I would like to know what other persons have experienced with rear projection HD LCD televisions - Mine is a Hitachi 50" rear proj LCD set which I purchased July 2004; replaced bulb May 2005; April 2006 and now I need one again. I found the first time although HItachi did not want to cover this under warranty, called store and they covered it; second time there was an issue with engine or something like that along with the bulb (covered under extended warranty) and now again I just called to have it serviced (I am hoping it will be covered under extended warranty - don't know yet); This does not seem normal to me - paid $2,700 for TV and if the bulk needs replacement ever 9 to 10 months, that is TOO expensive for me $350 for bulb not counting labor. We do use TV during day (child at home) and then again in evening. I was told turning off and on also decreases life of bulb -- Should I leave TV on rather than turn off if I will be watching it a few hours later ? What about the hours for the bulb? This still seem excessive that bulb would only last this long. I keep stating that something must not be right with TV but repairman states that the life of bulb depends on hours but HOW MANY HOURS ?
Has anyone else had such problems -- thinking this is not the TV for me.
Do I try and sell and get diffent TV but what type. This set has a beautiful picture but certainly not worth the upkeep. Is it this model and brand ?
Would like input from anyone who might have info on this. I just do not have the money to keep this up if I have to pay for it myself. Any suggestions ?
Tips to extend bulb life.
Make sure the set has plenty of space around it per the instruction manual for air flow.
Make sure the vent grills along the sides and back are clean of dust.
Never hook a lamp based rear projector to an outlet that is switched. These sets need to be connected directly to a wall outlet that always supplies power.
An LG tech rep once suggested having the sets hooked to a UPS power supply like used on computers in the event power is lost. It's vital for prolonged bulb life that the cooling fans be allowed to run after power is turned off or if power is removed from the set in the case of an outage.