Will Low Lamp Lifetime Spell Trouble for DLP TVs?

Techno-Canuck asks: "Now that the DLP TVs have been in customers' hands for the last few years, there are problem histories that are begining to unfold. According to Toshiba's DLP TV User Manual: 'The average useful service life for the lamp is approximately 8,000 hours in LOW POWER or 6,000 hours in HI BRIGHT MODE.' However there were problems with certain 2005 Toshiba models that saw the lamp lifetime at only a few hundred hours or less. Toshiba replaced the lamps in these models at no cost and extended the lamp warranty to 2 years. According to an FAQ on About.com the lamps currently last an average of 1500 hours. Whether or not Toshiba has resolved the problem remains to be seen, as only time will give the real indication. There also seems to be lamp issues with some 2004 models as well, but Toshiba does not seem to be stepping forward to resolve the issues in this case. The customer ire is starting to rise, however. Will there be similar problems for the 2006 models once enough time has elapsed?"

Most people probably would use the information provided by Toshiba to make a decision about what the lamp maintenance costs would be for DLP ownership. However if lamps only last for 1500 hours, then that's a 400% increase in costs over what Toshiba is presenting to customers. The cost of a lamp is $200 or more, and for a family household that averages 6 to 8 hours of TV viewing per day, this translates to a new lamp every 187 to 250 days. Strangely enough the Toshiba warranty on a replacement lamp not covered by the original TV warranty is 180 days.

It's possible that the death blow has already been struck. It appears that no longer carries DLP TVs in its product line."

It's moot

[Quiet_Desperation]

The DLPs will be going to LEDs. Samsung already has one for sale.

Not really a surprise...

[loraksus]

Because Toshiba as a whole doesn't really care if any of their products are lemons.
Toshiba screwed thousands of people with poor quality laptops and even worse repairs, then screwed many, many people who bought pocket pcs from them when they decided to not release a promised upgrade - those aren't isolated issues either.
Don't get me wrong - all companies have runs of bad products - but when toshiba does, it's not only that they don't care, but they refuse to admit a problem even exists.

Oh and this...
strangely enough the Toshiba warranty on a replacement lamp not covered by the original TV warranty is 180 days.
There is nothing strange about it - it is calculated and predicted, which is why the warranty period isn't standard.
Short of a class action - and even then, because we all know how useless those are - yay 20% off 1 toshiba name brand lamp, people are going to get screwed.

Re:The bad viewing angles ALREADY spell trouble

[mr_matticus]

Or more likely, there will be a market for better bulbs in the future. If the bulbs don't last long, why blame the TV? It's a frickin' light bulb. Expensive and really bright, but it seems to me that cooler-running, longer-lasting bulbs are an obvious next step, especially since DLP TVs look absolutely amazing for the price, they're not monstrously heavy like old RPTVs, and they have a user-replaceable backlight (take that, dimming LCD!).

Re:6-8 hours of TV a *day*?

[uberotto]

The typical family day...
Wife gets up, turns on news and weather while she drinks a cup of coffee (15 min)
I get up, watch news and weather while I eat my breakfest (15 min)
Son gets up, watches cartoons while he "finishes" waking up (30 min)

Everyone leaves to go to their respective job or school...

Son gets home, watches t.v. and lies around on the couch (2 hours)
Wife gets home, yells at son for watching t.v. instead of doing chores, sends him to his room to do homework, turns on cooking channel to "relax" before she starts to make dinner (1 hour)
I get home after 10 hours of software engineering work followed by 1.5 hours of either gym or grad school class, sit on the couch and "unwind" while watching t.v. (1 hour)

Everyone home, homework done, dinner ready we all sit down together in the living room, watch t.v. and talk about our day (2 hours)

Kids go to bed, wife and I sit up, have a couple of drinks, watch t.v. and spend some quality time talking about adult stuff with each other(1 hour)

Total t.v. time: 8 hours.

Just in case you didn't notice, we're not transfixed to the t.v. while it's on. It is there to provide filler for the in-between times. Without t.v. we spend maybe 30 minutes together as a family until we have said all that we want to say to each other, then we go our separate ways. Several studies have shown that this is typical, that in homes without t.v. families tend to spend less time together interacting with each other.

So the real question is What the hell is wrong with you, to feel that you have the ability to pass judgment on others without even caring about the facts? Maybe you should turn on the t.v. and get a life...

46' Samsung DLP

[C_Kode]

We have a 46' Samsung DLP that we've had for almost two years now. The kids watch Nickelodeon, Disney, and Cartoon Network about 8 hours a day, then I or my wife (mostly my wife) watches maybe 2 hours a day. So far we haven't had an issue. The TV is great. When we bought it, the guy said get the extended (to 3 years) warranty at $150US. He said that the bulb last about 2 years under heavy use and that it cost about $150 to change and was covered under the warranty. That way if something did happen to the TV within three years it would be fix for the price of replacing the first bulb.

The best thing about DLP TVs is that they don't get burn-in video games or other images left on the screen for to long like other types of TVs (tube, plasma, LCD or other types of projection TVs) It's the main reason we choose DLP in the first place.

Designed failure

[dlhm]

These bulbs are designed to fail... They could put 2 or 3 lower wattage/heat producing bulbs in these machines. More bulbs with less wattage would last much longer and could be much cheaper. They want the repeat business of selling bulbs, just like HP sells $50 printers that have $35 cartridges. Like printers though, changing bulbs will become an accepted norm, for DLP enthusiest. Hell, I don't mind, If I can afford the TV I should be able to afford the bulbs.. It's like buying a car and complaining that I have to buy tires every few years.. IT is what it is..

Actual Ownership Input

[Timtimes]

I have a Benq 6200 FP DLP with about 700 hours on it in two years now (I am not the earliest adopter...that goes to the Infocus X1 crowd). Paid $1150 for it. Best electronics investment I've ever made. Bulb life expectency 2000 hours at a cost of replacement near $400. That works out to twenty cents an hour or FORTY CENTS per average movie. I also use my projector for over the air HD (USDTV OTA tuner - Walmart) and DVD's. Mostly CSI and sports OTA. Bottom line: I was aware of the bulb cost and life expectency when I bought the unit. If you don't understand the technology and it's costs you should avoid. But let's look at the ALTERNATIVE of buying a 'smallish' 60" plasma. They gotta still be getting three grand for those??? I will be cashing out my social security before I buy enough replacement bulbs to get to THAT pricepoint and in the meantime I'm watching tv at a MINIMUM of 80 inches. OTA HD tuner: $200 FP DLP: $1150 (much cheaper now) Having your own home THEATER ----- PRICELESS. Enjoy.

Re:Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

[harlows_monkeys]

the only way I can see to burn out a DLP fast is via video games, Sports buffs and movie junkies (I don't need to watch Dan Rather in HD, but the latest action flick is probably worth it)

I usually get home from work around 4 or 5 PM, and the TV goes on. I have it on the news for a couple hours, while I make dinner, relax on the computer, etc. I'll watch a couple programs later on National Geographic or Discover or the History Channel, and watch a Simpsons or two from the DVR. When I'm not actually sitting in front of the TV watching, I'll have something interesting on from one of the aforementioned channels (and with the DVR, if I'm surfing the web, but hear something interesting from the TV, I can easily rewind to catch it). I'll often watch a Simpsons or South Park from the DVR as I am falling asleep, or will turn to the Music Choice channels for some music. When listening to music, I want the TV on, so I can see the information about the current song. So, it's pretty easy to end up with the set on all night.

Basically, TV is the new radio. It is often on as background entertainment while doing other things.

Net result: it is easy to get 8 hours a day with the TV on, and if I fall asleep with it on, 16 hours. I've on average gotten about 12-14 months out of my $250 6000 hour DLP bulbs.