I recently got a used Infocus 777 DLP. This projector is out of warranty. Fired it yesterday and noticed a dead pixel. It stays red all the time. From some reading on the net, it's the stuck mirror and nothing much can be done about it. :(

I also read that Texas Instruments covers it for a longer duration, 5 years and so does InFocus. I called InFocus today morning, and the rep said that there is no specific policy. There are projectors warrantied for 5 years, but not Screenplay 777. Can this be true? I thought the 777 was higher end, better built so the warranty on those would be better than 4805 or others. The stuck mirror is very rare but I thought the policy is uniform, and not on case to case/model specific.

I thought of opening a new thread, cause I did not find much info on stuck pixels at AVS. May be experts can voice their opinions about it.

I don't know any company that has a 5 year warranty. But, you also bought it used so that often voids any remaining warranty (if there is any). Did the seller not tell you about this?

I meant the warranty concerning the stuck mirror. Since its rare, all the DLPs are covered for 5 years. But I did not find any documentation to support that other than some news articles at engadgetHD. The Infocus rep said yes, some models are covered. So there is some truth to it.

The seller did tell me that the projector is out of warranty. But dead pixel is not something that I was anticipating on this projector. This is my 4th DLP and I came across it the first time.

Anyway, wanted to get some ideas on this one. or at least some discussion.

I have never heard that all DLP's are covered by a 5 year warranty...where did you hear that?
I meant did the seller tell you about the dead pixel... a stuck red should have stood out...

You might want to call TI and see what their "hidden" coverage is (they usually leave it up to the manufacturer to determine the normal warranty).

Did the seller not tell you about this?

It would appear that the stuck pixel/mirror issue has recently come up since in this thread nothing was reported as being a problem?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1144750&highlight=

OP, Is my assumption correct? Did it just recently become a problem...looks like you viewed the projector prior to purchase and have had it for about 9 days of usage?

I was always under the assumption that stuck pixels are something that would show up right away. Could it be something else? Do you have an screen capture that you could post to show us what you are seeing?

Sorry to hear about the issue

Ron

A while back I remember TI announced that they were extending warranties on light engines to 5 years. I don't remember any other details but I do remember that I read it.

Edit; I found a link here. (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/07/05/texas-instruments-extends-projector-based-dlp-chip-warranty-to-5/)

rboster,

I did see the projector before buying and then used once at my home. I did not notice it. Both the times, the screen was very small (approx 60" diag), not sure if that limits the ability spot it. I put the projector at the back yesterday and noticed it. This was the second time fired it up, so not much usage at my home. Can a mirror get stuck while moving the projector? (I don't think so, but just throwing it here)

I did call TI, and they asked me to write an email to them explaining all the details. The rep said he will forward it to TI supervisor. Lets see what they say.

I will try to take a picture and upload it here.

Usually the stuck pixel spec for warranty defect allows for some number of stuck pixels to be present. The spec will vary with respect to where the stuck pixel is. If it is in the center or near the center, the tend is to replace it under warranty. If its off near the edges, it usually won't be replaced. Its a subjective call from Infocus, Re warranties being nontransferable, some are. Get the seller to make the claim for you as if he still owned the machine. He can use his name with your address.

Mark,
Yes, that's what I wanted to establish at the moment, whether there is really a stuck mirror/dead pixel policy with InFocus or Texas Instruments. So far, nothing has turned up at Infocus or Texas Instruments web sites. All the info on 5 year warranty on DLP chips is through some news articles which can be very much subjective.

When I called TI, they said they have a 5 year warranty but leave it to manufacturers to include/implement it. Also, the rep did not had idea whether all the projectors are included or not, so he asked me to write an email. I will be able to ask the seller to make a claim if the TI confirms the 5 year warranty.

If the warranty is not valid, this thread will at least help others in understanding the DLP chip warranty. Granted these failures are rare but they exist.

Oh and the pixel is right in the middle.

I would put all my emphasis on Infocus. Have the seller them an email with a picture of the location of the stuck pixel and have him make a claim under the Infocus warranty. If that doesn't work, you are probably SOL.

Well, no word from Texas Instruments yet on their policy of Dead pixel. I took a picture showing the dead pixel. It lights up red and shows up really bad on dark scenes.

Here is a screen shot just to give an idea.http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=143551&d=1243140585

That`s unquestionably something the manufacturer should replace. Not debatable.

Yeah, but getting the manufacturer to agree is the main problem. InFocus says there is no policy as such, and 777 does not come under 5 yr warranty. TI says they have 5 yr warranty but leave it to manufacturers to implement. Without proper wording and clarity, all the garb of TI/DLP claims about the so called "5 year Warranty" are useless and can be termed as Marketing jargon.

I plan to contact TI once again this week and see where it goes. What I do intend to find is whether this policy exists only on paper or there is an real life instance of honoring it. So far, I haven't seen at any forums about these problems fixed for out of warranty DLP TV's or projectors. At least it will help me in determining whether I should go for DLP or LCD next time I buy a projector. Not that LCD does not have dead pixels, but if all the talk about is only on paper then it gives some idea about the product.

Looks like the seller got you.

If nothing else, put a square of black velvet right at that spot. Ought to be about right.

You bought it used and the problem was likely there from the get go. If the problem was there from the get go and a claim by the original owner was made during the Infocus warranty period, it would be likely that the machine would have been replaced. Perhaps your avenue is to return the machine to the seller for a refund. I doubt he or she advertised it as having a dead center pixel.

TI`s warrantee is probably to the manufacturer and covers a replacement chip. The manufacturers warranty probably doesn`t flow to non original purchasers and probably is limited to some smaller term than 5 years, perhaps a small as one year.

Infocus probably doesn`t manufacturer the light engine and has no ability itself to replace anything other than the entire light engine. The labor to replace it should not be high but the part, the light engine, will probably be in the $2K range. Unless the buyer will take it back, you are probably SOL. Who`s fault is it. The original owner for not getting it fixed under warranty, the seller for not noticing or if he did notice, not disclosing, and you by buying something used without prior inspection or having a right of return upon inspection.

TI dots all its i and crosses all its T. It operates in a vail of secrecy regarding pricing and contractually binds its licencies from disclosing its contractual terms. You can be damn sure that its lawyers have isolated it from consumer warranty claims.

The buyer wanted $1,800 for this projector as others pointed out in the previous thread that the market is around 3k. Sounds like they were deep discounting to move it. I would suspect they knew...but shame on them for not disclosing.

I guess the lesson is be suspicious of below market deals and always ask for them to list any issues with their projector...not that it would force someone from fully disclosing the problems, but at least you have it on record.

Once the projector left the sellers house, it would be impossible to prove the problem existed while they own the projector. You compound the fact that the owner demo'd the projector prior to the purchase (albeit on a much smaller projected image). Your only real recourse (assuming the seller won't take it back) is small claims court (which is non-binding) and show that the seller's demo wouldn't reveal the dead pixel....even then it's he said, he said.

okay, just to update. Managed to get a response from TI call center. They do have a dead pixel policy but leave it to a manufacturer to implement it. It's not binding on them. To quote TI, "Chip warranties are at the discretion of the manufacturers." So, if the chip warranty is not specifically mentioned in the warranty doc of a projector, the 5 year talk from TI is just what it is.. a talk. May be this will help some one dealing with the similar issue or something like that.

Anyway, I will keep on using the projector and pretend the dead pixel is not there. Lesson learnt. My another option is to find a used and dead 777 but with good DMD chip on ebay. I am looking at one right now there.

Thanks to all of you who chimed in and provided inputs.

To quote TI, "Chip warranties are at the discretion of the manufacturers." So, if the chip warranty is not specifically mentioned in the warranty doc of a projector, the 5 year talk from TI is just what it is.. a talk.
You really can't blame TI, if you want anyone to blame, blame the company who chose not to enforce the policy.


Anyway, I will keep on using the projector and pretend the dead pixel is not there. Lesson learnt. My another option is to find a used and dead 777 but with good DMD chip on ebay. I am looking at one right now there.
Find out what chip the 777 uses and simply search for any projector that has that same chip. They're quite interchangeable.

One thing i have heard done to DLP chips that have a "stuck" pixel is the repairer has run some type of magnet over them to force any stuck pixels to be re-aligned.....
...... now as to the validity of this "procedure" i can't confirm as it was simply mentioned to me in passing once when i had an unrelated DLP chip problem of my own........ but it might be worth sussing out if their is a repair agent that can do this, as it would certainly make for a relatively easy fix if it can be done.

Matt.G

You really can't blame TI, if you want anyone to blame, blame the company who chose not to enforce the policy.

I agree. The only reason I called TI because manufacturer denied having any such warranty. However, I haven't seen any DLP manufacturers make a claim of having a 5 year warranty, all the press releases and touting of the 5 year chip warranty is done by TI. So, why blame the manufacturer who never made such a claim? May be I feel sour because of my experience, but this all seems wash to me.

Find out what chip the 777 uses and simply search for any projector that has that same chip. They're quite interchangeable.
I would most likely buy any such SP777. there are quite a few dead ones pop on the bay.

Sorry to bring this thread back to life, but I owe it to contributors here a status update. I ended up buying an Infocus Sp777 off e-bay. It had a power board problem. I swapped the power board from the dead pixel one and everything is fine now. The only issue is I see two very small dust blobs. There was lots of dust inside and I cleaned it carefully, but may have got some in somehow during the process. Anyway, wife does not notice it, so I am good. Or may be one day, I will open it again and try to do more cleaning.

In all, this ended up costing me more than I planned to, but at least the problem is taken care of and I have a spare projector for parts including one lamp. That's the bright side to look at.

Thanks again to all the posters here who gave their inputs.

It used to be that even with one stuck or dead pixel, the manufacturer wouldn take care of it. It depended on how many and where they were at. If it was dead center in the picture, they usually took care of that, but anywhere on top or bottom and you were usually out of luck