I have an RCA 50" DLP TV model # HDLP50W151. It is a little over a year old. While my son was watching it this morning it made a funny sound and the screen went black but the audio is still there. Does anybody have a clue to what might have happened.I appreciate your responses.
laura my tv rca model f 36674et does the same thing, did you get any help from anybody?
The first thing to check would be all of the video cables. One may have gotten loose on the back of the TV.
Assuming you've checked all the user fixable stuff, my next guess would be that the bulb failed, though they are supposed to turn off automatically in these cases. If your model has a user replaceable lamp, take it out of the TV and inspect it. It should be pretty obvious that it's bad.
Thanks Matt, I called RCA and judging from the popping sound it made before the screen went black they believe it is the bulb. How do I get to the bulb to check it out? I was also told that the warranty on the bulb is 2 years. When I scheduled a service call I found out that the bulb costs around $600.00!!! If this is going to happen once a year then I might as well either get rid of the television or learn how to do it myself. I am going to educate myself on how to take care it so it won't happen that often. Any input on that is appreciated.
The warranty on your TV, including lamp, is 1 year. If you puchaced an extended from your dealer, it may not cover the lamp. Unfortunatley, the manual isn't the clearest on whether or not the lamp can be easily changed by the user. There's really only one way to find out.
Remove the front grille from the front of the TV. Look to see if there is a door area that refers to the internal lamp (it may be on the back of the TV, but it's usually on the front). Open this door and see if there is a cage like device that pulls out. If so, adding a new lamp is as easy as inserting a new cage. If not, then a tech should replace it. Shop around for service or talk to your dealer. 600 bucks is rediculous for this kind of problem.
We also have a RCA TV Model HDLP50W151. One day when we turned it on we also had no picture but just audio. After checking the cables, we contacted our service repairman and he felt it was the lamp. The set is only two yrs old and we also were not happy with the replacement cost of the lamp. I thought I would just try to unplug the set from the wall and plug it back in. After doing that, I turned the set on and the picture and sound were back on like normal. What could possibly cause this? Is the lamp going bad??
It is a good possibility that the lamp could have a bad connection on it. The cost of the lamp is expensive. and they usually will last for between 2000 and 6000 hours. According to a leading consumers magazine, having the set on from 6PM to 11:00 PM nightly, you can come close to reaching the 2000 hour mark after the first year. Lamps can cost between $200.00 to $400.00 bucks, and if your handy, you can replace the bulb your self with a screw driver BUT do not touch the bulb as this will ruin the bulb. If your not handy add approx. another $200.00 for the service call and labor to replace the bulb. Your problem could have been a glitch in the processor and unplugging it reset the TV. its a hard call. On any electronic device, that all of a suddenly goes bad, should be reset by unplugging it overnight to see if it resets. I have had lots and lots of sets folks would bring into my shop, and when I plug it in it works fine. Most of these sets we would run day and night for a week and then they would go home and work fine. Hope this is your problem and you do not have any other troubles. GOOD LUCK
Thanks, Larry, for your quick response and advice. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it was just a glitch in the processor. I find it annoying that the service rep I called never suggested this. Is the lamp going bad a common problem for this RCA model?
Its common for any TV or Microdisplay set with a lamp as I said they will last between 2000 to 6000 hours.I have seen lamps that went bad when the set was about a year old .. To answer your Question, No, I havent heard any problems with any RCA lamps or there circuit. Come back and viset us again ..