Replace bulb in rear projection or new tv?

EquaLiZr

EquaLiZr

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I have a 6 year old Sony Wega KDF-46-E2000 (46") projection tv that the bulb needs replacing. I use it for PC gaming and TV of course :D

A. Replace the bulb (dont know where to get them locally)
B. Get a new LED or plasma tv and go to 50" (entertainment center wont accept bigger)

The TV has been great to me. A bit dark for my liking but its been that way since day 1. Gaming has been pretty good with no ghosting but text is a bit hard to read.
 
If you have the cash then I would get a new plasma (I prefer the way they look over the garish colours of LCD, and can put up with the higher electric consumption) personally :)
 
I know the damn thing probably cost a ton of money when it came out. Still - screw projection TVs. You will be paying $150+ every few years up until you can no longer find bulbs for it. LCD TVs are now so much cheaper and better. Resolution, color, viewing angles, size and cost.
 
Don't give up.

check around local TV repair shops for the bulb. Easiest thing to replace and I'm sure your picture is nice as heck when operating correctly. That said, consider the cost to replace the TV with plasma, the time and energy you'd have to endure to go around a simple replacement bulb. If the bulb cost as much as another TV, that's different. My 65" DLP cost less than $100.00 to replace every few years. Until something else goes wrong with your projection TV, you should at the very least keep it for another room. They still have life.

By the way, if your projection was dark or going dark, that's the normal part of the bulbs life. When u change the bulb, it'll be like new or better if the original bulb wasnt used as a display or something shorting its life.
 
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jiminator said:
I know the damn thing probably cost a ton of money when it came out. Still - screw projection TVs. You will be paying $150+ every few years up until you can no longer find bulbs for it. LCD TVs are now so much cheaper and better. Resolution, color, viewing angles, size and cost.
Click to expand...

An opinion.

My DLP hangs with the best, if not better. Seriously beautiful HD on 65" Mits DLP.

My opinion.
 
EquaLiZr said:
I have a 6 year old Sony Wega KDF-46-E2000 (46") projection tv that the bulb needs replacing. I use it for PC gaming and TV of course :D

A. Replace the bulb (dont know where to get them locally)
B. Get a new LED or plasma tv and go to 50" (entertainment center wont accept bigger)

The TV has been great to me. A bit dark for my liking but its been that way since day 1. Gaming has been pretty good with no ghosting but text is a bit hard to read.
Click to expand...

Though I have a big DLP for television and have not found anything exciting enough out there to inspire me to replace it, I'm thinking you should go with a Panasonic or Samsung plasma at this point if the price is right...

Your new set would be larger (and higher resolution?) and have better contrast, etc...
 
K well i found out the bulb is gunna cost me $180 and thats without the housing. A service call will cost $65 and he will change the bulb over and install it for me. The bulb may not be the only problem though. It could be a ballast or a heat sensor which would end up costing over $400 in total.

Guess i have my own answer. I could either sell it as is for $200 and maybe the buyer will get another 2-6 months before he has to repair it or just use it till it totally doesnt turn on anymore and then get a new tv.

So your saying i should get a plasma and not a 120hz led tv?
 
Admittedly, I'm not a fan of LCD. (Using a DLP for the TV and a CRT for the computer.)

On many LCD's, the viewing angle is quite limited and anyone not watching dead on will experience some level of image quality degradation. Further, the most interesting LCD tech, that with full array local dimming, also is the most expensive. On the other hand, if the TV is in a really bright room having to compete with windows and such, I'd give LCD another look. (Though I hear plasma has improved in brightness over the years...)

This site, among others, lays out reviews and contrast numbers and such: http://www.hometheater.com/
 
doesnt seem to want to ship to canada :(

amazon.ca has one for $91 inc shipping though. Hmmmmm....
 
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EquaLiZr said:
Hows this plasma?

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX32527
Click to expand...
I doubt you'll find enough owners to reply here, but MFR's use better panels in their 3D plasmas so you're off to a good start, and Samsung plasmas enjoy a good reputation along with Panasonic.

Check the reviews here and here, and maybe back it up with a search for that model number at AVS.

Keep in mind that it *may* have high input lag. Edit: actually it's input lag is pretty low for a TV (scroll down to see the D550 results)
 
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Check out this preview article on the 2012 Samsungs, LCD and plasma: http://www.hometheater.com/content/samsung-2012-tv-briefing

Though both are disappointing compared to the late Kuro and CRT technologies, this year's Samsung plasma has almost twice the contrast ratio of the LCD...

Less weight and power are definitely nice, but top on my list by far would be raw image quality...
 
With the current and future expense of replacing the bulb, it might be time to move on. With plenty of sales and the bad economy, you should be able to find a good deal no matter what your preference is. (Plasma, LED. Projection, etc)
 
Current and future expense of replacing the bulb... give me a freakin' break. It's lasted SIX YEARS.

Still - My advice would be to upgrade to an LCD or Plasma, replace the bulb in the DLP, and put it in another room or something. I know that particular set and it's a stellar unit even for being 5 to 6 years old. Yes, it's a bit darker than your usual LCD but it's calibrated that way for a reason - to give a great experience watching TV and movies. No DLP will ever excel at gaming and I wouldn't recommend them for most games, however a good racer is awesome on a giant DLP screen... so....

At around $100 for a replacement lamp for the E2000 I definitely would try and keep it around in some fashion or another...
 
Is it full-HD TV? If so, then it may be worth changing it if you like the picture quality. If not, then I'd change for Panasonic plasma-TV if you watch your TV in dimly lit or dark room OR Samsung LCD if you have to watch it in brightly lit room often (like in daylight with windows open). Plasmas have amazing contrast and blacks are pitchblack but they arent very bright and blasting them in full brightness isnt good for them.
 
well ive made my decision. It needs a new ballast and bulb (amost $400 total) and for all i know the prism could die again ($500)

Gunna get this plasma: Panasonic 50" 1080P 600Hz 3D Plasma (TCP50ST30)
 
EquaLiZr said:
well ive made my decision. It needs a new ballast and bulb (amost $400 total) and for all i know the prism could die again ($500)

Gunna get this plasma: Panasonic 50" 1080P 600Hz 3D Plasma (TCP50ST30)
Click to expand...

That's actually a good unit, Panny Plasmas are pretty hard to find fault with most of the time. Probably not my first choice for heavy gaming but movies will be a pretty awesome experience and it will definitely be an upgrade in both quality and size (obviously) from your Sony DLP.
 
The last question would be............

put it up forsale locally for free but tell them it needs a new bulb or......watch it till it dies and try and haul it out myself?
 
Just thought id put this thread to a close by saying i gave away the TV to a student moving out on his own for the first time and bought the Samsung UN55D6000 55' led :eek:
 
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