DLP bulb life? (1 Viewer)

[Eric_nord]

I have a Seleco (Sim2) Ht200. It's 2 1/2 years old. I absolutely love it. unfortunately it went on the fritz the other night. The bulb would not light! I've sent it in and am waiting to find out what happened. Since the bulb has less than 1000 hrs the tech didn't think the bulb blew. He mentioned a seperate power source for the bulb may have gone out. I guess I'll wait and see. Anyone else had similar problems with their DLP's? Seleco says the bulb should last 4000 hrs, and the bulbs in their new Dlp's around 6000 hrs.

 

[Mika-H]

If only bulbs were GUARANTEED to last that long!!!

 

[Neil Joseph]

I don't have personal experiences with the Seleco bulblife however, the only times I have had bulb problems and they had to be replaced early was due to improper shutdown procedures and other factors. I assume the unit is still under warranty so let us know what the outcome is.

 

[Mikey_B]

I was told 8,000 hours on the Samsung at several places while shopping.

 

[Mika-H]

Samsung what? DLP projector or RPTV? I'm sure the bulb used in an RPTV cabinet doesn't need to be NEARLY as bright as one on a projector, thus giving it longer life.

 

[Mikey_B]

We are talking about DLP's.

 

[Mika-H]

Well, duh!
The original poster was talking about a DLP FRONT PROJECTOR. There are also DLP RPTV's. I wasn't aware that Samasung had a DLP front projector. 9000 hours for a front prjector bulb is about the longest period I've ever heard of. Makes me think they are talking about their DLP RPTV, which probably must only burn a fraction of the brightness of a front projector.

 

[Mikey_B]

sorry, I was under the impression that there was only one type of DLP Samsung sets currently.

 

[RAF]

My Runco CL-710 has a stated bulb life of 1000 hours. In fact it will shut down after 1000 hours if you don't replace the bulb. You can "override" this by going into the service menu and resetting the bulb timer. But since the bulb is subject to exploding if pushed well beyond its lifespan (according to what I've been told) then I won't try to push the envelope since the resulting damage could be far greater than the cost of the bulb.

Other DLP projectors that I've heard about have longer bulb lives (like 2000 hours or more). It all depends on the projector, its cooling design, and other specs.

The bottom line is to follow the recommendations of the manufacturer to be safe not sorry. Bulb life and replacement price are, of course, something to be considered when figuring out the true cost of a unit.

My projector has a rather high cost in this area (~62 cents per hour) based on the $622 replacement bulb cost but I'm willing to pay it for the quality of picture I'm getting.

 

[ChrisLazarko]

sounds like a rip off when you can just get a normal rear projection TV, have 50,000 hours of life on the bulb or so and just live the life with a TV that is 2' thick. I think I will take the rear-projection and save a few $$$.

 

[Mika-H]

sounds like a rip off when you can just get a normal rear projection TV, have 50,000 hours of life on the bulb or so and just live the life with a TV that is 2' thick. I think I will take the rear-projection and save a few $$$.

You ain't gonna get a theater-like 8' wide picture from a RPTV :frowning:

 

[ChrisLazarko]

Honestly I don't really see the advantage in a TV like that. The one advantage I really think it has is how slim it is, other than that a normal rear-projection is good enough.

 

[RAF]

Honestly I don't really see the advantage in a TV like that. The one advantage I really think it has is how slim it is, other than that a normal rear-projection is good enough.

To each his/her own.

I have both a rear projection monitor (for normal 4:3 TV viewing) and a Front Projector in my home theater and in my opinion a RPM is not going to give you the true theatrical experience. The FP is so much better at providing this that it's not even a close call to me.

However, I realize that some people do not need or do not prefer the "theatrical" experience, so my comments are not meant to provoke any arguments. I'm just giving my opinion on this.

And, of course, there are those who would love to have a FP but their living space and other circumstances do not permit it at this time. One thing for sure - with the recent proliferation of much lower cost, great looking FP's now out there it's no longer mainly a price differential that separates the RPMs from the FPs. The playing field has been leveled as far as funds are concerned. It becomes a matter of personal preference and the space available for an HT or viewing location.

 

[Mika-H]

Honestly I don't really see the advantage in a TV like that.

Maybe if you live in a closet :rolleyes. And it isn't a "TV". I doubt more than a handful of people in the world use a front projection system to watch "TV". Most of us use it for watching "films", because we want the "theatrical experience". I really don't care to watch the news on an 8' wide screen in a completey dark room. If you watched 1 movie a day (2 hours), which is probably WAY more than the typical front projector owner, the "average" bulb will last for several years!
Funny... you're the first "home theater enthusiast" I've run across that wouldn't kill (or at least maim) for a top notch front projection setup

 

[Mika-H]

And for a front projection system being a "ripoff", how much would an 8'... no, make it 6' wide RPTV gonna cost you? $4000? $5000? More? My 8' wide FP setup cost less than $2000 and it came with a spare bulb! Boy, did I get screwed