Hi There

I have a Sony KDF-55E2000 and am using it for my HTPC .. often I have turn it on to launch an MPR3 player and what not..

I was wondering is there a general rule if it is better for the bulb to be turned on and off frequently or be left on.

Lets say over 2h you need the TV on 4 times for 5 minutes .. do you better leave it on all the time or tuen it off and on each time you need it?

cheers

Teac

I've seen estimates that one on-off cycle is equivalent to between 30 and 90 minutes of running time. Myself, I turn the TV off if I don't expect to watch it during the next couple of hours. Otherwise I leave it on. For sure anything under an hour it stays on.

Thanks! Thats the info I was looking for !

My 4 year old Sammy DLP has well over 12000 hours on the original bulb, still looks great and we leave it on practically all the time.
So leaving it on has worked for me, your mileage may vary.

At 12000 hours there is little chance that the lamp output is anywhere near where it was new in either brightness or spectrum. It is also atypical for it to last that long, though some do.

I have discussed the matter with engineers at several TV makers and with the OEMs for the lamps, and the numbers 1-4 hours come up as a recommendation for time of non-use before it makes sense to turn the set off . In other words, if you are going to not view it for somewhere between 1 and 4 hours, you are better off to turn it off. Start cycles do shorten lamp life, but so do running hours. There is a trade-off between the two. In sets that have been run 24/7, we typically see somewhat longer life in lamp hours but much shorter in overall life.