replace the Ballast! I looked into this with a local tv repair guy and found the ballast replacement is going to be in the area of $500/$700 range! Considering I got a deal on this tv (cost me $900) I decided not to fix it and went out and bought a new Sony LCD TV. I did the research on the web and Panasonic was sued and supposedly made "good" to other purchasers. I can't get anywhere with them cause the suit has been settled. So I guess I'll try and have a go at fixing the Panasonic since I was able to find a refurbished ballast on line for $140.
I'm going to get around to it soon and will update this post with the results. |
Just don't buy a Toshiba and everything will be fine. Mine is going again right now. What happens is it makes several attempts to start. Then the bulb goes. The on I am using right now is 11 months old and starting to go already |
My 57" Mits is going on 2.5 yrs old and still have the original bulb in it. I do have another on hand when i eventually fails. |
Cruz123 - No it's not the common problem with DLP. I have Samsung 42" DLP with over 6000hrs on the bulb (rated 8000). Previous bulb burned after over 8000hrs. I'm using this TV since early 2001 more than 6hrs every day (I'm an addict) |
I think this is a common problem with DLP's generally. Two co-workers of mine have Hitachi and Mitshubishi sets that have the same issues. |
There is a class action suit for this lamp problem. I wonder why every owner wasn't notified about this problem. Do a google search on this. I don't think you will be happy with the outcome though. I bought a 52" at the end of 2005 and have gone through 3 bulbs so far. |
I have a Panasonic LCD Projection TV and the warranty was increased by Panasonic to 18 mos up from 12mos as per an insert in the owners manual. The tv is only a month old so no failure so far. Seems the life of these bulbs varies poorly unfortunately throughout the brands.
I would encourage all who have had premature failure to write to their respective manufacturers regarding the failures and the related costs, and post opinions on this Forum, Epinions, CNET, Audioreview etc. If enough people make an issue with the manufacturers perhaps the problem will be recognized and warranties will be extended. Sometimes a manufacturer will quitely make an extension of a warranty to those who speak up.
Just my humble opinion. |
Yada: How many watts does your 50" Samsung DLP pull?
My Optoma projector pulled over 280watts and it shut my Powerplant down... I had heard the same thing about giving the PJ or Display perfectly regenerated regulated power increased bulb (or at least prevented it from going bad sooner) |
I hope that this helps..
For my 50" Samsung DLP, I used a power regenerator, ps audio 300 multiwave on default setting and got 2714 hours before the first bulb failure.
I am not sure that is a lot of time or not but I used the regenerator because my electronics helper, (not a salesman) suggested it would be less stressful on bulb life. |
FYI, I have had my Samsung DLP projection system (HLM series) for 3 1/2 years now and have never had the lamp replaced. |
Fear not zscamp440@hotmail.com. The factory lamps were junk. The replacement lamp you get will be fine. Always run it on high bright mode (which your service person should tell you) When you shut it down let it cool completely before powering back up as stated above by Pcking.
Trust me I know how you feel, ANGRY and ROBBED. Don't worry, your TV will be fine !!! |
I just lost the bulb in my 72MX195 HD/DLP an it's only about 3 months old. Look like these things are garbage. |
Thanks guys, I did check out the avs forum and apparently the original lamp manufacturer had many issues for whatever reason. Toshiba now use a new supplier who seems to have a better product. Time will tell I guess. |
I had a JVC 61' hdila rptv. The bulb died just after the 30 day mark. The set was black for 13 days and I had to watch a 7 yr.old 27';while waiting for my free bulb replacement. This set had the engine replacement done and had another service issue,all within 60 days. Good Guys wouldn't replace the set. I took it in the shorts and lost about 2k. (Traded it back in) I bought a CRT Mits and have been happy since.( Almost 2 yrs. ago) |
my friend also bought a toshiba DLP (late last year) and in the first 20hrs the bulb failed...
Computers/Electronics typically fail in the first 30days and then work after that point. I've owned 2 toshiba big screens and both required large $$$$ service dollar maintenance and I would recommend staying away from toshiba.. Also make sure your TV is well ventilated..
I have an Optoma PJ and the DLP bulb has been working for 2.5 years now but Optoma and infocus had that same problem Toshiba is having a few years before with bulbs dieing all the time.
You should post this up on www.avsforum.com and see some of the posts there about the Toshiba DLP's.
Pcking: Great advice! |
I understand that lamp life is severely affected by use. Don't leave one on for more than 8 hours at a time. Wait one hour before turning one on after turning off. And if your model has a power saving feature, use it. I have had a DLP projector now for four years, no problem. |
I have the 52 inch model and had the same probem. I bought my television through Best Buy, and ended up getting replacement bulbs in 7-10 days from both Best Buy and Toshiba. Then, a few days later, we received a letter from Toshiba stating that there had been many problems with the bulbs in these televisions, that they had developed a better, more reliable bulb, and would be sending these out very soon. We have not received it yet, but expect yet another replacement bulb any time. In short, we have a new bulb, a replacement for that one, and yet another replacement on the way. That should cover us for at least a good while.
I have read quite a bit online about this issue, and the consensus seems to be that the bulbs that come with the televisions are generally duds, but that the replacement bulbs appear to be working fine. It is annoying, but I am hopeful that the problem is now fixed, and that the newer bulbs will last a good long time before being replaced.
I recommend that you contact Toshiba directly for more information and a replacement bulb. Good luck.
|
Could be a defective lamp or defective powersupply in "projector". Lucky to have it go while under warranty. I've "lost" 2 or 3 lamps well before their time, not under warranty. (most are 90 day warranty) Lamp has higher voltage/current "starting" mode, than operating mode. Lamp degrades each time it's powered up. If they would "standardize" lamps they could be half the $$$ they are now |
