Hi Guys,

I bought my Pearl (VPL-VW50) used with 480 hours on the bulb according to the NON-Service menu. Things were great for the first 1 or 2 months, and I only have put about 20 hours on it since.

Perhaps it was just me refusing to accept it, but it is much much much darker then when I first brought it home. If my wife notices it then I know its bad usually she doesn't pick up on these things. Content is barely watchable as indoor scenes (in buildings, rooms) look like they are in dusk or sunset.

Before posting I searched some other threads and found how to get into the service menu to check the last timer count/ total time count etc for the projector and previous bulb which I will do tonight.

I understand that the bulbs fade, but is this to be expected? I will check the filter tonite to see if it is so clogged as it could have been causing heating problems. I run my bulb on high lamp, and leave the cooling on high as well since the sound does not bother me. I am weary to replace the bulb since I don't have a blinking light saying bad bulb, but all signs point to the bulb?

I know something is wrong because the "STARTING" word that appears in the lower right when starting used to be somewhere between visible and faint, and now I cant even see it unless i look very very hard (completely dark room, little or no ambient light).

Content is barely watchable. Should I buy a bulb? i reset all the settings and everything to make sure I hadn't goofed anything up, and I have never been in the service menu, and it was what I would call pretty bright when I first got it at 480 Hours used.

I know there a billion threads related to striking the lamp vs not striking. But in addition to any recommendations you have about me replacing the bulb. I tend to watch a movie a week, maybe 2 if I have time. I am striking about once or 2 times a week, for about 2 hours at a time. Good/Bad? Any reccomendations there.

Thanks,
J

try reseating your bulb

I have to believe this is lamp related. So hard to say.

The Pearl I auditioned was way dim as well, I attributed it to it being the "demo"machine and the lamp was probably in need of replacing.

So hard to say without a lamp though.

try reseating your bulb

Yeah, since I bought the projector It has been transported 20 miles, mounted upside down (he was just using a small floor stand), so its been bumped around a bit. I tried to be as 'careful' as I could. I will try to reseat the bulb tonight.

-J

Sounds like the bulb. I have been through a number of bulbs on my VW50 and VW60, and it seems that the newer manufactured bulbs last longer. I have heard from others that AVS has good prices on bulbs. If you get a new bulb, try running it on low until it is too dim, then switch to high to maximize bulb life.

Yeah, At this point I am not counting on reseating the bulb doing much. I suspect I will break down and get a bulb, as my projector is worthless without further investment (of a new bulb). Does anyone know if sony is still actively manufacturing these lamps? It seems hard to find them. Handful of places online seem to be OOS, and there are some "New" ones on ebay, but I am hesitant about that, unless someone can recommend a seller selling the LMP-H200 that they have had good dealings and products from.

Yeah, At this point I am not counting on reseating the bulb doing much. I suspect I will break down and get a bulb, as my projector is worthless without further investment (of a new bulb). Does anyone know if sony is still actively manufacturing these lamps? It seems hard to find them. Handful of places online seem to be OOS, and there are some "New" ones on ebay, but I am hesitant about that, unless someone can recommend a seller selling the LMP-H200 that they have had good dealings and products from.
On my VPL-VW50 I got to around 670 hours and my original bulb "popped". It pops when the buld goes completely and it was noticeably dimmer just before it popped. I bought the projector brand new so the bulb doesn't last very long depending on a few factors it seems:

1) How often you turn the projector on and off
2) The lamp setting you use
3) Possibly the earlier bulbs didn't last as long

I bought my replacement lamp from the SonyStyle store just to ensure I got an actual LMP-H200. There are probably some sources within this forum that can get you a better price on a new bulb though.

Yeah, At this point I am not counting on reseating the bulb doing much. I suspect I will break down and get a bulb, as my projector is worthless without further investment (of a new bulb). Does anyone know if sony is still actively manufacturing these lamps? It seems hard to find them. Handful of places online seem to be OOS, and there are some "New" ones on ebay, but I am hesitant about that, unless someone can recommend a seller selling the LMP-H200 that they have had good dealings and products from.

Call AV Science - they host these forums, and reportedly have good prices on these bulbs. The bulbs are out there, the VW50 and VW60 take the same bulb.

Maybe the problem is not just the bulb, but also the iris. Have you checked that the iris is working properly? Does the brightness change when you adjust the iris in manual mode?

The Iris definitely changes the brightness, marginally so tho... Still noticeably. I have left it to off to get the most brightness now, and even with that its hard to watch, still so dark. The IRIS setting changing from Auto 1, 2, off was definitely more pronounced before everything started to be so dark.

Here is a picture of the Bulb i removed from my projector. Can someone who has seen/replaced one of these comment. Is the pointing thing protruding from the back center of the bulb supposed to point down and to the left a bit? This may be by design so that is why I am asking. Also at the center back of the bulb is a small sphere that the spindle protrudes from. It has a crackled appearance is this typical (maybe just the reflective coating)?

Thanks for all your help/advice guys.

im nearing 700 on my wv40 and its still plenty bright on low power, but im also rocking a da lite hi power, gotta love those screens!

Your lamp has definitely failed. The glass has "ballooned". This has happened to a number of we Pearl owners with the original bulb. My first one went at about 500 hours too.

I got about 1200 hours out of my second one. Running it for some time in "low" mode. I'm on my third now and have to imagine I'm somewhere in the 600-800 arena. I've run this one on "low" since new in order to try to give some extra life to it, and to be able to kick it up to "high" after it dims some.

Hard for me personally to tell if my greater life on the 2nd and 3rd lamps is due to the low-power setting, or better bulb manufacturing quality. But it it possible to get 1200+ hours out of one...

AVS has great prices on replacements.

Thanks for the advice guys, I called AVS yesterday and it went to voicemail so I left a message indicating I was interested in a LMP-H200 for a VW50. Hope to hear from them soon.

Am I correct in understanding that the first several hundred hours on the bulb were with the projector surface mounted, and after you received it you have it mounted inverted? From what I've heard that alone could result in problems or failure from UHP lamps (from changing the orientation). "filament droop"

I believe I am the second owner of the projector, the gentleman I purchased it from told me he was the original owner. Upon entering the Service menu last nite, the Prev Lamp Timer said 202, current Lamp Timer was 426, and total operating hours were 628.

It would appear there have only been 2 resets of the lamp timer as the 2 timer sum to the cumulative operating hours.

The gentleman I purchased it from had it in a dedicated HT room on a tri level house, and he had it on a set of shelves (non-inverted).

I mounted it inverted so that could be one cause. I don't believe you are advocating "non inverted", but just that my use of it upside down when the bulb was heated so many times before non inverted could have been an issue with the droop.

Or, are you saying there is evidence that inverted mount with a new bulb is worse? I have inverted mount, but I would reconsider if that will adversely affect bulb life. (I am guessing that you are just saying the switch from inverted to non or vice versa half way through a bulb's life could be hazardous).

Am I correct in understanding that the first several hundred hours on the bulb were with the projector surface mounted, and after you received it you have it mounted inverted? From what I've heard that alone could result in problems or failure from UHP lamps (from changing the orientation). "filament droop"

Prior owner had it non-inverted, and I have it inverted.

Service menu shows Prev Lamp timer at 202, current at 426, total operating hours at 628. So prev lamp timer and current lamp timer total the cumulative hours at 628. I am not sure why the prev timer is 202, or if he replaced it at 202.

Will new bulb and inverted setup cause similar issues, or is the theory I will be ok if i Start inverted and don't change to non-inverted (as far as droop).

Am I correct in understanding that the first several hundred hours on the bulb were with the projector surface mounted, and after you received it you have it mounted inverted? From what I've heard that alone could result in problems or failure from UHP lamps (from changing the orientation). "filament droop"

previous lamp timer shows 202, current is 426, total operating hours is 626.

previous lamp timer shows 202, current is 426, total operating hours is 626.

I have no idea how those numbers relate to the 480 hours plus '20 since' of your first post. It seems clear that you need a new lamp (as others have opined)... I'm just saying that the expected life of the original bulb may have been compromised by the mid-life flip from non-inverted to inverted. The replacement may well do much better.

I have no idea how those numbers relate to the 480 hours plus '20 since' of your first post. It seems clear that you need a new lamp (as others have opined)... I'm just saying that the expected life of the original bulb may have been compromised by the mid-life flip from non-inverted to inverted. The replacement may well do much better.

understood, I think I am going to order a new bulb.

... But it is possible to get 1200+ hours out of one...I've got anecdotal evidence that it's very possible, because I replaced my first one at around 3100 hours and it was actually still going strong when I replaced it. :D FWIW, I use low mode exclusively on mine and tend to turn it on once a day (my rule of thumb is if I'll be back to watch more on it within a couple hours of finishing I leave it on) to avoid lots of power cycles. When I replaced my bulb, my original one still looked close to good-as-new too, though at that point my Pearl was indeed telling me to replace the bulb at power-on since I'd gone past 3000 hours. :)

I've got anecdotal evidence that it's very possible, because I replaced my first one at around 3100 hours and it was actually still going strong when I replaced it. :D FWIW, I use low mode exclusively on mine and tend to turn it on once a day (my rule of thumb is if I'll be back to watch more on it within a couple hours of finishing I leave it on) to avoid lots of power cycles. When I replaced my bulb, my original one still looked close to good-as-new too, though at that point my Pearl was indeed telling me to replace the bulb at power-on since I'd gone past 3000 hours. :)

Out of curiosity do you have yours ceiling mounted or on a stand behind/to the side of where you sit?

Mine's inverted, hanging from the underside of a wall shelf right behind and only slightly above my couch with a make-shift mounting system i rigged up for it. :) I'm glad I personally haven't needed to worry about the bulb in mine often because changing it means taking it down to get access to the bulb, then putting it back up, realigning, etc... ;) That may not be an issue for much longer anyway though since I'm very tempted to upgrade to an RS20 when they come out, and its better vertical shift range will likely mean that I can put it on top of the wall shelf instead of having to hang it. :p

My first bulb noticable dimmed around 450 hours so I had to switch from low to high mode. The bulb went completely out by around 900. I was very disappointed in the life span. Online sources were out of stock, but I was able to purchase one locally at Abt Electronics.

For the second bulb, I set the cooling mode to high, and so far I'm nearing 700 hours in low mode and the picture looks great, so I have confidence that this bulb will last much longer than my first whether due to the cooling setting or just a better made bulb.

Am I correct in understanding that the first several hundred hours on the bulb were with the projector surface mounted, and after you received it you have it mounted inverted? From what I've heard that alone could result in problems or failure from UHP lamps (from changing the orientation). "filament droop"

However, these are arc lamps... no filaments.

Changing the orientation can have an effect on arc lamps (typically flickering, etc...), but doesn't cause the catastrphic failure seen seen here: the lamp envelope ballooning. That seems to be a heat/materials issue.

Now to beat that 3100 hour record! I attempt to minimize power cycles too, as well as running on low for the time being... but I've not yet opted to use the high fan setting.... we'll see how it turns out.

However, these are arc lamps... no filaments.

Changing the orientation can have an effect on arc lamps (typically flickering, etc...), but doesn't cause the catastrphic failure seen seen here: the lamp envelope ballooning. That seems to be a heat/materials issue.

Now to beat that 3100 hour record! I attempt to minimize power cycles too, as well as running on low for the time being... but I've not yet opted to use the high fan setting.... we'll see how it turns out.

I ordered a replacement bulb from AV Science yesterday, someone had bought their last LMP-H200 on tuesday, so I have to wait 10 days, but the price was right so I placed the order. I will probably run on Low bulb with high cooling, and see what kind of life I get :-)

Just got through checking on prices of these bulbs... BTW, SonyStyle says "not in stock", which begs the question, Statistically are these bulbs prone to dying prematurely?

Also I noticed the price of these bulbs through other vendors appear to fall into two distinct price categories about ~$100 apart. It appears to be more than coincidence, since there are NO other prices in between. I noticed on one of the descriptions for the 'cheaper' bulb they call it an "OEM EQUIVALENT REPLACEMENT LAMP"... does this mean there are Sony lamps and then there are 'generic'? There's got to be some accounting for the $100 difference. Anyone know what the story is with the huge price difference for what is suppose to be the same replacement bulb? Also... if the Sony bulb doesn't last that long would the 'generic' be better, I mean surely if the original bulb already needs replacing at 500-600 hours, could a cheaper 'generic' be any worse?

I always like to keep a spare bulb on hand and with my VW-60 approaching 400 hours I'm think its about the right time to purchase a spare... but after checking prices I'm really confused now. Can any one shed some light? or suggest a logical approach for me to take?

Just got through checking on prices of these bulbs... BTW, SonyStyle says "not in stock", which begs the question, Statistically are these bulbs prone to dying prematurely?

Also I noticed the price of these bulbs through other vendors appear to fall into two distinct price categories about ~$100 apart. It appears to be more than coincidence, since there are NO other prices in between. I noticed on one of the descriptions for the 'cheaper' bulb they call it an "OEM EQUIVALENT REPLACEMENT LAMP"... does this mean there are Sony lamps and then there are 'generic'? There's got to be some accounting for the $100 difference. Anyone know what the story is with the huge price difference for what is suppose to be the same replacement bulb? Also... if the Sony bulb doesn't last that long would the 'generic' be better, I mean surely if the original bulb already needs replacing at 500-600 hours, could a cheaper 'generic' be any worse?

I always like to keep a spare bulb on hand and with my VW-60 approaching 400 hours I'm think its about the right time to purchase a spare... but after checking prices I'm really confused now. Can any one shed some light? or suggest a logical approach for me to take?

I will tell you what the guy at AVS store said when I called to place the order. He said Sony OEMS the bulb manufacturing out and that its done to places that meet sonys stringent quality criteria. I said "everyone online is out of stock, only a few ppl have it" He said not to worry about availability long term for the big name guys, JCV, Epson, Sony. He indicated they would be making bulbs for some time to come and advises against stockpiling since the warranty begins 90 Days from purchase of the lamp. One may not want to have a bulb go out with no spare when company is over and watching a movie tho. When I get my bulb I will post here and indicate what kind of markings (if any sony, etc markings) are on the Bulb. Others have purchases LMP-H200 from AVS and have been very pleased so I am not too worried.

Based on what I was told these are not companies making compatible bulbs, they are oems for sony for these bulbs.

As for why stock is low. Well bulbs ARE consumable items, however depending on your usage they are replaced on average 1 every 2 years, once a year, maybe twice? I would bet sony and its oems are not cranking these bulbs out like hotcakes, as I would reckon while there IS a market, its not huge, not enough where they need to make tons and tons and tons of these.

Thanks for the response jceven... makes a lot of sense now, however I would like to add that though pj lamps are consumables sure, they are certainly not perishables and so keeping them on the shelf ('in stock' meaning Sony) should not be that hard to do. You keep an inventory so you know how many you have on-hand and have a handle on the average rate of consumption... therefore you should be able to predict within a reasonable degree of accuracy when the stock would be depleted and thus be able to give the manufacturing facility ample lead time to schedule-in and set-up for another manufacturing run of these particular lamps for a 'price break' quantity that makes sense based upon past usage data. I realize with the move to 'just-in-time' manufacturing there is a pressure to keep inventories at a minimum but you'd think a company like Sony would have a couple of extra cartons of lamps stashed for places like their own repair center, etc. So why was Sony caught with its pants down on this particular lamp?... could it be that statistically on the whole that these lamps have been experiencing much shorter lifespans than expected? I'm guessing that with the newest pj to used to these lamps (VW-60) recently sold in large numbers, it wouldn't be too outrageous to suppose that many are just now reaching the 500-600 hours in useage with premature bulb failures (excessive dimming) and thus leading to Sony's sudden "out of stock" problem. Dunno really, I'm just thinking aloud here...

I understand the value of having the 90-day warranty in effect, especially with something as variable as a pj lamp, but wouldn't it be the pits to have a bulb go out in a dramatic way and then not be able to find a replacement for weeks or even a month? Why does every thing have to be such a gamble with these projectors? ...sigh...

1) Buy new lamp to replace failed lamp.

2) Install and use immediately.

3) On day #80, order new lamp.

4) On day #90, recieve new lamp. Install immediately. Take previous lamp (still operable) amd set aside as spare.


There, now you have your spare lamp (with only a couple hundred hours on it) as well as a new lamp, and you didn't blow your warranty timeframe for either.

1) Buy new lamp to replace failed lamp.

2) Install and use immediately.

3) On day #80, order new lamp.

4) On day #90, recieve new lamp. Install immediately. Take previous lamp (still operable) amd set aside as spare.


There, now you have your spare lamp (with only a couple hundred hours on it) as well as a new lamp, and you didn't blow your warranty timeframe for either.

Bright idea (pun intended)... however I do think that is clever logic and I believe that is what I will do. Thanks! I'll just buy a new lamp and install it immediately and shelve the current one I'm using with 400 hours on it.

Bright idea (pun intended)... however I do think that is clever logic and I believe that is what I will do. Thanks! I'll just buy a new lamp and install it immediately and shelve the current one I'm using with 400 hours on it.

There ya go... several people here suggested the same thing some time ago, so credit goes to the larger AVS community for the idea.