Im thinking of buying a sony 50 inch rear projection lcd but wanting to know how long the bulb lasts because they seem to expensive to replace
And any info on pros and cons on rear projection tvs because i dont know much about them
but mainly anxious and concerned about the bulb life
2007-10-31 14:06:58 · 3 answers · asked by BOB 1 in Consumer Electronics ➔ TVs
The bulb lifes usually last about 3-4 years from purchase for most people. If you're buying a new television. I suggest waiting until the replacement model comes out usally about 6 months after you buy it then purchase a few extra bulbs. They will be cheaper then.
Get them online they are much cheaper.
The only other draw back is that RPTV have bad viewing angles from beneath the set. meaning that you don't want to put it on top of a tall stand. DLP are very bad with this but if you're buying Sony they don't make a DLP they us LCOS for their TV's so its not as bad.
2007-10-31 14:22:00 · answer #1 · answered by Old AV Dude 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anything over a 42" unit requires a bulb to maintain the brightness. Depending upon manufacturer and model, bulbs can cost anywhere from $200 - $400. Bulbs are not rated in 'years' but in hours of operation.
Although they SAY that a typical bulb life is 10,000 hours, that's a very new claim. Only two years ago, high intensity bulbs were good for 2,000 hours.
Typically, from what I'm reading, you can expect as much as 8,000 hours or as low as 5,000 hours. Those are averages, so you may experience a bulb that gives you even less.
Do the math. 5,000 hours, divided by the number of hours your TV is on each day. Let's say you AND your family watch a total of 8 hours a day. That's 600 days, or not even 2 years.
You may get more, or less, depending upon your habits. But definitely don't let your TV operate for no reason with nobody watching it. The waste of electricity is the least of your worries.
On the other hand, if your unit is 42" or smaller, you don't have to worry about bulb life at all.
2007-10-31 14:37:29 · answer #2 · answered by Marc X 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A key factor [which is not mentioned by other forum members] in maximizing the life of a projection bulb is proper cooling down. The following scenario works--turn off the projection bulb while leaving on the main cooling fan for at least 20 minutes. Thereafter, turn off the whole tv using the main power switch. Following this shut-down procedure will drive the bulb life upwards to almost 92%.
Good luck!
2007-11-01 13:13:11 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had just hooked up my BluRay player to my Samsung TV and the bulb burned out. (I have had the unit for over 3 years).
The TV has a meter that records how many hours the TV was watched. I think it was around...6800 hours. It was about 500 hours or so above average.
2007-10-31 18:48:26 · answer #4 · answered by Grumpy Mac 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋