Don't throw out that DLP

[ninzel]

Well it's up to you but here was my recent experience with my Toshiba 62HM196.
I was noticing recently that with darker movies I was having trouble seeing details.
I had resorted to putting it in high bright.
I had looked into getting a new TV and set my budget at about $2000 CDN, so I was looking at the Panasonic 60" ST50.
I went into the store and liked it but wasn't blown away. Don't get me wrong it's a great TV with nice features but I was asking myself if it was $2000 better?
So I decided to go home and try a new lamp for DLP which I got from Toshiba for $225.
While talking to my local TV repair shop for info they suggested I could get the insides cleaned as well so I did. And WOW WOW WOW its like a new TV again.
The inside of the screen was dirty and caked with cigarette smoke and the lens was murky looking as well he cleaned some other stuff .Total bill $120
Anyway I'm very happy and would definitely recommend this service if you are on the fence.

 

[Davros]

$225 for a light bulb thats insane

 

[Grall]

You smoke? Well, consider if THAT is how your TV set looked like inside, just think of what your LUNGS look like... You know, those organs your entire body depend on to get oxygen. Honestly, I think you ought to be scared shitless. Seriously, for your health: quit smoking while you still can.

Btw, I bought a new TV as well this week, except you didn't, it seems. I settled for a Samsung 6305, a nice, slim LED-lit LCD. It was a bit big at 40" though, lol... It didn't seem all that impressive in the store which is why I went for a 40" model instead of something which might have been more reasonable for my small place like maybe a 32" or 36" unit, but once I got it set up at home it's freakin' ginormous considering the short viewing distance. I suppose the salesperson I talked to - whom was a consummate professional otherwise - carefully avoided mentioning anything regarding this, in order to get me to buy a bigger set! Heh. Oh well. Not that I complain. My previous TV was 19" (!), which was really really small, even when sitting quite close to it like I do, especially considering it was a widescreen unit. LCDs were much more expensive when I bought it back in 2005, I paid nearly as much for it as I did for this huge TV.

I initially had some trouble getting the cable decoder module to work, had to get that replaced before I could watch any encrypted channels, but afterwards it's been smooth sailing. The TV supports 3D - and uses active glasses unfortunately which dims the image - and that works eminently using a PS3, but I got a huge headache while playing Super Stardust HD in 3D so I don't know how much use I'll get out of the feature. It was glorious playing an action game like SSDHD on such a big screen though, and the 3D effect really did improve gameplay. It was much easier to judge distances to any dangers compared to regular 2D rendering.

 

[ninzel]

$225 for a light bulb thats insane

Yep definitely more than I needed to spend but amortized over say another 3-4 years I wanted the extra peace of mind of getting if directly from Toshiba.You can get them off the net for less in case anyone's looking.
My understanding is that all the bulbs are built by the same company I think Phillips but no one could give me a clear answer as to whether they built differently or better depending on whether it's a " Toshiba" bulb or after market bulb.

 

[MfA]

$225 for a light bulb thats insane

Some of the projector manufacturers charge more than that ...

 

[ninzel]

You smoke? Well, consider if THAT is how your TV set looked like inside, just think of what your LUNGS look like... You know, those organs your entire body depend on to get oxygen. Honestly, I think you ought to be scared shitless. Seriously, for your health: quit smoking while you still can.

Btw, I bought a new TV as well this week, except you didn't, it seems. I settled for a Samsung 6305, a nice, slim LED-lit LCD. It was a bit big at 40" though, lol... It didn't seem all that impressive in the store which is why I went for a 40" model instead of something which might have been more reasonable for my small place like maybe a 32" or 36" unit, but once I got it set up at home it's freakin' ginormous considering the short viewing distance. I suppose the salesperson I talked to - whom was a consummate professional otherwise - carefully avoided mentioning anything regarding this, in order to get me to buy a bigger set! Heh. Oh well. Not that I complain. My previous TV was 19" (!), which was really really small, even when sitting quite close to it like I do, especially considering it was a widescreen unit. LCDs were much more expensive when I bought it back in 2005, I paid nearly as much for it as I did for this huge TV.

I initially had some trouble getting the cable decoder module to work, had to get that replaced before I could watch any encrypted channels, but afterwards it's been smooth sailing. The TV supports 3D - and uses active glasses unfortunately which dims the image - and that works eminently using a PS3, but I got a huge headache while playing Super Stardust HD in 3D so I don't know how much use I'll get out of the feature. It was glorious playing an action game like SSDHD on such a big screen though, and the 3D effect really did improve gameplay. It was much easier to judge distances to any dangers compared to regular 2D rendering.

Yes I smoke , all Canadians smoke we think it strengthens our children's lungs but thank you for your concern.
Enjoy the new tv.

 

[Malo]

Yes I smoke , all Canadians smoke we think it strengthens our children's lungs but thank you for your concern.

This is priceless....

 

[Simon F]

Some of the projector manufacturers charge more than that ...

I bet. Someowhat OT, but on a visit to the dentist, I once noticed that the (12v) halogen light they used in the chair was the same type as in the headlight of my car, but I bet the dental supplier didn't charge the same as the car parts shop.

 

[kache]

Yes I smoke , all Canadians smoke we think it strengthens our children's lungs but thank you for your concern.

0/10

 

[Alexko]

I bet. Someowhat OT, but on a visit to the dentist, I once noticed that the (12v) halogen light they used in the chair was the same type as in the headlight of my car, but I bet the dental supplier didn't charge the same as the car parts shop.

Did you mention that to your dentist?

 

[Blazkowicz]

Some of the projector manufacturers charge more than that ...

yes, $225 sounded cheap to me. but a rear projection TV probably requires much less light.
these crazy bulbs need high color accuracy and in case of a projector cost nearly as much as the projector itself (for a lower end at least), a bit like inkjet printers. for an actual theater the cost of lighting (and even power use) must be too uneasy to mention.


LED lighting can help but still is expensive, a LED projector would be awesome but it's a compromise and you probably need a darker room.

I wonder if the cleaning would have been enough, but maybe the light had dimmed, it's said to happen with backlight of old LCD monitors. some people do replace LCD backlight (even better is fixing a laptop with a $10 inverter, a stupid electrical component that powers the backlight and fails sometimes)

it's great to have stuff fixed rather than replaced! your phrase, "local TV repair shop", I'm amazed that still exists.

Did you mention that to your dentist?

how dare you? it's medical supplies

 

[Blazkowicz]

Did you mention that to your dentist?

I'm sure they could just use pliers, a dremel tool and one year training, right?

 

[Sonic]

This is a good idea. I have three DLP sets that I was ready to replace in the coming months for football and basketball but now I think they can possibly be salvaged. I remember them being vibrant and sharp the first few years but over time got dull and dingy. If they can be returned back to factory condition then yay. The bulbs in these TV's aren't that expensive, at least not compared to the $6 - 800 spent on projector bulbs.

 

[ninzel]

Glad I could help. I think at this point they are worth holding on to.
I'm not sure what the native resolution of my DLP RPTV is or if it even has one,but I haven"t seen a massive difference in picture quality yet compared to newer sets.