Mitsubishi DLP RP WD-65734 - white spots

[lauren0319]

I'm a little sick over this. We bought a 65 in. Mitsubishi Rear Projection TV, model WD-65734 just a little over three years ago. Black Friday of 2007 to be exact.
We have been quite happy with this TV. We did have to replace the bulb 2 months ago but understand that that comes with the "territory."
We are not big TV watchers at all... I would say our TV is on well below the average.
Two weeks ago I noticed a white spot appear, in the mid to lower right hand portion of the screen, only when the TV is turned on. A few days later, a second spot appeared, in the same vicinity. As of yesterday, we are now up to 5 spots.

I did a little "googling" and it looks like this was/is a big problem with Samsung TVs- and in fact, Samsung fixed this for free. I didn't find much on Mitsubishi. Any advice? We are of course out of warranty and from what I could find online, this is a very expensive fix- one message board poster said it was $900 in parts + labor. The TV was just a little over $2000....

I find it very hard to believe that the life-span of this TV is 3 years.... I feel that it should last much much longer than that. I will be calling Mitsubishi this week but would love to know if anyone else has had to deal with this and what the outcome was.

Thanks.

[Richard]

Hi Lauren,

We did have to replace the bulb 2 months ago but understand that that comes with the "territory."

Thanks. Few ever say that. This scenario, lamp purchase followed shortly thereafter by a repair, is about the only thing I don't like about lamp based micro-displays...

I did a little "googling" and it looks like this was/is a big problem with Samsung TVs- and in fact, Samsung fixed this for free.

Please provide a link. If Samsung did so it is not due to any official policy and I know that because this just came up for a friend and under odd circumstances this question was asked to group of pros in this industry; someone said it was so yet when pressed that turned out to be a mistake and the responder was referring to the class action lawsuit on the light tunnel.

This failure can happen for any DLP RP although it is not any more or less common than any other potential failure. It is a failure of the DMD imaging device and more white spots are on their way.

Unfortunately for Mits, the DMD is not available separately and this will require replacement of the light engine which will be expensive.

Mits may be willing to help but you will be asked to get an estimate from an authorized service center and fax a copy of that to them. A fair bargain is you pay labor and they will cover the part. Another possibility is splitting the repair bill. I currently have a customer treading down the same path but the outcome is unknown at this time.

I find it very hard to believe that the life-span of this TV is 3 years.... I feel that it should last much much longer than that.

Bear in mind that there are far more perfectly satisfied than not. The internet is not the best measure of a product since the majority of information is about problems, not how happy people are. In the end, it is all in the luck of the draw how long your product will last. I can't tell you how many times a customer has told me how wonderful some old TV is and how it never required service only for me to recognize how many of those I have repaired for a specific problem they never appeared to have.

Everything breaks, new and old! Buying a new product is not a guarantee that it will not break.

[Dave3putt]

Samsung had the "white dot" issue on one or two DLP models that were built during a certain time frame, I believe caused by a batch of bad DMD chips, as Richard said. They at first refused to fix those that were out of warranty, but later changed their minds and did so. The problem usually didn't show up until the TV was about 2 years old. All you had to do was call their customer service and say you have the "white dot" problem and they would ask a few questions about your model and symptoms, and then would schedule a repair for free. That is what I did with my mom's HLS DLP anyway. The repair didn't take very long and only involved replacing the smallish chip and not the whole light engine. Has worked great ever since. Maybe Mits builds theirs differently. The problem was actually white AND black dots, depending on which direction the mirror was stuck. The dots were about 1/8 inch diameter.

I tried to find a more official announcement, but this is the best I could do:

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-13973_102-366380.html

Maybe you could use Samsungs' fix to beat Mits over the head.

[lauren0319]

Thanks for your responses. I get that people don't online and rave about their working TV, but are quick to hop on and post when there are problems.... but it seems like this is a common problem....

So get this. My brother has the Mit WD-65733, bought less than 30 days after I purchased mine... so his is also three years old. And guess what- he got his first white dot yesterday. I almost fell out of my chair when he told me.
I am calling Mit today, as soon as they open. I am also going to the local store where I purchased mine. (Bjorn's here in San Antonio.) They are known for their great cust. service and I'm hoping they can possible help me out is some way.

PS- up to 8 dots as of yesterday.

[lauren0319]

SO- After calling Mit. several times w/ no resolution (just them saying they would call me within 1 day) they FINALLY called. Offered me the Mitsubishi WD-65738 (which is just the newer version of what I own) for $500. I've found it as cheap as $1250 online. I'm debating. Yes, I'm out of warrenty so this is not a terrible offer. I'd probably take it if I hadn't just spent ~$150 on a new bulb. I asked if they would lower the price to $400... we shall see. They said they would call me back in 1 day. lol.
Just wanted to update. Any thoughts?

[Dave3putt]

I would probably take their offer and try to sell a "slightly used" lamp on eBay. The Samsung users came up with a DIY procedure for replacing the DLP chip (if that is in fact the faulty part in your case), but it is still a fair amount of money for the part with no guarantees. For $500 you get a new TV and are rid of the problem. No emotions, just cold logic.

-also, if your present lamp fits the new TV, you could keep it for a spare/replacement.

[lauren0319]

So they accepted my offer of $400 + tax.. plus no delivery fee and they will take my old TV away at no charge. Over all I am very pleased, especially considering I was out of warranty. They say I'll have my new tv within ~2 weeks. I'll update once it arrives.

[rmmaon]

Did you have toget the authorized ervice diagnosis beofre you negotiated he TV? Did you have the WD-65733 model?

[lauren0319]

Did you have toget the authorized ervice diagnosis beofre you negotiated he TV? Did you have the WD-65733 model?

Yes, I had to get a quote. I have the WD-65734.

My brother has the WD-65733 and has 2 or 3 white spots... he is going to begin the "process" next week.

[rmmaon]

Are the new models supposed to be better, and without the white dot issues?