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Are DLP Tv's really that great...

PioneerGuy75

PioneerGuy75

Certified Lurker
I have recently acquired a free DLP TV...Theoretically all it needs is a bulb. Well the bulb is $60! :scratch2:

Isn't this the same tv style that uses a color wheel? :scratch2: Whatever that is...And I think they need to be replaced periodically...

Worth a $60 gamble? I really don't know much about this technology except that it was rather short lived...

Also I am perfectly happy with my old CRT toob tvs!:thmbsp:

Thanks! :music::music:
 
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My Samsung DLP is 8 years old and still on the same bulb. Color wheels do fail, but infrequently. The biggest drawback with DLPs is that some people see a rainbow effect from the color wheel when they turn their head; I remember seeing it a bit when I first got it, but either it's gone away or I've become insensitive to it.

The technology has gone away, however; Mitsubishi was the last manufacturer and even they have stopped. Other technologies have bettered it. Still, I like the picture on mine.

Happy trails,
Larry B.
 
It's worth a $60 gamble if you want the bigger screen. The picture should be quite good the blacks are great on DLPs.
 
I was wondering about replacing the bulb with some kind of leds but you would have to find a way to trick the bulb indicator circuitry. leds would last the life of the set and generate far less heat. heat is what stresses the color wheel in the first place. I have a 6 year old 50'' samsung full hd tv sitting in an empty room that needs a bulb 100+ dollars. i would love an led conversion the light engine from texas instruments is what gives dlp tvs such a good picture.
 
Cree makes a high intensity 50 watt ultra bright led that is 100,000 ansi rated lumens and is a true white light the led is on its own heatsink. but how would you bypass the circuitry for the original bulb hmm anyone? the power supply for the led could be implemented easily enough but not sure how to bypass the original circuitry anyone have an idea? The led would even fit into the original bulbs housing funny enough.
 
Bulb needs to be a single point source emitter and the right. Color temp

Probably 150w short arc 1.6 mm or so

Who knows
 
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Thanks markdi i know which bulb to get for my samsung but it's an expense i no longer need. i would just love to figure out away to replace that hid bulb once and for all the cree led is a single point source and is very close to the correct color temperature being natural white. But without the bulb installed the set won't power up at all. there must be a way to trick that circuitry and install an led upgrade.
 
Do you have a link to the led ?

A 2000 lumen per watt 50 watt led would be fun
 
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Back when I worked on TVs for a living, a few JVC D-ILA projection TVs came across my bench that had LEDs for the lamp. The LED did sometimes burn out. Just something to think about.

With projection TVs, it's all about keeping the light engine cool. I used to work on these all the time. Some that had poor air flow (several Toshiba models comes to mind), would eat bulbs every few months. Some other brands/models, the bulbs last years. My boss had a Philips DLP that he watched every day for years on the same bulb.

A DLP with a fresh bulb, a clean lens and mirror, that has never been smoked around, will give a very good picture straight on. Because of the Fresnel material that the screen is made of, the further you get from dead-center the picture quality will diminish. I have found this to vary significantly by model. Some (when testing), I could set them on the ground and see the picture just fine. Some I had to squat down level with the screen to be able to see it very well.

My advice would be to check ebay for a bulb. Many of the vendors even offer warranties. If you get the bulb without the housing, be VERY careful when tightening the nut on the back of the bulb. Just snug will do. Any tighter and it will break off and you're screwed.

If it does need a color wheel, they aren't hard to change, just time consuming. You'll know real quick if you need a color wheel. One of 3 things will happen, the TV will turn repeatedly on and off (trying to get the proper RPM out of the color wheel and failing), the TV will come on but be black and white (RPM was attained but the colored glass has broken off the wheel), or the TV will work, but you will hear a growling the whole time (the bearings are failing).

All in all, DLP's are an easy to work on. They rarely have any problems other than bulbs, color wheels, or temperature sensors (mostly Sony).

While I am preaching my projection sermon, avoid Sony LCD projection TVs. Many of them have defective light engines. Look up "sony blue blob". Very expensive to fix back in the day, and probably impossible now. I would turn those away when people brought them in. Also avoid late 2000's WD-series Mitsubishi's. They have complex logic issues (look up "Mitsubishi blod" (blinking light of death).
 
The lamps used to cost $200-$300 IIRC, so a lot of sets got replaced with flat-panel sets rather than replacing the bulb. The lamps should be relatively cheap now with severely reduced demand and shelf surplus that'll eventually have no demand or app.
Someone offered me one of the Sonys gratis, I didn't want it even to part out.
 
My former neighbors had a Samsung DLP. I think it was a 50". I thought it had a good picture and very good black levels. They replaced it only to get a larger set. Other than the bulb going every so often, it was solid performance wise.

For 60 bucks, I'd take a gamble.
 
I have a Samsung 61" LED DLP TV and it's going strong after 5 years. I keep waiting for it to stop working so I can get a plasma but, nope, it's still goin'...

Prior to this one I had two Samsung DLP TV's that used the incandescent lamp. One failed after 5 years, the other one is still working just fine. I guess buying the spare wasn't a smart move, eh?
 
Wow lots of good info here!

Thanks so much!!

I shall buy a bulb when I get the spare money and I will report back :thmbsp:


Cheers :beerchug::beerchug::music:
 
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