... I suggest you pull the bulb yourself and see if its blown before calling...

Quick update -- just pulled the bulb and it is definitely a goner.

As an aside question -- can I get to the air filter from the front or does the back panel need to be removed to check that part out?

Thanks to all for your input and observations.

Quick update -- just pulled the bulb and it is definitely a goner.

As an aside question -- can I get to the air filter from the front or does the back panel need to be removed to check that part out?

Thanks to all for your input and observations.
I'm not aware of any air filter.

Where is the best place to buy a replacement bulb (cost and speed of delivery)?

I'm not aware of any air filter.

I've had my nose in every nook & cranny of mine, and there is no filter. One could always create their own though.

Yes they have you return it to panasonic, they provide shipping label.
So far so good... After 20 minutes on the phone with the Circuit City protection plan phone desk in India, they're going to ship me a replacement bulb. Said it would take 3 or 4 days.

Two years on the lamp:

Current Lamp: 5807
LON Count: 1546

I just made it to 10,000 hours on my PT-50LC14 2 years to the date! I just reset the bulb hours to zero. Is there anything I should notice before it goes bad? Im kind of on a tight budget and cant really buy a new bulb until I know the old one is dead.I hope i can get 2000+ more hours :)

-----------------------------

I also wanted to add this because it took me a bit of searching.. someone posted a bit of incorrect info on how to reset lamp hours on another site..
For anyone searching this thread:
To reset the lamp hours turn on your tv
wait until the notice about your lamp goes AWAY (it wont work with the message still up)

hold the volume down on your tv while holding the split/play button on the remote
you will get a notce about 4-5 seconds later that it was reset.

ok, so i broke down and bought a spare lamp/bulb for my pt50lc13. i'm getting it next day service tomorrow. i have a feeling the lamp i have now is about to blow....it's taking longer and longer to light up. the reason i'm getting a spare is b/c the last time the lamp blew it took me like 4 days to get a new one thru the lamp warranty.....and i dont want to be without tv for that long. my question is.........when i get my spare lamp tomorrow is it ok to take out the lamp i have in there now.... stick the new one in the tv to make sure that it works.......then put the current one back in?

Bulb update, passed 13,000 hours this past weekend on the original bulb !

LAMP OPERATION TIME
TOTAL : 13025h
CURRENT LAMP: 2964h
OSD DISPLAY : ON
LON COUNT : 2626

Someone asked me before why my CURRENT LAMP time showed less than the TOTAL since this is my original bulb. When I hit a bit over 10k hours I reset the bulb timer to get rid of the nag screen that would come up when the set powered on.

Another update, passed 14,000 hours this past weekend on the original bulb.

LAMP OPERATION TIME
TOTAL : 14036h
CURRENT LAMP: 3975h
OSD DISPLAY : ON
LON COUNT : 2774

thats awesome cruiser. im probably at about 11000+ hours now. i forget, how do i check the current hours? its been a few months since i did it last

Another update, passed 14,000 hours this past weekend on the original bulb.

LAMP OPERATION TIME
TOTAL : 14036h
CURRENT LAMP: 3975h
OSD DISPLAY : ON
LON COUNT : 2774

First bulb about 8000 hours. Second bulb 5000. 3rd bulb 2000. Getting progressively worse. Replacements were paid for by Panasonic.

When I turned on the TV yesterday, I got the flashing red light indicating bulb problem. I took the bulb out of the tv and it looks fine. There are no shards of glass, no burn or browning, or any apparent damage. Last two bulbs, it was quite obvious they had burned out, as there were shards everwhere inside the casing, but this one looks brand new. The first two times the bulb blew, there was an audible explosion while the TV was on, but this time I heard nothing. The TV just didn't turn on.

Is it possible that the bulb is fine, and it's a ballast problem with the TV? Panasonic is sending someone out to do a free check on the TV for ballast problem. Anyone else have a similar situation where the bulb looks brand new but still gets the flashing red light and the 'lamp indicator flashing red?

I got the panasonic Pt 61lcx65 set was purchased 9/05 how do you know when the Bulb is gonna go out is there
any sighns ? Im having problems with my set. Im getting some red and blue spots/lights on the screen.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=835029

Another update, almost hit 15,000 hours on the original bulb, still going strong.

LAMP OPERATION TIME
TOTAL : 14910h
CURRENT LAMP: 4849h
OSD DISPLAY : ON
LON COUNT : 2878

I just got the Messasge to replace bulb and reset timer. My Picture still looks good and somewhat bright.

I dont really need to change the Bulb do I ?

I just got the Messasge to replace bulb and reset timer. My Picture still looks good and somewhat bright.

I dont really need to change the Bulb do I ?

If your bulb is still working, just reset the timer and keep using it.

Ive just got my TV fixed got a new light engine installed. also since i got the message to get a new lamp the tech gave me a new lamp my Original was at 10025 Hours and still going strong but the Tech just said to replace it and WOW.

My TV looks so much better as if its new. The screen is so bright and the colors look amazing. I cant believe the Bulb made that much of a difference it was probaly the light engine also .

anyways when the tech was messing with the setting i think he did something wrong.

when he was alineing the Red ,Blue and Green colors i think the red was a little out of placed and you can notice on some words but barley even anything. Should I attempt to fix this ? He got to this setting with a Hidden section or something any1 know what it is ?

Well my Panasonic will be getting used much less now. It is getting retired to the bedroom, and a Toshiba 65HM167 (65" 1080p DLP) is going in it's place in the living room. :D

We bought out Panasonic PT-50LC14 Sept. 30, 2004. It has 10,019 hours of use, and has been turned on 2932 times. It's been a great TV - we've had 0 problems.

I was going to replace the lamp, but after reading cruiser's post, have reconsidered and decided to push my luck.

Well I just bought a new lamp/bulb from a vendor on Ebay. It was a lot cheaper than buying the whole enclosure so I thought I would give it a try, $135 shipped. It came from China and took 8 days from buying it until holding it in my hands. I was worried how I would connect it to the wires. The factory bulb had a thin wire that looked like it was welded directly to some posts on the bulb. When I received the new lamp it was constructed differently that the factory lamp. It had M4x.7mm metric posts and threaded tab for connections. I stopped by my local Home Depot and picked up some hardware. I ended up cutting the thin wire from the factory bulb. I took a small crimp style eyelet connector and removed the plastic jacket due to the heat. I crimped the eyelet to the thin wire and used the bolt/nut hardware to secure the wires to the new lamp. The new bulb seemed to have better construction than the old one so I hope it will last just as long as the old one, 9301 hours. Here is a picture I took with the new lamp in the reused enclosure.

http://brogers.napalm.net/images/lamp.jpg

So far so good. Like others have mentioned the picture quality has improved. The screen is noticibly brighter. I reset the lamp timer back to 0 and I'm going to see how far this new lamp will take me. :)

I own the PT-50LC13. The bulb burned out a few weeks ago, and I bought a replacement via Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Ambico-LTIP-TY-LA1000-Panasonic-replacement/dp/B000N31GVQ******pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6821890-5276735?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1186370071&sr=8-1

Since installing the new lamp, the TV works great except for one thing. A burning smell is noticeable in the room when the TV is on. In the morning after the TV has been turned off for a while the smell is no longer evident. We've been using the new lamp everyday for over a week now (maybe 2 weeks I don't remember exactly).

Any ideas? Should I be concerned something else is wrong with the TV or will this burning smell perhaps go away after more time?

bump - any ideas of what is causing a burning smell?

I own the PT-50LC13. The bulb burned out a few weeks ago, and I bought a replacement via Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Ambico-LTIP-TY-LA1000-Panasonic-replacement/dp/B000N31GVQ******pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6821890-5276735?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1186370071&sr=8-1

Since installing the new lamp, the TV works great except for one thing. A burning smell is noticeable in the room when the TV is on. In the morning after the TV has been turned off for a while the smell is no longer evident. We've been using the new lamp everyday for over a week now (maybe 2 weeks I don't remember exactly).

Any ideas? Should I be concerned something else is wrong with the TV or will this burning smell perhaps go away after more time?

Hey, how do you reset the hour meter. I'm currently at 12037 hrs w/ 3414 turn ons.
One thing I learned with these bulbs is do not run your tv with a generator. I live in Fl and after a couple of hurricans and days with no power, it kills the bulb life. I'm currntly on my 3rd bulb. Thanks

Still on the original lamp after two years and nine months but picture looks a lot darker especially scenes shot in dark rooms or at night. SD looks even worse.

Is it the lamp and will CC spring for a new one before it blows completely?

Took a bulb hour count about a month ago. Had just broke the 5,000 hr mark. Original bulb and set was purchased ~Oct 2003. So almost four years.

Did a touchup with DVE for brightness / contrast and color. Had to turn down the brightness a notch and slightly tweak the rest. Looks great after this last DVE touchup even though it was very very minor changes. I'm very surprised I ended up turning brightness down. I'm taking this as a good sign. (I can't recall if brightness is now around 1/2 or 2/3 of the way to max).

In 45 months I now have 7752 hours on the original lamp with 1887 turn ons.

Those of you who have replaced lamps I ask again whether you noticed a deterioration of picture quality before the lamp blew.

As stated previously, dark scenes have become way too dark lately when operating in NORMAL mode. VIVID helps but is unpleasant to watch.

Could this be something other than the lamp? Please?

In 45 months I now have 7752 hours on the original lamp with 1887 turn ons.

Those of you who have replaced lamps I ask again whether you noticed a deterioration of picture quality before the lamp blew.

As stated previously, dark scenes have become way too dark lately when operating in NORMAL mode. VIVID helps but is unpleasant to watch.

Could this be something other than the lamp? Please?

Sounds like the lamp to me. I replaced three lamps before claiming my replacement DLP, and each time, I found myself turning the brightness up a bit a few weeks before the lamp blew.

I'm at about 5000hr on my original and a couple of times I've found myself slightly tweaking the brightness upward. So yeah, maybe it does get dimmer with time. Though I can't say for sure.

Note: try just increasing brightness rather than choosing vivid mode (which I believe also adjusts other settings like contrast).

Thanks for the replies. I did adjust the NORMAL brightness up a couple of clicks and it is better.

Thanks again.

I checked this morning and my 50LC14 has 7226 hours and 1191 l/on on the original bulb. I was thinking about getting a spare bulb to keep on hand. Does anyone have any experience, other than what brogers posted, with purchasing just a bulb and reusing the housing? I found this place that has what appears to be a "plug and play" solution that wouldn't require any soldering.

http://stores.televisionlampsource.com/-strse-29/TYLA1000-TY-LA1000-PT43LC14/Detail.bok?gclid=CLvKkfPdmI4CFR2kgQodu2q0Tw



After re-reading the page it appears some soldering is required since it says to re-use the connector.

Just replaced another bulb after 6700 hours and went through the route of sending my whole bulb unit to http://www.bulbsolutions.com/category_s/40.htm and they installed a new bulb. Installation was for free and only paid for the bulb. Check it out - they do all bulbs I believe. Am very satisfied with their service.

they will send me a second lamp at no charge through the advantage warranty this second lamp is just over 10k hours now.

I got my replacement TV today and spent about half an hour with it before I had to come back to work.

Its the 50" 1080p LIFI set.

I haven't had much of a chance to play with my new toy, but so far it seems great.

Honestly, I had my fingers crossed for the bigger-better-faster 56" 1080p LIFI-- but seeing as how they're replacing my lemon, I can't be upset with just better-faster...

For those that are curious:
I sent my info in about three and a half months ago
I had to go find additional documentation and resubmit about two months ago
I got a call from the local TV shop that they would be replacing my tv about three weeks ago
I got a call that the TV was in last week
They finally were able to deliver today (that was my delay)

We had one bulb explode around 7k hours which was replaced gratis by Panasonic. Our three year extended warranty expired in June and by late July/early August we were getting an odd intermittent full screen green shading. That went away and was replaced by vertical grey evenly spaced lines that were intermittent and are now permanent.

We are working with Panasonic right now since their local repair shop said it was a faulty light engine, about a $1,400 repair. I see that another member had their light engine replaced, was this paid for by Panasonic? Since the light engine is a different issue, just curious as to what Panasonic's response will be. I'm ready to replace the TV by the end of the week.

I see that another member had their light engine replaced, was this paid for by Panasonic? Since the light engine is a different issue, just curious as to what Panasonic's response will be. I'm ready to replace the TV by the end of the week.Had the light engine replaced, by the CC warranty, it's still a performance issue, so a bad engine counts as a failure, but I think it requires having the set checked out by a repair shop, and at your expense. I'm debating whether to file for a new TV, since mines been repaired and now works fine.

I think it requires having the set checked out by a repair shop, and at your expense. I'm debating whether to file for a new TV, since mines been repaired and now works fine.

Fortunately, the repair shop made the diagnosis via an emailed screen shot showing the vertical bars. I'm with you on the repair vs. replace especially if Panasonic pays for the repair. Besides the bulb issue (which they took care of) and this, I have really enjoyed this set. But if it comes out of pocket, I might as well throw in for a few hundred more and get a flat panel.

I'm still on the original lamp after almost three years of service and I'm not happy with the picture quality no matter what I do to adjust brightness and whatever. Outdoor stuff looks OK but indoor movie scenes in dim light are barely visible.

I have a CC warranty which expires 11/14 and the last thing I want to do is fork over another three bills for another year. When will this lamp die and is there anything I can do to hasten the process? Apparently, I can't get a new lamp until this one blows.

Any suggestions?

Can anyone tell me the command to get to this menue for a PT43LC14?
Thanks
Frank

Since I received no suggestions on how to blow the original lamp I put in a replacement anyway and the difference is like night and day.

Screw the warranty. Life's too short to watch an inferior display.

New bulb (3rd bulb) put in in september, has a flicker, now im worried.

It's time to dump this TV and get an LCD TV. Better picture, more reliable, slimmer.

Will pay for itself in 4 years.


--

I've got over 7500 hours on my original lamp now and I've noticed that the start-up time seems much longer than it used to be. What's the consensus opinion on buying a replacement bulb now? I'm thinking of going with one of the "do-it-yourself" bulb only replacements from an eBay seller. I've seen the impressive times some folks have posted but I don't want to have the bulb blow at an inopportune time and be stuck waiting on a replacement.

If your startup time seems much longer, you may need a new ballast which costs more than a bulb and Panasonic won't even sell you one (only sell to repair shops).

Lamp Time 11984h
Current Lamp 11984h
OSD Display ON
LON Count 2233

I had to replace the lamp once, though, and didn't know how (still don't) to reset the timer.

New bulb (3rd bulb) put in in september, has a flicker, now im worried.Did Panasonic give you a 3rd bulb? I thought someone else had mentioned that they would only give free replacement for first and second failures but not a third failure.

Did Panasonic give you a 3rd bulb? I thought someone else had mentioned that they would only give free replacement for first and second failures but not a third failure.

They actually were going to, then I opted to go through the CC warranty, and they gave me one in two days. I'm seeing a slight flicker and not as bright.

I've got over 7500 hours on my original lamp now and I've noticed that the start-up time seems much longer than it used to be. What's the consensus opinion on buying a replacement bulb now? I'm thinking of going with one of the "do-it-yourself" bulb only replacements from an eBay seller. I've seen the impressive times some folks have posted but I don't want to have the bulb blow at an inopportune time and be stuck waiting on a replacement.

I've got 9700 hours on mine (original bulb), and it's now shutting down after a few minutes. Got the service manual, and it says given the error code that either the bulb's bad, the ballast is bad, or the main board is bad. If I'm going to have to replace the ballast or main board, it's not worth fixing out of warranty. But since it might be the bulb, I wanted to try it while spending as little as possible, so just bought the do-it-yourself kind -- there are a couple online places that claim they're selling the OEM Panasonic bulb, not generic, but without the housing. Same price as most of the ebay listings I saw, meaning about half the price as the original (with the housing).

I will say this -- getting that housing apart was a pain in the butt. (You need a very long, thin Phillips screwdriver, preferably with a magnetic tip.) I wound up snapping off two little plastic pieces. Luckily, no real damage done. In any case, if I remember I'll try to report back about how it went.

Crossing my fingers, but so far, it looks like it was the lamp. Replaced the bulb with a DIY one and it's been on for a good hour now with no problems. (It's been unable to stay on for more than about five minutes with the last bulb.) I'd really, really assumed it was the ballast -- since the TV turned on and worked, albeit briefly, I couldn't imagine that the bulb was bad. Talked to a guy in a local service center who said that I was making a poor assumption. In fact, he pointed out that considering a ballast flaw caused the premature bulb failures, with 9700 hours on my bulb, the odds are my ballast may be one of the more robust ones ever made. :-)

Anyway, the lamp replacement was fairly "easy". The instructions that came with the bulb pointed me here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=771075010221380966

It's their step-by-step video showing how to do it. There are a couple things they don't really show you, like (a) there are a couple screws on the outside of the housing that you'll need to remove, (b) getting the new lamp seated in the housing actually requires you to push a springy metal retention brace back, and (c) getting those screws back in is harder than getting them out in the first place -- that's where the magnetic screwdriver tip comes in handy. But otherwise, took me all of fifteen minutes.

Glad I found this site, I own the PT-50LC13. I just checked the hour meter and have 12,256 hours on the original bulb. Knock on wood, its still going strong. Also i was able to reset the hour meter to get rid of that annoying message. I have had clear it ever since it hit 10,000 hours. Thanks to the first poster for supplying that information. :)

Glad I found this forum also. I have a PT-50LC14 I purchased a few years ago. I started receiving the "replace lamp" message a recently and wanted to get rid of the message, since I am not experiencing any degradation in viewing quality. However, I have purchased a new Phillips replacement lamp when that time comes.

Original lamp still going strong:
Lamp: 10407 hours
LON: 4812
:)

I started receiving the "replace lamp" message a recently and wanted to get rid of the message, since I am not experiencing any degradation in viewing quality.
:)

These directions assumes you are going to replace the lamp, so I don't know if powering down the TV first signals a microprocessor this was done. Press the POWER button to turn off the TV. Listen and wait until the cooling fan stops. Unplug the power cord. You would then replace the lamp at this point.

1. Plug the power cord back into the properly grounded wall outlet. Then press the POWER button on the projection display or the remote control to turn the power on.

2. While pressing the VOL- button on the projection display, hold down the PIP or SPLIT button on the remote control simultaneosly for more than 5 seconds.

3. Whe the lamp time reset procedure is complete, the screen will display "LAMP TIME WAS RESET TO 0." When the lamp time is reset, the LAMP indicator will go out.

To Reset the lamp meter hours on a PT-50LC14: Hold the Volume Down button on the TV and press PIP on the remote.

Thanks bobg3723. I figured out how to reset the hours.

This is an odd question I know. But I ordered a lamp for my pt50lc13 for a spare in case the lamp i'm using now fails. I always like to have a spare on hand b/c I hate waiting for them to send me one. Well I got my spare today took it out of the box and tested it and it worked fine but for the life of me I cant remember how to pack it back. Does anyone remember if the lamp if placed in the box with the bulb part face down or face up?

Thanks

I just want to advise Bulb Solutions customers that the replacement lamp they installed in my original housing has gone dim in a little over three months. 877 hours and 100 or so turn ons. The original lamp went four years plus and almost 9000 hours before picture got dim and I couldn't take it anymore.

I'm going to call Bulb Solutions but I doubt I have any recourse against them.

Well my bulb finally went out. Last time I check i was at about 8xxx hours and about 3xxx LON count. Fortunately I was still under the CC extended warranty and it was swapped out. I did not realize how dim the picture had gotten. Tech is coming back out this week to swap another part since my component 4 stopped displaying red for some reason.

Just had my second bulb go, after 14 months. Called Panasonic and they would not accommodate the fact that it was only 2 months past warranty. They claimed that the class action lawsuit court order required them not to make any additional accommodations for these units. Looks like I had my third failure about 5 months too late.

Ballast board replaced after ~15 months
Original Bulb 5207 hours (37 months)
Replacement 2146 hours (14 months)

Just installed a 'bulb only' replacement form Bluestar (bluestar-online.com) which appears to be working just fine - note that they did not include the required screw/washer/nut to install the new bulb into the old housing. Warranty is the same as Panasonic full assembly (12 months) at significantly less cost. Has anyone tried the Phillips aftermarket bulb assemblies? They're much less than a Panasonic as well - perhaps Phillips was able to make them more robust?

Just got a message saying my air filter needs cleaned and my temp light started blinking to I turned off my TV. Consulted the manual and it says call for service. I have a 5yr extended warrany from this chain named BrandsMart USA but when I called them they said cleaning of air filters isnt covered. What a scam. So I did a google about the air filter and was able to locate it but the bottom one is impossible to clean b/c of it's location. Any advice or feedback here on what I should do would be appreciated. Otherwise I guess i'm gonna call a local Panny authorized repair center and have them come over and clean it for me.

Greg

OK,
First THANK YOU ALL for setting me straight!
I have a PT-44LCX65
I thought I was doing the right thing when the lamp light turned on and I bought a new one (before I had no TV).
I purchased a new lamp from Panasonic for a total with shipping of...$348 (very very angry)!
HOWEVER here is the stats
Total Lamp: 10,292h
OSD: ON
LON COUNT: 1,735
I think the TV is 2.5 years old.
Not sure the lamp has done me wrong... and I WILL RIDE THIS PONY TILL IT DROPS!
Then install the new lamp.
If anyone needs it I have pictures to prove it!

Again Thanks

PT50LC14

Since I could not find a thread for PT50LC14..I thought of posting my numbers here in this thread ( lazy :)

After 4 years (15 more days for my Performance Service Plan from Best buy to expire :)
I ended up replacing the first lamp. The replacement lamp was from Philips.
I forgot to check the lamp time before I reset the lamp timer.

So I am not sure if the following info is still right or not.

Service 1/3 screen
Current lamp: 0 hr ( this is right )
LON : 3203
[some number is displayed here..i am guessing that's the lamp unit]

when i used the down-channel button, it went to screen 2.
There I had (along with some other digits blinking like matrix)

Total : 6000+

I am assuming that's my old lamp's lifetime.

When i read horror stories about people replacing lamp with 3-6 month..
it Looks like I turned out to one of the lucky few.

back to my 50" htpc

I have also had a PT50LC14 for almost 4 years and am still on my first bulb.

I'm using a bulb thats been working for about 4 years, like some of you. I have a spare one, too. I feel like my picture is kind of dark, and brightness is at its top setting. I wonder if swapping out the bulb with my spare will give me a noticeably brighter picture. Have any of you noticed?

I'm using a bulb thats been working for about 4 years, like some of you. I have a spare one, too. I feel like my picture is kind of dark, and brightness is at its top setting. I wonder if swapping out the bulb with my spare will give me a noticeably brighter picture. Have any of you noticed?

Anyone?

Anyone?

The bulbs as they age, get dimmer. Best thing is to try out the spare bulb and see for yourself the difference.

The bulbs as they age, get dimmer. Best thing is to try out the spare bulb and see for yourself the difference.

I just replaced it. BIG improvement. Much brighter. I could see the reflective part of the old bulb had been melting away-- maybe 40% of it!

My first lamp lasted three years if I remember correctly and eventually got so dim I replaced it.

My second lamp got dim in a few months...watchable but noticeable dimmer. I replaced it with a spare in February 2008 and it appears to be dimmer than it once was although acceptable.

I don't find that fiddling around with brightness, contrast etc can improve a bad lamp's performance that much.

Checking in again after a long absence. Two years after my bulb replacement (8080 hours), things are still looking good.

LAMP OPERATION TIME
TOTAL : 11858
CURRENT LAMP: 3778
LON COUNT : 2679 (Total)

All in all, after 5 years I'm still happy with the Panny.

Your picture hasn't dimmed at all, Ken? Your night scenes are still acceptable? If you get the LMC check it against the analog version. My analog is much brighter.

I'd buy a new TV but what am I going to do with the current one? It's too blasted big to put anywhere else in my house and I have a 3000 SF house!

update:

looks like i celebrated too quickly..

after replacing my lamp..(with phillips one)..it was working for 10 days.
And then it stopped working.
BestBuy geeksquad came and installed it again and it started working..but only for a day.

i am not sure if this is becasue of phillips replacement lamp or improper-installation or i-screwed-some-tv-parts-during-installation.

Appreciate your suggestions..


ps: good to know that pt50lc14 has worked for 4 years for many people.
yes..the picture does become brighter with a new lamp

Your picture hasn't dimmed at all, Ken? Your night scenes are still acceptable? If you get the LMC check it against the analog version. My analog is much brighter.

In all honesty, I haven't tinkered with Video Essentials and made adjustments for some time. There might be a slight dimming, but for most of our usage it has not been noticeable. What do you mean by "LMC"? I'm thinking I should know but can't come up with it.

My original lamp went out finally. Lasted 5 years and had a total of 14532 hours on it! 3324 LON. I'd say that was pretty damn good. Almost 50% over max rated time on bulb. New bulb is much brighter though I noticed. Was kind of a pain to replace, since I bought just the bulb (much cheaper only $105 compared to $299 for full replacement unit). You need LONG narrow phillips head screwdriver if replacing just the bulb.

Can't complain with 5+ years on a single bulb, hopefully this one will do as well. Then by that time I'll buy a new 70'' LCD or whatever new technology comes out by then.

Can't complain with 5+ years on a single bulb, hopefully this one will do as well. Then by that time I'll buy a new 70'' LCD or whatever new technology comes out by then.

That's great if you don't mind watching a dim picture for a lengthy period. I've never had a lamp burn out but there comes a point where the picture quality is so poor you just have to replace it. At least that's the way I see it.

I hope you didn't buy your replacement lamp from Bulb Solutions. The one I purchased from them dimmed noticeably in three months and efforts to get a reply from them were fruitless so I replaced it and moved on.

I have a PT-50lc14 and the warning light just went on for the 1st time that I need to replace my lamp. I have 10,001 hours on it and LON count is 3471. This is the original bulb from 11/04 so 4.5 yrs isnt too bad. I see no loss in Pic Quality so Im wondering, can I get some more time on it or is the warning programmed at 10k hours? My main question is how do you remove the housing containing the bulb? I read it is located on the front behind the cover. There are 2 covers, 1 behind a warning sticker and one right in the middle? Does anyone know which one? I saw the videos about replacing the bulb only, it doesnt look too hard. I may try. I did some research on the bulbs and come to find out the genuine Phillips bulbs are supposedly the best on the market now (although there are counterfits going around cheap that dont last) Does anyone know who sells authorized Phillips bulbs? Thanks much BP

First time poster here....I too have a PT-50LC14 that I bought in October of 2004. Never had a problem until today when the replace bulb warning popped up. I've been reading through here and see that most of you guys are still using your original bulb and all you did was reset the warning indicator. I see how to do that but, I also see you guys giving your bulb life. How do you check that? Other than that warning I haven't seen a difference in picture at all. I'm not a huge TV watcher, so it rarely gets used. I mean outside of the occasional movie nights with the family, football season or the playing of video games (PS3). I'm rather dis-heartened to read all the troubles most of you have been going through. Got my worried about replacing my bulb.

Update
Ok....figured it out.
LAMP OPERATION TIME TOTAL : 10000
CURRENT LAMP: 10000
LON COUNT : 2959 (Total)
* roughly my set has been turned on 51 times a month for the last 58 months. Not Bad!!! Other than the picture possibly getting dimmer over time, is there any other drawbacks for resetting the timer rather than replacing the bulb or lighting assembly?

I have a PT-50LC14, and my replace bulb warning came on about 4 months ago. I had an extended warranty on my set that included bulb replacement, so I had them come out and replace the bulb. I didn't notice any difference in the picture with the new bulb. It wasn't brighter.

PT50-LC14 from Sept. '04...I have no idea how many hours it has been going but today it won't turn on and the lamp bulb is a flashin'. I didn't get any message about lamp replacement before but given the time, I guess she was due. Ordered a replacement off ebay with housing and will try it when it gets here. Going to upgrade in a few months to a new 52" LCD, possibly a Sony XBR9 so didn't want to spend much on the bulb for now.

I replaced my lamp for the third or fourth time a couple of weeks ago and the set is as good as new. The latest blew in a little over a year but the picture was dim for quite a while.
I hate to toss the thing but next time it blows...maybe sooner...I'm replacing the set with a Samsung LED.