Toshiba DLP Lamp

[iluvalex]

My fairly new ( I bought it in 2006) 56" Toshiba DLP TV just blew it's lamp. I've been seeking out answers and come to find out this is a very common problem for at least this Toshiba TV.

If I had known that replacing the expensive lamp was going to be done on a regular basis, I sure wouldn't have purchased this thing. Apparently it's going to cost at the minimum $250

and

from reading past experience from others, I can expect the lamps to blow after a few months on up. Needless to say, I'm pissed. My warranty from American covers everything except the bulb. The warranty from Toshiba expired after 1 year.

So I will replace the bulb, but I've got to get rid of this money pit.

My question to you is first do you know where to get a replacement lamp at a reasonable cost and reliable seller

But more important, I need to look now at Plasma or LCD. I would love to hear recommendations for Excellent TV's and also hear about the ones to stay clear of.

Oh, by the way, Toshiba 56" DLP for sale. Beautiful picture

[Ruined]

That is one of the downsides of DLP/LCOS technology. I would recommend anyone who buy one of these sets to get an extended warranty plan which covers the cost of the bulbs.

For a recommendation, I would take a look at the Sony flat-panel XBR4 LCD sets.

[ganthc]

Sorry to hear about that!

Personally I have stuck with Sony, because they have been extremely reliable. The 42A10 Grand Wega I bought (which is a rear projection LCD tv) has lasted me over 2 years and never needed a bulb change (knock on wood). Every Sony TV I have had has been fantastic. Heck, even Ruined chooses Sony when it comes to TVs.

[limacharliewhiskey]

This is part of the reason why the TVs are cheaper than plasma or flatpanel LCDs: spend less when buying the TV, and then pay for the bulb replacement every 2 or 3 years.

This was a major reason why I ruled out DLP and rear-projection LCD when I bought my TV.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Personally I have stuck with Sony, because they have been extremely reliable. The 42A10 Grand Wega I bought (which is a rear projection LCD tv) has lasted me over 2 years and never needed a bulb change (knock on wood). Every Sony TV I have had has been fantastic. Heck, even Ruined chooses Sony when it comes to TVs.

Ah, but I'd be careful here. I chose Sony because they had the right mix of featureset, performance, & price when I bought. I wouldn't give Sony high marks on reliability, as they have been subject to numerous class-action lawsuits in the past (which they lost) due to defective designs they refused to acknowledge, such as many of their early LCOS sets.

Sony often words their specs so ridiculously loose that something that is clearly broken is actually working just fine according to them. For convergence, for instance, Sony defines a product being defective if the convergence is off by 1" on a 50" TV,. A product misconverged that badly would look like you were watching TV through a prism. But it sure saves Sony a lot in repair bills, as that is not defective enough for them to consider a warranty repair.

So yeah, Sony definitely has the right mix of features/performance right now but do not think in any way I am promoting reliability. You are not going to squeak a warranty repair out of them unless the TV shows no picture at all, basically - and even then they will try to put it on you first. So get an extended warranty if you do buy one.

Reliability isn't quite as important anyway these days with most electronics, as the technology usually is outdated and becomes disposable before it breaks down. For TVs, I'd actually probably put Toshiba at or near the top of reliability, but in other CE categories they are far lower.

[billnye97]

I had to replace the bulb on my 61" RCA this past fall. I actually ordered mine from a seller on eBay (check feedback) and got it for $150.

[brian]

Originally Posted by iluvalex

If I had known that replacing the expensive lamp was going to be done on a regular basis, I sure wouldn't have purchased this thing. Apparently it's going to cost at the minimum $250

At least it's a relatively painless procedure. It's too bad the salesman you bought it from didn't inform you about this, but I was under the impression that this was fairly common knowledge.

[Frankie]

I'm still running my first bulb 3 years later on my Panny DLP

I guess it's a roll of the dice.

F

[Vonner]

My Toshiba DLP lamp burst six months into use. It was still under warranty so it was replaced free and that one has been running ever since (knock on wood). It's been about two years.