It's confirmed...my 2006 WD-73927 needs a new bulb and light engine. It's out of warranty. Cost of the service...$1,100 at my local B&M. Ouch. What's worse is that the shop is telling me that Mitsu doesn't actually produce new light engines, so for $1,100 I'm actually getting a refurb, with no guarantee on longevity.

So, thinking this might be a good time to look at something bigger & better, I asked about the WD-82837. The dealer proceeded to tell me that DLP is essentially a dead technology, that most manufacturers are walking away from it due to reliability and repair costs. This was news to me, and quite disappointing since I've loved my 73927 since I bought it.

So I'm faced with a difficult choice! Do I...

1.) Spend the $1,100 to repair my 73927 and *hope* that I get another few years out of it?

2.) Opt for a plasma/LCD option which may end up being more reliable, but much smaller than what I'm used to?

3.) Venture back into DLP territory with the 82837? Can I expect the same level of reliability with the 82837, and therefore only a 3-4 year life? Has Mitsu made any improvements to the internals over the 73927?

Thanks for the help!

The 82837 are significantly heavier than the 73837, so I'd guess the frame is at least heavier material. Not sure I'd count on reliability improvements internally. They may be there, but it will be likely be 2011-12 before we'll know.

Get the longest warranty you can find? Some places offer 5 years, I think. 4 years (1 year Mits + 3 yr extended) are not uncommon at all. At least if something goes wrong that can't be repaired you'll get a new comparable set of the day.

By then perhaps other technologies will have gotten past 63" without costing a small fortune.

I'm curious --what did you pay for that 73" in 2006?

Perhaps it is unkind of me, but I can't help thinking that a salesman seeing a potential customer looking at a 82837 might see the opportunity to up-sell on price, if not on size.

FWIW, our 2004 WD-62725 is coming up on 5 years in a few months, with one service call for a dead fan. But there are others who weren't as lucky, for sure. . .

It's confirmed...my 2006 WD-73927 needs a new bulb and light engine. It's out of warranty. Cost of the service...$1,100 at my local B&M. Ouch. What's worse is that the shop is telling me that Mitsu doesn't actually produce new light engines, so for $1,100 I'm actually getting a refurb, with no guarantee on longevity.

So, thinking this might be a good time to look at something bigger & better, I asked about the WD-82837. The dealer proceeded to tell me that DLP is essentially a dead technology, that most manufacturers are walking away from it due to reliability and repair costs. This was news to me, and quite disappointing since I've loved my 73927 since I bought it.

So I'm faced with a difficult choice! Do I...

1.) Spend the $1,100 to repair my 73927 and *hope* that I get another few years out of it?

2.) Opt for a plasma/LCD option which may end up being more reliable, but much smaller than what I'm used to?

3.) Venture back into DLP territory with the 82837? Can I expect the same level of reliability with the 82837, and therefore only a 3-4 year life? Has Mitsu made any improvements to the internals over the 73927?

Thanks for the help!

have you contacted Mits and asked for any help. yes, even though it's well out of normal warranty service period it's possible since they do not have new parts that Mits will pay for the refurb/rebuilt parts, you would still pay for the lamp and labor costs.

They are doing this with many many 2005 52/62x25 owners on the electrical chassis. There is a California Consumer Protection law that requires Mits to supply functional parts for 7 years. So many failures of the electrical chassis on the 52/62x25 models left them with no replacement stock parts so they are rebuilding the chassis and covering that cost and the owner covers the labor cost.

I would contact them at 1-800-332-2119 ext 8. that should get you to an account rep in the USA headquarters.

Here's an update. Based on Dssturbo1's suggestion, I called Mitsu and explained the situation. They confirmed that the warranty on the optical engine was extended for 2 years past the original 1 year manufacturer's warranty. Since I bought the TV in May, I would have been past the 3 years, but Mitsu is still covering me! GREAT NEWS!

I've updated the B&M shop and now they're looking into it. Looks like I may have a way out of this! I'll keep you posted!

I too am considering getting a 82837. I am concerned about brightness and reflection however. Anyone put one of these in a bright room? Mine would get some direct sunlight in the afternoon/evening and I don't want my hockey washed out!

I too am considering getting a 82837. I am concerned about brightness and reflection however. Anyone put one of these in a bright room? Mine would get some direct sunlight in the afternoon/evening and I don't want my hockey washed out!

I have mine in a very bright room with windows on 3 sides. It's better then my old CRT RPT - this thing can go pretty bright if you need it to. It's exactly why I went with this huge DLP instead of a front projector.

Already a thread about 2009 Mitsubishi DLPs:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1142582