HDTV TLC: Projection Lamp Failure and Replacement

[cater]

Richard,
Phone number I called was 800-631-3811.
Spoke to David on 5/18/2009.



On 5/19/2009 I was given a confirmation # of PRP 64991380.

On 6/8/2009 was told second lamp would be sent. My confirmation was MSLZAC.

On 6/29/2009 spoke to Deandre ( D - on- Draa). Was forwarded to Dave Thompson, who told me that there was no further need to call back(mmy words).

I have packing slips from Toshiba with dates shipped as 12-may-09,18-may-09 and 08-jun-09.

Cater

[Richard]

That phone number is Toshiba CSR - you should have received the correct lamp.

To recap...
My warning lights started to flash and the video would go out, so I ordered a new lamp.

In a nutshell you have been unable to get any other lamp to ever work but...

My "old" lamp is still working and I don't know what I will do if it fails.

So this TV is still running?

[cater]

Richard,
Yes I know I have the correct lamp and I went step by step with Toshiba on the attempts to make it work.When It did not work, they offered to send me another lamp four times.

Yes the set is still working.

My concern is that I don't want to pay to have a repair person come here and not be able to replace the lamp and make it work.If a repair person would know what the issues are, I have no problem paying for service with knowledge - I do have a problem paying for someone to come out and switch parts until something works.I have (by technolgy standards0 a very old set and would rather purchase a new set than spent hundreds of dollars and not get a repair.

This is why the Panasonic thread caught my eye. I believe, perhaps incorrectly, that Toshiba changed something during their recall mess. The panasonic thread sounds like the "new" DLP lamps in their case are not matched to the ballast in some sets.

I also am not a techie, I just read a lot and I thank you for your column. I know how to relace the ballast in my set, by reading and article on how to do it - I am not competent enough to attempt such a feat.


Thanks again for your help,
Cater

Cater

[Richard]

Sorry his post and my replies are so confusing...

The panasonic thread sounds like the "new" DLP lamps in their case are not matched to the ballast in some sets.

Panasonic has not changed anything, Panasonic has not made “new” lamps, none of that was his issue or complaint. He is upset because of how much Panasonic charges for a replacement lamp cartridge and he is trying to use an after market source, in the form of a bare lamp, to reduce that price. The catch is Panasonic/Matsushita will not sell the bare lamp, you have to buy the lamp cartridge. Bare lamp suppliers have told him they have a bare lamp substitute that should work and while it does it is also failing prematurely. He is trying to use a lamp that does NOT say Matsushita on it with his Matsushita ballast (which is designed to operate the intrinsic characteristics of their specific Matushita lamp design).

I hope that is put to rest...

You have a very unique and unrelated problem. As a consumer you have drawn an anecdotal conclusion; Toshiba extended the lamp warranty due to a lamp/ballast design flaw and is providing a different bare lamp than what was originally installed. Appearances can be deceiving, and in this case, very deceiving...

FACT: Toshiba has extended the lamp warranty. The original lamp specified for your ballast remains the same, has always been available and remains available. Nothing changed. There is no smoking gun for a lamp/ballast design flaw and Toshiba is giving away lamp cartridges. But why...?

RUMOR: Lamp based MD RP, micro-display rear projection, were a new technology in the market place and then they showed up in droves from 2003 - 2004 from other manufacturers besides Panasonic, Samsung and Sony. What made them vastly different from TVs that came before them was the limited life span of the lamp that would require replacement periodically throughout the life span of the product to the tune of $200-300. Based on what would be considered reasonable and ordinary, this new TV technology stepped outside of the box and it appears many sales people left out this salient fact about lamp replacement. It appears there were enough angry consumers, that were not aware of the lamp expense when they made the purchase, that some lawyers were able to put together a civil lawsuit and they pursued any complaint from any manufacturer related to an RP MD lamp replacement. They took the stance that since the lamp did not last the normal 10-15 year life span of TVs that came before them that this was an intentional design flaw and all manufacturers were culpable. This erroneous conclusion sent chills down the MD RP industry because a successful day in court could set a precedent forcing all manufacturers to provide free lamps for many years to come. While the lawyers tried to nail all the manufacturers, Toshiba ended up the lone target due to a statistically higher lamp failure rate. Toshiba decided to settle out of court providing one free lamp to each customer upon request and the lawyers walked away. I am told this was one of the driving reasons that made manufacturers drop MD RP and the timing fits the mass pull out by manufacturers over the last 1-2 years. Mitsubishi is the only MD RP manufacturer that remains. This is from the rumor mill and I can’t prove any of it!

TOSHIBA LAMP FAILURE: For some reason Toshiba decided not to include a cool down process for the lamp, stepping outside of the box for a lamp based design. When you turn the power off on a Toshiba it turns everything off leaving the lamp to air cool and that alone is not a problem technically. The problem occurs if you didn’t want to turn it off but did so by mistake (or simply changed your mind), in which case you naturally turn it back on, but without the cool down process the lamp has quickly exceeded operating temperature and is now too hot to function. The TV nonetheless tries to strike the lamp, dramatically reducing lamp life with each attempt, and the TV will try 8 times until it gives up. This is what created the higher failure rate for Toshiba lamps for the long haul (and many a service call ending up no problem found for the short haul). This is the sole reason lamp based products cool down the lamp when you turn it off; so the lamp can be turned back on properly after this process has finished which takes about 2 minutes. Many include a 10-30 second window where the lamp remains on, in case you turned the product off by mistake and then turned it back on, in which case you won’t have to wait at all. Toshiba recognized this problem. While this was an opportunity to create a cool down process Toshiba decided to stick with their technical design stance and include an optional feature called Instant On for new models instead. When you have this feature turned on and turn the power off, the TV will continue running for another 8 minutes, with the video and audio muted, in case you change your mind and decide you want the TV turned on. This feature resolved the higher lamp failure rate for Toshiba. If you own a Toshiba you should turn this feature on.

Read my article HDTV TLC: Extending the Lamp Life of Your HDTV Microdisplay for more information.

My curiosity got the better of me so I did some research on your problem but there wasn’t anything there. This was Toshiba’s first generation RP MD and volume was low so there is naturally less to be found. As you suggest, the road ahead for repair could be more of a hassle rather than an everyday fix. After 28 years I can tell you that service is not always a science and there isn’t always an explanation.

Eventually the original lamp will fail and waiting until that time to fix this problem is not in your best interest or that of the service center. It all boils down to whether or not you want to invest any money in this TV. If not then let her run until the lamp fails and replace the product. If you want to keep the TV then having it looked at now, while the lamp/ballast circuit still operates, along with that new Toshiba OEM lamp cartridge you have for testing, would be preferred. I would want to be able to inspect and check a few things on the product under these conditions to reduce my risk and save you money.

I have (by technology standards) a very old set and would rather purchase a new set than spent hundreds of dollars and not get a repair.

It's not a computer. It's not outdated for everyday viewing or compatibility with HD or Blu-ray and has a digital video input. Only special needs, which you would already be aware of and desire, would change that.

Your only non-refundable obligation to get the process started is a service call fee. At some point you will get an estimate for a successful repair and you are only obligated to pay the balance if the repair is successful.

http://www.tvrepairpros.com/