PG, the best you can hope for is a bulb replacement if they cannot reproduce the problem. Also, they may not see any reason to replace an almost new bulb. Maybe once you get it back you can try the above suggested fix and if that solves the issues then there is definitely an internal loose connection that may be the root of this PJs problems. Maybe Samsung did this to your PJ but don't want to admit it since many more may come through the door which they will have to fix on their dime.

PG, agree with tradewinds. Also, to take a long-shot guess, it is possible your home's AC power is unstable/off spec. I once owned a power amp that would die and require a hard reboot each time my power supply slipped/spiked a bit (it would range from 110 to 132 v). The factory had it for a while before determining this was the cause and made some adjustments (they did not tell me what and I sold the amp shortly thereafter). Once I got it back though, it never misbehaved.

As tradewinds implies, don't expect a mfr's repair center to tell you the whole truth. They will naturally protect their bottom line above a given customer's interest. In this era of instant and widespread communication, corporate lips are much tighter than ever before. It would be worth a try (particularly if you have no other choice!) to take it back but with the understanding that you are covered. If it happens again take pictures if possible. Good luck.

Using some inside contacts, I was told that I should open the projector, and disconnect, then carefully re-seat the DVi style internal cable. They also said I should remove the ferrite core over the cable as this tends to stretch the cable and unseat it enough to cause problems. Just for good measure, I also re-seated every other cable I had easy access to without disassembling anything.


This has been discussed in the 3K+ section when SP-H710AE was being sold by AVS. An agent of Samsung came to AVS to open/inspect/correct the above issue with all projectors that were sitting at AVS. See Jason's post in 3K+ forum. It was mentioned that while the solution appeared to be easy, re-seating the harness was not to be attempted at home :D

re-seating the harness was not to be attempted at home :D

For obvious legal reasons....shock?

OK, I just got off with Far East service center, they passed me to an Andrew who is the Project Manager?....he explained they couldn't get it to go black, and he asked me to describe what exactly happens, how often, the green inverted screen.
He said it sounds like a software issue, and he'll swap the main board...I asked about the bulb, he explained this is not a bulb symptom, that my bulb is fine. So he's gonna ship it out tomorrow, he said if there's any issues, or if it reoccurs, call him direct.

My fingers are crossed, but he seemed pretty kowledgeable, and was very nice, and I'm happy to get my unit back.

Nice information if it's true. But if it were so easy why couldn't Samsung themselves put in a permanent fix? And if this person bought the PJ new, why not return it as I and everyone else who had this problem within 30 days did, rather than risk a warranty loss?

My apologies in advance if it does turn out to be true. But I'd like some reliable corroboration first.

I guess shipping it away for a few weeks is too much of a pain in the butt for some. I've opened electronics up before to take a peak or clean out dust. I guess it's not rocket science. The post sounds legit to me. maybe this guy was brave enough to give it a try, especially if he had some good intel. I probably wouldn't do it unless I was out of warranty myself. It seems like a simple fix though. Yes, a simillar fix has been discussed on the other forum ($3000+). It wasn't explained quite so clearly though. As far as Samsung admiting anything..........................I spoke with them a week ago when I registered mine. I asked if there were any known issues with this PJ and if they've been addressed? The guy put me on hold for 2 minutes and when he got back he said there were absolutely no known issues with this PJ. he just saud that I will probably have to replace the bulb at some time. Yeah right.

The guy put me on hold for 2 minutes and when he got back he said there were absolutely no known issues with this PJ. he just saud that I will probably have to replace the bulb at some time. Yeah right.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:QkW5UL147DmrVM:http://www.madmonks.org/~fez/ROFL.jpg

Here is the response from Jason Turk on the original thread, where this problem was discussed at length... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7796223#post7796223

Remeber, AVS sold these projectors.

Thanks for the links to the old threads, cause anyone considering this PJ MUST read every post in those start-up threads to understand this unit....I did and convinced myself the late '06 bulid units with "R" are OK, and essential STEALS for the $$$ ! :eek:

The "R" is discussed as meaning REVISED....apparently to correct the Start-up issues...that sounding like it was a wire harness coming losse, fooling the unit into thinking the lamp door was open. The "R" is rumored to represent those units manufacturered with this FIX completed during production at Samsung.
This makes sense why my "R" unit built in 9/6, and having inverted green images was deemed by Far East to be a Software problem, not the Startup problem.

Here is the response from Jason Turk on the original thread, where this problem was discussed at length... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7796223#post7796223

Remeber, AVS sold these projectors.

Also remember AVS quit selling these projectors.
The green screen issue is not something new with this projector my SP-H700AE had all these same issues. In the end when it would start all it would do was the inverted green screen. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved my Samsung but I also love to just turn on my projector an not worrying about it anymore.

bguzman

Thanks for the links to the old threads, cause anyone considering this PJ MUST read every post in those start-up threads to understand this unit....I did and convinced myself the late '06 bulid units with "R" are OK, and essential STEALS for the $$$ ! :eek:

The "R" is discussed as meaning REVISED....apparently to correct the Start-up issues...that sounding like it was a wire harness coming losse, fooling the unit into thinking the lamp door was open. The "R" is rumored to represent those units manufacturered with this FIX completed during production at Samsung.
This makes sense why my "R" unit built in 9/6, and having inverted green images was deemed by Far East to be a Software problem, not the Startup problem.


Thanks for that. I've been trying to figure out what that (R) meant. Just got mine a few weeks ago and thought it was a refurb. Good to know that I got a good one.

I was very happy to see UPS holding my SP-710 box on Friday, this way I haad it back for the weekend, and NFL Sunday. I was upset it wasn't double boxed like I sent it, and when they told it it would be, the Samsung box is styrofoam, so not much to absorb the standard procedures of our brown friends.

Goto fire her up, SHE SHUTS DOWN, do it again, shuts down without lighting the lamp, it tries but shuts down and lights 1 and 3 are flashing, (1 is blue, 3 is red) for high temp according to the manual???? DAMM. Anyone know this shut down ?
I'm pissed, I took it apart looking for anything not seated or connected...perhaps the temp sensor somewhere isn't connected if it's getting a high temp at 60 degrees ! I found nothing, Far East is closed weekends, so I will call them Monday to figure out what's next, or basically compaign that I'm sending it back again, they'll have it Tuesday and I want it fixed in 2 days so I have it back for the next weekend.

As a side note, I gave my little brother my Infocus 4805, so he's been bringing it back over for the Sunday Ticket HD games. I forget how beautiful that PQ is....except the loss in resolution which is easy to see with my .25 prescription glasses/contacts which give me 20/10 vision...no lie...he doesn't see the SDE I see.

PG, sorry to hear about the issues. That's the risk one takes with this PJ.

Could not agree more, HD on a 4805 is top notch.

Another update-
After calling Far East, and explaining the shut down, they said send it back, and that UPS it could've jarred something loose, as they assured me it ran fine after the new board was installed.
The received it today, and they saw the same shutdown I saw, and said it was a simple connection came loose, they fixed it, and they're shipping it back to me in my exact double box setup I sent to them.

Hopefully I'm OK now, I'll report when I get her all shined up....I think if it goes black again, I might puke.:confused:
Who know, maybe I'm good to go for 2000 hours until the bulb goes, man that would be sweet.

How many of you bought these from Legend Micro... are their units the new ones or old problem units?

well i bought two samsungs this summer from tiger at that great price and put on about 200 hours on the first one and then swithched to the second one and put on about 30 hours on it before the dreaded start up problem occurred. :( All three lights are blinking and the lamp doesnt fire up. I called samsung and they told me far east electronics was gonna contact me in the next couple of days. I guess Ill get to go through the same wonderful experience everyone else has gone through with this POS projector. At least I have one working samsung. I am hoping the odds of getting two with the start up problem would be slim. Keeping my fingers crossed the second one doesnt die. Both of my models had the (R) at the end of the model number. The one that went bad had a one month later manufacturing date than the one that is still working.

well i bought two samsungs this summer from tiger at that great price and put on about 200 hours on the first one and then swithched to the second one and put on about 30 hours on it before the dreaded start up problem occurred. :( All three lights are blinking and the lamp doesnt fire up. I called samsung and they told me far east electronics was gonna contact me in the next couple of days. I guess Ill get to go through the same wonderful experience everyone else has gone through with this POS projector. At least I have one working samsung. I am hoping the odds of getting two with the start up problem would be slim. Keeping my fingers crossed the second one doesnt die. Both of my models had the (R) at the end of the model number. The one that went bad had a one month later manufacturing date than the one that is still working.

Sorry to hear that. I suppose even though I don't have problem with mine yet, Samsung has not really nailed the startup problem. Hope the repair will turn out fine for you. I've about 210 hrs on mine now and will see how long it lasts.

well i bought two samsungs this summer from tiger at that great price and put on about 200 hours on the first one and then swithched to the second one and put on about 30 hours on it before the dreaded start up problem occurred. :( All three lights are blinking and the lamp doesnt fire up. I called samsung and they told me far east electronics was gonna contact me in the next couple of days. I guess Ill get to go through the same wonderful experience everyone else has gone through with this POS projector. At least I have one working samsung. I am hoping the odds of getting two with the start up problem would be slim. Keeping my fingers crossed the second one doesnt die. Both of my models had the (R) at the end of the model number. The one that went bad had a one month later manufacturing date than the one that is still working.

This reminds me of the peaceful guy who always took a bomb with him when he traveled by air. When asked why, he replied that his research showed the odds of one passenger on a plane having a bomb was 1000:1, but of two separate passengers having a bomb on the same plane were almost infinity to one. So he could be pretty sure no one else had a bomb and he'd arrive safely.
Obviously this story is fictional and certainly predates 9/11. But it illustrates how little people understand statistics.

@KCK7, give Mr2Spyder a break will you... show some compassion!

Yes I know I am an idiot for buying two or should I say even buying one.;) I was so impressed by the picture and price I wasnt thinking clearly. I was hoping this projector would hold me over till 1080p dropped to under $2000. At least I have one working so hopefully they can fix #2 before #1 breaks. From previous posts on the startup problem thread I dont think samsung even knows how to fix them so I think i am in for big headaches down the road. I guess I can alway fall back on my Panny ae900 if both Sammys die. Has anyone upgraded from the samsung to the new panny ae2000? I was wondering how DVD looked on the new panny compared to the samsung.

This reminds me of the peaceful guy who always took a bomb with him when he traveled by air. When asked why, he replied that his research showed the odds of one passenger on a plane having a bomb was 1000:1, but of two separate passengers having a bomb on the same plane were almost infinity to one. So he could be pretty sure no one else had a bomb and he'd arrive safely.
Obviously this story is fictional and certainly predates 9/11. But it illustrates how little people understand statistics.


OFF TOPIC:
Reminds me a couple of years ago when I wanted to add a second hard drive to my DirecTV Tivo, everyone on the Tivocommunity (and whatever else forums) were saying that having two drives could lower the MTF of either drive. However if I had one drive and it failed, I'm screwed, with 2 drive, if one fail, I'm screwed, so either way I was screwed so I went ahead using the 2 drive configuration with the included extra fans from the kit and so far no problems.

Anyway, I guess it boils down to how you look at it. He bought two most likely for the purpose of if one fails, he has a backup especially given the reliability issues of this PJ until 1080p comes below a certain price point.

well i bought two samsungs this summer from tiger at that great price and put on about 200 hours on the first one and then swithched to the second one and put on about 30 hours on it before the dreaded start up problem occurred. :( All three lights are blinking and the lamp doesnt fire up. I called samsung and they told me far east electronics was gonna contact me in the next couple of days. I guess Ill get to go through the same wonderful experience everyone else has gone through with this POS projector. At least I have one working samsung. I am hoping the odds of getting two with the start up problem would be slim. Keeping my fingers crossed the second one doesnt die. Both of my models had the (R) at the end of the model number. The one that went bad had a one month later manufacturing date than the one that is still working.



And here I was thinking that I'd be OK just because mine has the (R) at the end. Hope for the best. Just purchased the MACK extended warranty (4 years + 3 year bulb) on the weekend. I guess I'm in for the long haul. Mine is July/06. Does that date signify anything? Spider, what was your build date?

And here I was thinking that I'd be OK just because mine has the (R) at the end. Hope for the best. Just purchased the MACK extended warranty (4 years + 3 year bulb) on the weekend. I guess I'm in for the long haul. Mine is July/06. Does that date signify anything? Spider, what was your build date?

The build date is October 2006. The one that is still working is September 2006. Has it been confirmed that R stands for revised and not refurbished or rejected:rolleyes:?

People seem to think that it means "revised" but I don't think its definitely confirmed. When I registered mine with Samsung, the customer service guy says that it was showing as a "new", not refurbished PJ. He kinda dodged the question regarding the (R), as if he didn't know what it means. Did you read the thread on the +$3000 post from the guy who fixed it himself? He mentioned that after some inside info, he opened it up, unpluged the "DVI looking plug", plugged it back together, closed up the unit, plugged it in and it started just fine. H ehad the ame start up issue as everyone else. Also, some people who assumed they had a stratup issue managed to get it to work by replacing the bulb. Could it be a bulb?

OFF TOPIC:
Reminds me a couple of years ago when I wanted to add a second hard drive to my DirecTV Tivo, everyone on the Tivocommunity (and whatever else forums) were saying that having two drives could lower the MTF of either drive. However if I had one drive and it failed, I'm screwed, with 2 drive, if one fail, I'm screwed, so either way I was screwed so I went ahead using the 2 drive configuration with the included extra fans from the kit and so far no problems.

Anyway, I guess it boils down to how you look at it. He bought two most likely for the purpose of if one fails, he has a backup especially given the reliability issues of this PJ until 1080p comes below a certain price point.

Backup logic works with some things and not with others. With computer gear, there is actually a word for it: Redundancy (as in R.A.I.D.), which has slightly different connotations from the term in ordinary English usage.

With projectors, UNLESS you have two rooms and you will be using both (why?), it makes no sense to buy a backup of a product just because you are concerned it will fail. If you are so fearful, don't buy it to begin with, take the 2x money you would have spent for that and buy something nice AND (probably) reliable, and/or with a much longer warranty, etc.

But I think Mr2spyder made this mistake in good faith, whatever that means. And he has more or less admitted so. Does it make him stupid, moronic, etc? If so, then all of us who have ever made a mistake in life are also stupid, etc. and I will readily go to the front of that line. I am not casting any stone, first or otherwise. Just pointing out that his statistical logic was flawed by using a rather obvious example.

Good luck to you Mr2. I too had two of these... with the difference being I acquired them serially, not in parallel. When the first one failed (took all of five minutes out of the box) it went back and the same money was applied to the next. That one is still running at 200+ hours, but I have to admit I still wonder when it will give up the ghost. But at two years' warranty (one standard, plus one from Amex), I will probably get around 2000 hours if it makes it for two years, and if it fails after that I will simply dump it and buy the hottie of the month, concluding I got a decent deal out of it.

This all boils down to risk tolerance...the spotty QC was known at the time we bought this, no surprise if it croaks.

yeah it doesnt make sense but many things i do dont make sense. Im surprised my wife puts up with me. At one time I had five projectors..lol (infocus 4805, optoma dv10, Panny ae900 and two samsungs). I am now down to three. Actually im very close to pulling the trigger on the panasonic ae2000.:)

There is nothing wrong with having a backup PJ. I still have my Benq projector. My wife keeping asking me when I'd ebay it, and I keep telling her I'm gonna use it as a backup. Last week two of my PCs stop working. One with a HD problem and it wouldn't boot, the other apparently had a bad power supply. I had new backup HD and power supply and fixed both in no time. As far as I'm concerned, backups are need for electronic gears regardless of how reliable they appear to be. I must be reading these forums too much, I have a rather low expectation of PJ reliability, and that's why I'm reluctant to buy more expansive PJs, and it's not an affordability issue.

I really don't see a problem with Mrspyder having 2 Samsung PJs. Yes, one did fail, but the 'backup' still works. When the failed one get fixed, he'll have 2 again (and the cycle continues), and it is very likely that they would last beyond the time he gets his 1080 PJ. I use my PJ 5~10 hours every week, and it sure would be nice to have no interruption even when it fails.

Problem Solved!! The wife gave me permission to order the Panasonic
AE2000!!!:D No more headaches with the Samsung.....

Good for you. Congrats. I heard the Panny is quite nice.

Problem Solved!! The wife gave me permission to order the Panasonic
AE2000!!!:D No more headaches with the Samsung.....

One or two:D

Far East sent my PJ back for the second time, I got it back within 5 days....I shipped it Monday, $8 so they have it Tuesday and they didn't ship it until Thursday after I called Wed. to track it....they said they had UPS problems????
Andrew is the Project Manager, the kid who answers the phone can track with the long # you get from Samsung, but he doesn't know anything about the PJ.
Ask for Andrew, tell him you talked to George from PA, he'll remember me, I was super nice to him, Thanked him over and over, he seemed to be on the ball, an have good knowledge....they're all foreign, so there's a bit of language barrier to where I don't quite get everything they say....so they have to repeat it, but we got through it.

In the end, Andrew put in a new Main Board (fixed the inverted green screen) and reseated whatever came loose in shipping.
I've been up and running for 10-20 hours since without a hitch, and loving the Samsung PQ.....for now.

For those with any issues, GET THEM FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. So what if it goes down to the start-up issue. If Samsung acts dumb who cares, send it back, they'll fix it. It would seem logical that when it's fixed, it shouldn't reoccur.

I can't seem to find this info via the search function.

Where exactly do I send in my Samsung for repair? Also a phone number?

Thanks!

I can't seem to find this info via the search function.

Where exactly do I send in my Samsung for repair? Also a phone number?

Thanks!


You will need to start here. http://www.samsung.com/us/support/main/contactcenter.do

Brad

Ok I have an update from a few pages ago and a few months (5 of them if your counting)

New Years Eve my check for $3500 from Samsung showed up.

Brad

Is it jsut me or is the green slightly strong on this PJ? I notice it mostly on digital cable. I've done the calibrations and all of the colors look right. It just seems like the skies are not as blue as I would like and there is a faint hint of green sometimes. I'm using Standard picture mode gamma 1, HD color, 6500K. What are people using for color temperature settings with various input (component, DVI, S-video). ?

Hi Bradh,
I noticed you received a refund for the Samsung 710. I am on my 5th projector. The first 3 projectors stop working with in 60 hours. My 4 th projector they sent me worked for 850 hours and last week it stopped working. It had the exact problem the other ones had. When turning it on it works fine for a couple of minutes and then the bulb just turns off. The projector stays on like everything is ok just not showing a picture.
My question is do you have any helpful hints on how to get my money back on this thing. I called Samsung and asked and they said no. I said that was not expectable because there must be a manufacturing flaw with the projector and even if they sent me yet another one, I fell like it will eventually stop working. I have thought about selling it when they send me a replacement but I fell like I will just be handing the problem over to some one else.
Any suggestions on how to get refund. Thanks, Mike

Well it's been a little over six months since my SP-H710 arrived.

About 100 hours on the projector (my wife and I typically only watch 1-2 movies a week) and I have had very few issues.

The only thing that I have noticed is that the ballast seems to be very sensitive to changes in power usage along the same electrical circuit. For example, if I switch on my receiver while the projector is already running, likely as not it will cause the ballast to shut down.

Basically not a problem so long as the projector is the last component we switch on but I am debating if it is enough of an issue to be worth sending it in for service.

Other than the "sensitive ballast" the projector is perfect, excellent picture and optics and I'd hate it if Samsung sent me back a different unit which didn't perform as well.

Currently my equipment is setup with a surge protector and a UPS but based on the way that the projector reacts to voltage changes I suppose I could also just break down and buy a power conditioner for the equipment to fix the problem myself (something I guess I should have thought of earlier anyway).

Any suggestions?

I have over 200 hrs on mine and *almost* always switch on the PJ first, then source and amp in no particular order.

Everything is plugged into a Belkin PF60, which gets turned off at end of session and back on to send juice to the components. This way the PJ receives a 'hard shutdown' at the end of the session. So I turn on PF60, then PJ with remote, then amp & source.

Haven't had a turnoff problem yet. I use another PF60 in my high-end audio rig upstairs and it is a very nice unit and killer for the $. Goes on sale from time to time and highly recommended. I actually saw this in use at an audio dealership which also sells very high$$ conditioners.

I'll start looking around town and see which stores carry the Belkin PF60 this weekend.

Shop online, save gas and time. Many reputed retailers carry this.

Luclin999, I find your post interesting in that you pin point the ballast as the offending component rather than the lamp or some other electronic element. I assume the “power change” along the same circuit which causes the ballast to shut down results in the lamp shutting down as well. For what its worth, the Lamp Ballast for the 710 can be found here http://www.samsungparts.com for about $200.

I got my 710 last July. It now has about 700 hours on it and I have been extremely pleased. The only issue I’ve had, happened last Saturday night when after the projector was on for about 10 minutes, the lamp went out. The LED’s on the unit did not indicate any trouble so I simply shut the PJ down, waited about 10 minutes and restarted.

The PJ came back up with no problem and has been used every night since. So… Your theory regarding the weak ballast interests me. My first and worst fear was I joining the not so exclusive and dreaded 710 start-up problem club.

In my case, when I wired my theater, I put the projector on a separate circuit, the source components on their own separate circuit with a Belkin power console, and the sub woofer on its own circuit. Obviously my start up sequence doesn’t matter. The PJ and the sub both are plugged into “Monster” surge protectors but neither has battery back up. I wonder if I encountered some kind of brief brown out that tripped the ballast. When you encounter your ballast problem, does your lamp simply go out but allow you to restart normally as mine did?

This episode did scare me enough to order a replacement lamp, but I hope I don’t have to use it any time soon.

Now at just under 700 hours since September of last year. Running strong and no problems.

I've got over 400 hours on mine, and not a single problem. I've got my fingers crossed, but I've been very happy with it.

If those of us that got in on this deal are lucky, they'll either last forever, or die just before the warranty is up.

Until then, I'm going to keep enjoying it every weekend.

Scott

Luclin999, I find your post interesting in that you pin point the ballast as the offending component rather than the lamp or some other electronic element. I assume the “power change” along the same circuit which causes the ballast to shut down results in the lamp shutting down as well. For what its worth, the Lamp Ballast for the 710 can be found here http://www.samsungparts.com for about $200.

I got my 710 last July. It now has about 700 hours on it and I have been extremely pleased. The only issue I’ve had, happened last Saturday night when after the projector was on for about 10 minutes, the lamp went out. The LED’s on the unit did not indicate any trouble so I simply shut the PJ down, waited about 10 minutes and restarted.

The PJ came back up with no problem and has been used every night since. So… Your theory regarding the weak ballast interests me. My first and worst fear was I joining the not so exclusive and dreaded 710 start-up problem club.

In my case, when I wired my theater, I put the projector on a separate circuit, the source components on their own separate circuit with a Belkin power console, and the sub woofer on its own circuit. Obviously my start up sequence doesn’t matter. The PJ and the sub both are plugged into “Monster” surge protectors but neither has battery back up. I wonder if I encountered some kind of brief brown out that tripped the ballast. When you encounter your ballast problem, does your lamp simply go out but allow you to restart normally as mine did?

This episode did scare me enough to order a replacement lamp, but I hope I don’t have to use it any time soon.

Well, I know that the power in this house is not the most stable to begin with and since I have seen the projector fail once another power-hungry piece of equipment is turned on, it's not too far of a leap to say that the ballast is shutting down from a dip in the power.

I suppose that I could put the circuit on a meter and see just what the drop is but it does seem fairly obvious where the problem lies.

At this point I cannot even say for certain that the ballast is "weak" in so much as it could quite honestly be that the circuit is momentarily just not up to the demand from the load the equipment is placing on it.

Especially since I haven't had any issues with the projector once everything is powered up.

Hopefully, once I add a line conditioner to the setup, the problem will disappear, if not the projector is still under warranty and I may just have to bite the bullet and send it in for service.

However, it is good to know that I can order a ballast separately if I ever need to replace it once the warranty has expired.

I just recently purchased this PJ from fleaBay used w/ roughly 280 hrs on it and so far I have put another 10 hrs w/ no problems so far. I'm using an Optoma Graywolf 2 (92") screen and the picture quality is unbelievable.
I couldn't pass up this deal(got it for $500) but I had my fingers crossed the whole time until I powered her up and didn't get the dreaded start-up issue. I hope she lasts! :)

Well, I added the power conditioner and *poof* no more problems.

:)

Well, I added the power conditioner and *poof* no more problems.

:)

Hooray! Someone actually took my advice and it actually worked!! :D

jes' kidding, and congratulations. Did you get the Belkin PF60? I like the black look although mine are silver.:(

Hi Bradh,
I noticed you received a refund for the Samsung 710. I am on my 5th projector. The first 3 projectors stop working with in 60 hours. My 4 th projector they sent me worked for 850 hours and last week it stopped working. It had the exact problem the other ones had. When turning it on it works fine for a couple of minutes and then the bulb just turns off. The projector stays on like everything is ok just not showing a picture.
My question is do you have any helpful hints on how to get my money back on this thing. I called Samsung and asked and they said no. I said that was not expectable because there must be a manufacturing flaw with the projector and even if they sent me yet another one, I fell like it will eventually stop working. I have thought about selling it when they send me a replacement but I fell like I will just be handing the problem over to some one else.
Any suggestions on how to get refund. Thanks, Mike

Mike

For give for the long delay, I just looked at this thread today.

When I sent mine in they didnt have any projector instock to replace it. Thats one biggest reason for the refund. They offered offered me a refund up front.

It still took close to 5 months to get it. I called almost everyday. I log the time, person I talked with and what they said. You should call and let them know how you feel about the projector not getting fixed. Ask to speak to there boss. I never raised my voice and always told them that I know it wasnt there fault and I really appreciated there help.

Brad

Hooray! Someone actually took my advice and it actually worked!! :D

jes' kidding, and congratulations. Did you get the Belkin PF60? I like the black look although mine are silver.:(

The black one.

I just spent some time with a 710. The color and gray scale accuracy was wonderful. But the one I saw had the bad banding that I've seen mentioned. I connected the source to another DVI-D display and it had no banding, so I know it is the PJ, not the sources conversion to RGB.

The one I saw was an "[R]" one. Is there a firmware update which fixes this problem or is banding just always present on these?

I just spent some time with a 710. The color and gray scale accuracy was wonderful. But the one I saw had the bad banding that I've seen mentioned. I connected the source to another DVI-D display and it had no banding, so I know it is the PJ, not the sources conversion to RGB.

The one I saw was an "[R]" one. Is there a firmware update which fixes this problem or is banding just always present on these?

What kind of banding? My previous projector was a Panasonic AE700 that did have fairly distinctive vertical banding especially on mostly grey or white scenes, but I’ve not noticed any banding on my Samsung 710. I do seem to recall some kind of banding mentioned that was depicted in a screen shot of the Space Shuttle but that was a long time ago. For what its worth I have the following sources hooked up to my 710 via HDMI to a female DVI converter (all Monoprice cables and a 5 in 1 out Monoprice HDMI switcher):

DirecTV HR20-100 DVR
Sony PS3
Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player
Pioneer DV 59AVi DVD Player

What kind of banding?

This kind of banding:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9a/Colour_banding_example01.png

On my reference projector, it would look more like the like the middle image (8 bit dithered). On the Sammy it would look much more like the left image (8 bit). Looked pretty bad on some large gradients.

This was with a 1080i HD HDMI source. My reference projector also has a DVI port and did not show the problem, that is how I know it was the sammy and not the source's YCrCb->RGB conversion.

[QUOTE=Person99;13438519]This kind of banding:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9a/Colour_banding_example01.png

On my reference projector, it would look more like the like the middle image (8 bit dithered). On the Sammy it would look much more like the left image (8 bit). Looked pretty bad on some large gradients.

Thanks for the pictures. If I recall correctly your pictures are similar to what was discussed quite some time ago with the Space Shuttle scene.
Would it be correct to call this banding a form of “false contouring”?

My dilemma now is do I look for it or am I better off in my ignorant bliss?

Would it be correct to call this banding a form of “false contouring”?

Yes, that is actually what it is: false contouring or posterization. It is an artifact pretty much only found on fixed-pixel devices and as such are generally not in the source. My reference projector is a Barco Cine 8 Onyx CRT projector with a DVI-D input. Using its DVI-D input I see no false contouring in these scenes.

I will check against another digital, but some of the scenes are normal test scenes for me and I've not seen it on some other digitals.

I should add, I also tried component and it had the issue also.

Interesting to see that this thread is still sitting on the second page. I wanted to add some thoughts, and a question.

Two weeks ago, my projector fired up, achieved full brightness and about 2 minutes later, shut down. Only it didn't really shut down, the lamp just turned off. The projector was still running and I was able to hard power it off. No indication on the lights as to what was going on, but if this is an example of this "ballast" problem somebody else has had, I'm an ass for sending the unit to Samsung if a line conditioner would have fixed it.

I've used this projector extensively; while I've never checked bulb life, I'd have to guess somewhere between 5 and 7 hundred hours before this issue occurred. I assummed it wasn't the bulb becuase my understanding is that a bulb is either dead, or it isn't, and if it's dead, then there should be no picture at all.

Anywhere, my new refurbished unit is arriving on Monday. Samsung said they don't perform service on these projectors anymore. (if you go to their customer website and start an online claim, you actually can't even find this unit). It will be exactly one week from when UPS picked up my projector to when they deliver my new refurb'd one. At least the turnaround was quick!

I just pray that the replacement doesn't have any other issues!

Thankfully I'll be attending a top 10 law school in the fall, so if it does break down out of warranty I'll replace it with 1080p. My future wages should make that feasible! :D

Apparently, prayer doesn't work.

The new projector arrived today, but not without issues. The lens is actually very badly scratched and extremely smudged. However, that's not the half of it.

I'm also geeting purplish grain/snow in scenes that contain light blues and shades of white. The grain acts as a border where there should just be a different shade of light or blue. Changing the contrast and brightness values eliminates the purplish grain from where it was, but introduces it elsewhere. I can't imagine that cleaning the lens will fix this, but I'll do that tomorrow, and then likely call Samsung customer support and process another return for refurb.

Bummer.

Thankfully I'll be attending a top 10 law school in the fall, so if it does break down out of warranty I'll replace it with 1080p. My future wages should make that feasible! :D

Except with the 2000-2,200 billable hour requirement you'll have after law school, you won't be able to actually watch anything on your fancy projector. Moreover, you'll be a hundred thousand dollars or more in debt, so you'll have to bust your butt for many years to come. Then, you'll burn out early and by the time you've paid off your loans and get the time to begin enjoying your life, you'll realize you hate being an attorney. You'll also realize that a law firm is really a pyramiding scheme and wonder how you've made it so long in such a scheme.

From another lawyer.

Hah!

Well, thanks for the encouraging words! Of course I know that not everybody loves being a laywer. Job satisfaction isn't great on average, but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to enjoy it. Also, even 2200 billable hours a year equals out to less than 45 hours a week which means 60 hours of work a week?, assuming no vacations. I can handle that.

Finally, if I burn out, which will hopefully come after my debt is paid off, I'll pursue a teaching position. Please spare me the, "it's really hard to get a faculty position as a lawyer." I love teaching, and am very, very good at it. I'm also an excellent writer. I'm pursuing law because i love reading, writing, thinking, and working with people. Given that, I know it's the right profession for me.

And I'll teach for a fourth tier school; it's really not important to me that I teach at a prestigious university.

Besides, working 40 hours a week for 30-40k a year sucks. With the company I'm with now, it would take me at least 10 years to break 50k a year. No thanks. I was poor growing up; I want a larger slice of the pie as an adult. If I make 160k a year, that's... 90-100k take home? I can knock 40k off my loans a year and have them paid off in five years, while I'm netting 20k more a year than I'm making now. Plus 160k is just my first year's salary; my understanding is that that number can rise very quickly.

This is not a tough decision for me. Besides with a bachelor's degree in philosophy, what else am I going to do?

:-)

Problem Solved!! The wife gave me permission to order the Panasonic
AE2000!!!:D No more headaches with the Samsung.....

How do they compare?

I haven't had an issue with my projector. I did switch the bulbs at 700 hours, as it looked dimmer.

Biggest problem I have is that I sold my Carada Brilliant White (1.4 gain) in order to install an electic Elite Screen (Cinetenstion2, 1.1 gain). I think that is also why I needed to change bulb.

BIG difference. The Carada was a MUCH better screen, at least for this projector. The Elite's picture simply isn't as good. It's mitigated by the fact that I now have a 50" plasma mounted on the wall and the screen drops in front if it. Cool beans...

But thinking of selling PJ to the same guy who bought my screen, and going with a PJ that matches screen better.

I haven't had an issue with my projector. I did switch the bulbs at 700 hours, as it looked dimmer.

Biggest problem I have is that I sold my Carada Brilliant White (1.4 gain) in order to install an electic Elite Screen (Cinetenstion2, 1.1 gain). I think that is also why I needed to change bulb.

BIG difference. The Carada was a MUCH better screen, at least for this projector. The Elite's picture simply isn't as good. It's mitigated by the fact that I now have a 50" plasma mounted on the wall and the screen drops in front if it. Cool beans...

But thinking of selling PJ to the same guy who bought my screen, and going with a PJ that matches screen better.

I haven't checked for a while and I'm suprised this thread is still alive. I have the same screen and I'm very happy with it. My only regret is that I should have order something larger than the 92" so the black level would come down a bit, pure speculation, of course.

I've about 360 hours since last year and have not had a shutdown problem yet. I do see false contouring once in a while, I attribute some of it due to the of the PJ and some of it to the program material.

I've about 360 hours since last year and have not had a shutdown problem yet. I do see false contouring once in a while, I attribute some of it due to the of the PJ and some of it to the program material.

I'm convinced that these have very dodgy build quality (besides the startup issue) and different version of firmware have different issues. I've seen 3 of these. One looked pretty good but I didn't get to play with it that extensively.

Since seeing that one, I've had two I got to play with in my theater. I used both with the same sources and content. One had HORRIBLE false contouring--the worst I've ever seen on any projector. The other had no sign of false contouring at all--looked great. However, the lower right hand portion of the image had a red-yellow tint.

So, even if these were reliable (big if there), it seems like there is no telling if a given unit will produce a good picture or not.

Frankly, not surprising as this is pretty typical samsung. :rolleyes:

Frankly, not surprising as this is pretty typical samsung. :rolleyes:

I think your right. I've been looking for the banding/false contouring issue on my unit and I have not been able to see it. I am having shut down problems (ballast issues?) at about 740 hours. The lights are normal, the lamp just goes out. We'll see if a new lamp cures this issue. I sure hope so because otherwise I’m really enjoying this projector.

I bought this PJ knowing full well it may have reliability issues, but so far the risk has been worth the paltry sum I paid for it. If the new lamp gives me another 700 to 1000 hours I'll be OK as by then it will be time to upgrade to 1080. If not, I rolled the dice and lost. Oh well...

Friday night the lamp just turned off in the middle of a Star Trek movie. The lights indicated no problem so I shut the PJ down normally then waited about 10. The projector restarted fine but ran for 5 minutes and the lamp turned off again. I repeated this scenario 3 more times and decided it was time to replace the lamp. Lamp replacement, as it turns out, is not difficult and at this point seems to have cured the problem. It’s disappointing that I only got 743 hours out of the original bulb though. (I got over 2000 hours on my Panny 700 and replaced the lamp just because I thought I should.) Hopefully the new lamp with its different part number will last longer. (If I recall, the lamp is made by Phillips)
Regarding brightness with the new lamp installed, perhaps a little brighter but not a huge amount. I was fine with the brightness of the original. This is on a 118" Carada BW.

Keeping my fingers crossed

JD,

It sounds like you had the same problem I did. And I imagine that my bulb was right around seven hundred hours as well when it started doing exactly as you said. I'm bummed that I sent it back and have received a refurb that's ACTUALLY defective. Darn it all. I need to get this refurb back to Samsung ASAP so they can send me another one, that'll hopefully work!

Below is a quote from “Ken Whitcomb”. If any of you ever stray over to the $3000 and up forum you will see posts from an enthusiast by the name of Art Sonneborn. You can see and read about Art’s theater here. http://www.artsonneborn.com// Art’s signature says “Thanks Ken Whitcomb for making my cinemascope dream a reality”

In my mind, both Art and Ken have seriously good credentials, and I find Ken’s comment about the reparability of the 710 interesting / encouraging.

This quote came from the Samsung SP-A800B thread in the over $3000 forum on 2-29-08.



“But seriously, the SP-H710 has been very reliable after the factory service procedure. Mine has been perfect, so instead of going up for sale it has become an awesome gaming display for my son!”

While I have also seen the banding/false contouring issue on my SP-H710, the only times I have seen it are when watching Uverse's overly compressed HD-lite programming.

For example, I ran across Superman Returns in "HD" on one of the Uverse channels and the banding was horrible in several scenes. My wife walked in and actually commented on just how terrible the picture looked.

For comparison, I started running my HD DVD copy of the same movie and sync'd it up with the Uverse feed. Switching from one input to the other clearly showed that all of the flaws in the Uverse image were being introduced by their having compressed the feed down to half of the bandwidth that a real HD image requires.

The HD DVD feed had none of the banding, "clay faces" or macro blocking shown on the Uverse broadcast.

So for our projector at least, the banding issue was completely caused by the source material.

Are these still available for purchase at the old Tiger Direct price or thereabouts? If anyone can tell me via pm, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Dino

So for our projector at least, the banding issue was completely caused by the source material.

This is wrong! My tests prove your statement wrong.

Sometimes it is the source, But some of the 710s have problems. I think it may vary based upon the firmware.

I had two SP-H710AE in the same room at the same time. Used them with the EXACT same source and content A/Bing them. One had false contouring very bad. One had none at all. My reference projector (Barco Cine 8 Onyx CRT) had no banding either. It was definitely the projector. There is definitely problems with some of the 710s.

As a side note, the one with no banding problems, had a "yellowish" discoloration in the lower right hand corner. I personally would not buy one unless you could see it in action first, or return it with no money out of pocket.

This is wrong! My tests prove your statement wrong.

Sometimes it is the source, But some of the 710s have problems. I think it may vary based upon the firmware.

I had two SP-H710AE in the same room at the same time. Used them with the EXACT same source and content A/Bing them. One had false contouring very bad. One had none at all. My reference projector (Barco Cine 8 Onyx CRT) had no banding either. It was definitely the projector. There is definitely problems with some of the 710s.



Which is why i said...

So for our projector at least, the banding issue was completely caused by the source material.

With decent source material, there is zero banding displayed by the SP-H710 that I own.

I have no idea what problems you may have encountered on your projectors or what may be the cause of the difficulty you have experienced but the unit I own only displays that problem when the source material is of poor quality.

Maybe it is firmware related or perhaps one of the cables you are using is of poor quality, or maybe an adjustment needs to be made in the service menu or perhaps you just received a defective unit.

The fact that my projector does not experience the same problems simply proves that at least some of the 710's made by Samsung work as promised and do not experience that flaw.

The fact that my projector does not experience the same problems simply proves that at least some of the 710's made by Samsung work as promised and do not experience that flaw.

Sorry. You are correct that you just said on yours and I should have phrased my response differently. I agree from my testing that some work correctly. I just wanted to again re-iterate that not all banding on all Sammys are the source material. :)

Well, it's been over a year since this thread was started, and almost a year since I bought my projector. So far, it's got over 800 hours on it, and no problems to date.

This has got to be one of the best purchases I've ever made. My wife and I have enjoyed a film or two almost every weekend we've had it, and it's also been excellent for football season. Video games are also amazing on it.

There have been a number of posts detailing the many problems that people have had, which is unfortunate.

I thought this might be a good time to check how everyone's faring at this point, since the warranties either have, or about to, expire.

Count me in the luck/extremely satisfied category!

Scott

Add me also to the list of a satisfied customer! I am going on 1 year as well and have just over 1100 hours on mine. I've been very happy to add hd dvd and then blu-ray to the video chain. The one thing I wish for is deeper blacks with dark scenes, but that is it. Shadow detail is still amazing along with colors and resolution are top notch! I have no desires to upgrade to 1080p at this point. (also due to seating distance)

About 500 hrs I think (it's a dedicated room for only movies although we did watch a lot of Olympics programming on it, awesome). Satisfied despite the discoloration on the top left edge of the screen which I discussed earlier in the thread.

Count me among the satisfied customers as well. I got my 710 in late July 07. I have near 1100 hours on mine and all is well. My only complaint is I had to replace the lamp at about 740 hours. I still think it throws a great picture and I have no plans to upgrade any time soon. I purchased another lamp from Samsung parts with shipping for about $253.00 at www.samsungparts.com .

Over 800 hours, on second lamp, as I felt the first was getting dim. No real problems.

I do have one issue. Using a monoprice 4x2 HDMI switcher, I cannot view Blu-Ray movies via the DVI connection. It comes out with a major red tint. I'm not sure if it's the projector, the panasonic player, the monoprice switch, or what. Or it may just be the HDMI protocol. I use a HDMI to DVI adaptor cable.

Frustrating, so I use the component cables out, which seems to work. But not as good a picture as HDMI of a 100" screen, or so it seems to me.

Over 800 hours, on second lamp, as I felt the first was getting dim. No real problems.

I do have one issue. Using a monoprice 4x2 HDMI switcher, I cannot view Blu-Ray movies via the DVI connection. It comes out with a major red tint. I'm not sure if it's the projector, the panasonic player, the monoprice switch, or what. Or it may just be the HDMI protocol. I use a HDMI to DVI adaptor cable.

Frustrating, so I use the component cables out, which seems to work. But not as good a picture as HDMI of a 100" screen, or so it seems to me.

That's interesting, I'm using a Mono Price 5X1 HDMI switch with a PS3 (and a DirecTV HD DVR and a Toshiba HD DVD player) and have no red tint or other issues. What happens if you bypass the switch?

I'm using a DVI to HDMI adapter on the back of the 710 rather than a DVI to HDMI cable FWIW.

That's interesting, I'm using a Mono Price 5X1 HDMI switch with a PS3 (and a DirecTV HD DVR and a Toshiba HD DVD player) and have no red tint or other issues. What happens if you bypass the switch?

I left out a point- I use a Denon 3808Ci in the mix as well.

I do have one issue. Using a monoprice 4x2 HDMI switcher, I cannot view Blu-Ray movies via the DVI connection. It comes out with a major red tint. I'm not sure if it's the projector, the panasonic player, the monoprice switch, or what. Or it may just be the HDMI protocol. I use a HDMI to DVI adaptor cable.

Frustrating, so I use the component cables out, which seems to work. But not as good a picture as HDMI of a 100" screen, or so it seems to me.I had the exact same problem with my Toshiba HD DVD player, the projector, and the Monoprice 4x2 switch. I tried all the different ports, but it didn't make any difference, the HD DVD player's output would always be red. It didn't affect any other components.

I ended up exchanging the 4x2 switch for the 4x1 version and just manually swap connections when switching between the TV and the projector. I prefer using HDMI, since my component cables are subject to a small amount of interference in my system.

I'm guessing it's the half-baked HDMI protocol. With as many revisions, updates, and different implementations of it, these problems are frustratingly common.

While I like the idea of a single connection, it sure would be nice if it just worked consistently.

Scott

I had an issue with a DVI cable from monoprice and I resorted to component for awhile and then I added a monoprice 4x1 hdmi switcher and am using their hdmi to dvi converters and it is working great.

I got one back in July '07 and returned it immediately because it had a line of dead pixels.

Got the replacement one before returning the first and have not had a single problem.

I only have 105 hours on it. It is in a dedicated room and my wife prefers to watch movies on the plasma in the living room. However, we just moved and the room we have now is more comfortable and she has watched about 5-6 movies with me in the HT over the past 2 months.

I am hoping to hang on to this one until LED/Laser DLP has matured some and comes down in price. I purchased an extended warranty from TD so I still have almost 3 yrs to go.

Hope it still performs flawlessly until then.

I've had mine for over a year, but started getting startup problems several months ago. It progressed until last weekend a couple retries weren't good enough. Lamp comes on and a couple seconds later shuts off. I think I had around 800 hours on the lamp. I haven't called Samsung yet, because I still have my Infocus SP5000.

Guess I'll find out soon how they are dealing with these now. I'd be happy if they could fix it, but I wouldn't mind a refund either. Glad it had a 2 year warranty.

I've had mine for over a year, but started getting startup problems several months ago. It progressed until last weekend a couple retries weren't good enough. Lamp comes on and a couple seconds later shuts off. I think I had around 800 hours on the lamp. I haven't called Samsung yet, because I still have my Infocus SP5000.

Guess I'll find out soon how they are dealing with these now. I'd be happy if they could fix it, but I wouldn't mind a refund either. Glad it had a 2 year warranty.

Put a new lamp in, that should fix it.

I've had mine for over a year, but started getting startup problems several months ago. It progressed until last weekend a couple retries weren't good enough. Lamp comes on and a couple seconds later shuts off. I think I had around 800 hours on the lamp. I haven't called Samsung yet, because I still have my Infocus SP5000.

Guess I'll find out soon how they are dealing with these now. I'd be happy if they could fix it, but I wouldn't mind a refund either. Glad it had a 2 year warranty.

I agree with Freddy, I experienced the same problem at 740 hours and a new lamp cured the problem. The lamp is available from www.samsungparts.com for $235.55 plus shipping. Just search on Model Number SPH710AE. This is a pretty good deal as far as replacement projector lamps go

My used 710 unit was showing the same symptom - shutting off after 15 minutes or so. It was showing ~700 hrs but since I got it used i'm not really sure that is the actual # of hours. I replaced it w/ a new bulb and she's been humming along w/ out any problems. The picture is now much brighter.

Let's hope the replacement lamps provide a much longer life than the originals. I noticed when I replaced my first lamp the new assembly looked identical (made by Phillips I think) but the replacement had a different part number.

By the way, I don’t think anybody has figured out how to zero out the lamp timer so my guess is your 710 had about 700 hours total when you replaced the lamp.

Well thanks for the tip. I sprang for the lamp from vancebaldwin.com instead of calling Samsung and it just started on the first try. The color wheel still isn't getting up to full speed right away, but I had been putting up with that for months, picture flickers with weird colors for 30 seconds or so and then everything snaps into place.

Obviously it was time to replace my lamp since the other one wouldn't stay on the first try anymore. Hopefully that's the only reason it was shutting off. I can live with the slow color wheel startup as long as it keeps spinning at full speed once it gets started and doesn't get noisy.

There was something very special about this projector...which was perfect color! I should have kept the one I bought, but I didn't want to risk issues...glad to see most are working fine.

My projector is just over a year old and now is having the startup issues as others have mentioned above. I have 1295 hours on it and it comes on for 2 minutes and then shuts off. I ordered a bulb on SamsungParts.com and will see if this fixes it. I love the projector and cheap bulbs are a plus. Not sure what I'll do while I wait for the bulb...

My projector is just over a year old and now is having the startup issues as others have mentioned above. I have 1295 hours on it and it comes on for 2 minutes and then shuts off. I ordered a bulb on SamsungParts.com and will see if this fixes it. I love the projector and cheap bulbs are a plus. Not sure what I'll do while I wait for the bulb...

Replacing the lamp will have you up and running again. I just replaced a lamp last night, the projector runs for a few minutes and shuts off.

Brad

Received my bulb today and replaced it with no issues. Took a minute to align the projector with the screen. The image is brighter than i remember with the previous bulb. I dialed in the settings and it looks great! I'm back up and running. Too bad there is no reset on the bulb counter.

Iam pretty sure you can reset the lamp timer in the service menu. I dont know how to access the menu. Maybe some here knows how.

Brad

I know for Samsung Tvs it is mute, 1,8,2 power

I'll try that tonight.

(Silly me, none of those buttons are on the remote!)

I am glad I am not alone. I bought my H710AE last August and have over 900 hours on the bulb. Within the last two weeks the bulb has began to randomly shut off while the rest of the projector keeps running as though nothing happened. From the other posts it sounds like just replacing the lamp will cure the problem. I am OK with getting 900 hours out of my bulb but I am surprised that the projector does not sense the problem and trigger a warning light or shut down the unit.

Off to SamsungParts.com to order a bulb.

It looks like I need a new bulb, also, with just under 1000 hours. It will stay on anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours, and then just go black. I was lucky enough for it to last for the entire Hulk BD that I rented over the weekend, with the bulb going out during the extras.

I've got a bulb on order, but I've been wondering if it is possible to just replace the bulb. I saved a bunch of money on my rear projection TV by only having the bulb replaced instead of the entire housing.

Has anyone tried or considered trying this?

One other odd thing happened to me a few weeks ago. The screen went blank, but the bulb was still on (light was still spilling out of the front of the projector). I tried all kinds of things, including switching inputs, unplugging and replugging video cables, but nothing worked. The menu wouldn't even come up. I ended up shutting it off and restarting it after a few minutes.

I'd guess that it was some kind of HDMI handshake problem, but that shouldn't have caused the projector to lock up. Hopefully it was only an isolated incident and not the start of a bigger problem.

Scott

With more of us reaching the one year mark and having to replace the bulb around 1000 hours, I wonder where we will be in a year from now if we will be doing the same thing again. I am hoping this newer bulb lasts longer. Has anyone replaced a 2nd bulb yet???

Iam pretty sure you can reset the lamp timer in the service menu. I dont know how to access the menu. Maybe some here knows how.

BradBump.

If anyone can share how to do this, it would be appreciated.

Scott

With more of us reaching the one year mark and having to replace the bulb around 1000 hours, I wonder where we will be in a year from now if we will be doing the same thing again. I am hoping this newer bulb lasts longer. Has anyone replaced a 2nd bulb yet???I can't answer this question, but the part number on the actual bulb on the new unit is the same as the old one. I'd be surprised if we get any more hours off of the newer bulbs.

Scott

Guys,
Just wanted to share what's been happening to my Sammy over the past couple months...

First off, I extended my original 2 year warranty to 5 years for $169....and it covers the bulb ! Just call 800-Samsung, and ask for the Extended Warranty Dept. I was having my second inverted green image problem, and just so happened to be in my last week of warranty, and they asked me about extending it. Far East guys put in a new color wheel, and the problem was resolved. (weird cause last time I had this symptom they put in a new board).

Now after 1 month, I'm getting the black screen after various amounts of run times....I think I discovered why though. In the Winter, I stuff insulation in the soffit to prevent cold air from coming through the PJ hole, but I think the PJ was getting to hot. I removed the insulation last week (from behind the PJ box) and the PJ hasn't gone black since.

I'm at 1100 hours, and my friends have noticed a dimmer look.....I changed to Bright Mode versus Theater Mode to make it brighter, but I'm thinking the bulb is going.

So I called Samsung's Executive Customer Service (you have to ask for this from 800-Samsung), gave them my previous transaction # and explained how the bulb keeps going out and I don't want to ship this yet again, can you please just send me a new bulb and I'll put it in.
He verified I just bought the extended warranty and he said no problem, he'll authorize a new bulb for Far East to ship to me !

AWESOME.

Hopefully this sticks, and the bulb shows up next week. I also stressed I want a brand new bulb, not one taken out of a used or refurbished unit. He said he noted that on the system. I'm at 1215 hours on the original. It fires up, but goes black at unknown times.

Anyone know if the up times for the bulb will continue to decrease to the point when the bulb goes out forever ?

So I called Samsung's Executive Customer Service (you have to ask for this from 800-Samsung), gave them my previous transaction # and explained how the bulb keeps going out and I don't want to ship this yet again, can you please just send me a new bulb and I'll put it in.

Anyone know if the up times for the bulb will continue to decrease to the point when the bulb goes out forever ?

It seems like 1000 hours is about all we can expect to get out of these bulbs, at least the original ones. From what you've written, the black outs you're experiencing are consistent with a bulb that's about to die, or least keep going black while using.

Scott

I have a little less than 1000 hrs with the Sammy since ~6/09. The bulb randomly shut off twice during the last two weeks and from the last couple of pages or so, the bulb is on its last legs. The thing is I don't recall the bulb being dimmed but I guess it's such a gradual deterioration that I haven't noticed. I'm debating whether to upgrade or to get a new bulb.

You are experiencing typical behavior. Mine starting to do this just over 1200. I decided to buy another bulb for $235 or so at samsungparts. The next time the bulb dies, I believe I'll upgrade to a 1080p unit. I'm not too happy with the performance of the bulb life if it is true I get only another 1k hours. Any one experience a 2nd bulb burn out and compare to how long it lasted compared to the first?

I was really expecting more than 1000 hrs of bulb life when it's rated 3000 (?) under low lamp mode. I've using low lamp mode only and have been really careful about short startup and shutdown. This is better than my first projector though, the Benq 6100 bulb lasted less than ~200 and <3 months but it was replaced under warranty. I guess I'll buy another bulb and hopefully it will last another 1000 hours and then it's time for a new one.

I have a little less than 1000 hrs with the Sammy since ~6/09. The bulb randomly shut off twice during the last two weeks and from the last couple of pages or so, the bulb is on its last legs. The thing is I don't recall the bulb being dimmed but I guess it's such a gradual deterioration that I haven't noticed. I'm debating whether to upgrade or to get a new bulb.That's pretty much how mine went down. I didn't notice any dimness either, nor did I notice a significant increase in brightness with the new bulb.

I'm currently on bulb number two, and when this one starts to go I'll look to see if there are any companies out there willing to just replace the lamp and not the housing. If so, the replacement cost will be about half.

I'd like to get at least another year out of the projector before upgrading. Although I'd love to go to 1080p, it would be tough to justify the cost when this Samsung puts out such a great looking picture and has a great lens-shift feature. Not to mention the difficulty selling the wife on a new projector when this one is less than two years old.

The bulb life is a huge disappointment, though. 1000 - 1200 hours is not really reasonable. Unless replacement bulbs were significantly cheaper. Although it's necessarily a fair comparison, my Panasonic DLP RPTV's bulb had over 10,000 hours on it when I replaced it, and it never showed any problem signs. I was hoping to get at least 2500 out of the Samsung.

Scott

i'm having the "random shut-off" issues with my sammy, just wondering if anyone has any experience ordering from encompassparts.com? here's the link to the bulb... http://www.encompassparts.com/products/?BP96-01551A

it's only listed @ $150 on their site, and i didn't get shipping fees added on either. when you click the "Buy Now" button it takes you to an inventory screen, before I ordered it showed the lamp available in 2 places, now it's only showing one...

i used my Paypal card just in case something goes wrong but i'm hoping everything pans out here. the part number matches the one on samsungparts' website so i'm crossing my fingers and toes :)

That looks like a reasonable price for the life we are seeing out of these bulbs. I have bookmarked this site for the future purchase. Let us know how the transaction goes.

well they e-mailed me a receipt...so far so good i guess. lol.

oddly enough the charge on my paypal account was for 161 and some change, the receipt they e-mailed me says the flat 150 with no mention of shipping...guess they don't let you know what shipping is...weird. i just chose the ups ground method btw...still a better price than others though. i just don't want to get the damn thing off the ceiling to change bulbs :( it's a heavy big bastard lol

now i've received an invoice with a tracking number. everything seems kosher. faster shipping then most places too! will update when i receive the package.

well it showed up today, a day earlier than UPS expected even :)

here's a couple pics, it's the real deal.

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/1908/img0121r.jpg

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/2509/img0119xrw.jpg

i'm not going to put it in until the old bulb pops though...i can deal with in-frequent shut-offs until then :)

well it showed up today, a day earlier than UPS expected even :)

here's a couple pics, it's the real deal.

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/1908/img0121r.jpg

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/2509/img0119xrw.jpg

i'm not going to put it in until the old bulb pops though...i can deal with in-frequent shut-offs until then :)

Is that really the correct bulb? My manual lists the bulb as being "BP47-00010A". I'd like to know, as I have a Samsung 710 that I've never used that's finally going to be turned on, and I'd like to get an extra bulb. That website still lists the bulb, and that price isn't bad.

Yes, that is the correct replacement. I bought one with the same P/N after my first lamp failed at about 750 hours for about $250 from Sampson's website and I thought I got a good deal. $150 plus shipping is a great deal. I have an unused spare, but for $150 maybe I should buy one more.

BTW, I introduced myself to Joe Kane at the CEDIA show in Atlanta this week. He was demoing his new Da-Lite screen with a Samsung 900. He seemed very pleased when I told him I had a 710. I mentioned I saw where Gary Reber of "Widescreen Review" discussed his new screen in his editorial. Joe said he was disappointed by Gary's less than stellar review. For enthusiasts like us meeting Joe was like meeting a celebrity.

Everything I've read about the picture quality of the 710 say it's fantastic. However, sales may have been sluggish because of the strange issues the projector had. I can't wait to finally fire mine up. I'm going to use it on a High Power screen, but in a non-ideal environment (ceiling mounted projector).

I hate to revive this threat, but I purchased a Samsung 710 about two years ago. After major reconstruction, my family room is finally ready for use, so I turned on the Samsung 710 for the first time this weekend. I had two random turn offs, where the lamp went out, but the projector kept working.

In reviewing this thread, I can't tell what the debugging steps should be. Assuming that I go in and re-seat the lamp, is there anything else I can do? There seemed to be indications in this thread that loose connections/wires were to blame, but I don't see any concrete steps to correct those loose connections.

I'd appreciate any help.

I hate to revive this threat, but I purchased a Samsung 710 about two years ago. After major reconstruction, my family room is finally ready for use, so I turned on the Samsung 710 for the first time this weekend. I had two random turn offs, where the lamp went out, but the projector kept working.

In reviewing this thread, I can't tell what the debugging steps should be. Assuming that I go in and re-seat the lamp, is there anything else I can do? There seemed to be indications in this thread that loose connections/wires were to blame, but I don't see any concrete steps to correct those loose connections.

I'd appreciate any help.

It sounds like a bad lamp to me. My first lamp lased only about 700 hours and then started turning off randomly as you mentioned. Perhaps you lamp is just a dud from new. Check this website http://www.encompassparts.com/products/?BP96-01551A
for a $150.00 replacement lamp. This sight now says use BP47-00010A as the replacement. Or check the Samsung parts website http://www.samsungparts.com/Products/Parts_and_Accessories/PID-BP47-00010A.aspx?oldpart=BP96-01551A&model= for a $125.00 replacement lamp plus about 10 bucks for shipping. That's a bargin price for any projector lamp. I may buy one eventhough I have two new spares, and currently have about 2750 total hours and am on the third lamp on my 710.
BTW, my theory, for what its worth, is there was never anything wrong with the projectors, it has always been the lamp.
Good luck.

I'm at 2250 on my 2nd bulb and have an extra bulb in the good chance it goes out on me again really soon. I've decided that the 3rd bulb will be my last for this projector as the 1080p itch is getting stronger.

ctviggen, i agree with Jdeaton and buy a new bulb. The random shut offs seem to be bulb related.

I'm at 2250 on my 2nd bulb and have an extra bulb in the good chance it goes out on me again really soon. I've decided that the 3rd bulb will be my last for this projector as the 1080p itch is getting stronger.I just upgraded from the 710 a few months ago to the B-stock JVC RS10's that AVS was running a special sale on. While the 710 was an outstanding projector a number of years ago, the lure of 1080p and the better blacks were too strong to resist.

ctviggen, i agree with Jdeaton and buy a new bulb. The random shut offs seem to be bulb related.I'll also throw in with the bad-bulb theory. The prices sited by Jdeaton are really good. Had they been that low at the time I bought the JVC, I might have had second thoughts. At that time, they were in the $230-$250 range, making the upgrade option more attractive.

Good luck,

Scott

Thank you all. I will order a new bulb and see what happens.

About the 1080p, I made a mistake in buying all my materials two years ago. I bought a receiver, screen, projector, projector mount, etc., all two years ago, thinking at the time that I would perform a minor revision of my family room to run wires. Then, I ended up doing basically a complete tear down and rebuild. Not to mention that the breaker box is in the family room, so once I had access to that I had the box upgraded to 200 A, added new circuits for lighting, AC, garage, etc., and had the room inspected, drywalled, wainscoting added.... Had I known how long it would take, I never would've bought everything two years ago.

As it is now, I'd rather spend $150 for the chance to get a year or so out of this projector, since the room ended up draining my finances.

Thanks for the help.

And I should say that had I known how expensive it cost to redo this room, I never would've done it. I'd still be watching my Pioneer Elite RPTC.

Thank you all. I will order a new bulb and see what happens.

About the 1080p, I made a mistake in buying all my materials two years ago. I bought a receiver, screen, projector, projector mount, etc., all two years ago, thinking at the time that I would perform a minor revision of my family room to run wires. Then, I ended up doing basically a complete tear down and rebuild. Not to mention that the breaker box is in the family room, so once I had access to that I had the box upgraded to 200 A, added new circuits for lighting, AC, garage, etc., and had the room inspected, drywalled, wainscoting added.... Had I known how long it would take, I never would've bought everything two years ago.

As it is now, I'd rather spend $150 for the chance to get a year or so out of this projector, since the room ended up draining my finances.

Thanks for the help.Good luck with the new bulb, and enjoy the heck out of your 710. It really does put out a good picture, and for $150 you should get a lot of value out of it. I would make the same decision under your circumstances.

Don't feel any pressure to upgrade to 1080p, it's almost a sickness, really. Once you start down the upgrade path, forever will it dominate your history. Or something like that.

Besides, by the time you are ready to get a new projector, there should be all kinds of fancy new features available, and at much lower cost than what you could get today.

Scott

Well, I put the new bulb in and am still having issues (it turns off at random times). It lasted about 10 minutes one time. Anyone know if these are still fixable or if Samsung will do anything? The projector is brand new; it sat in the box for the last two years.

I just found my receipt. I purchased the projector over 3 years ago. It sat in the box until about a month ago.

Bob,

That really sucks about your projector. I know you couyldn't wait to get everything set up after finishing the room. Call Samsung and see what they recommend. If it's a known problem with the projector than they should help you out. I doubt they will... but they should. Have you tried hitting the projector real hard on the top? Maybe a vigorous shaking would help.

Well, I put the new bulb in and am still having issues (it turns off at random times). It lasted about 10 minutes one time. Anyone know if these are still fixable or if Samsung will do anything? The projector is brand new; it sat in the box for the last two years.That doesn't sound good. One of the risks with this projector was how unreliable some of the units were. You can read through this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=669765), to get some ideas of what others have gone though. For the most part, it seems like the Samsung service was poor, and that was for units still under warranty.

It did sure did sound like you had a bulb problem, though. You may want to try calling them and telling them that you got a defective bulb. It couldn't hurt to give it a try. It won't help you if that's not the actual problem, though.

Scott

Well, I put the new bulb in and am still having issues (it turns off at random times). It lasted about 10 minutes one time. Anyone know if these are still fixable or if Samsung will do anything? The projector is brand new; it sat in the box for the last two years.

I am so sorry to hear this. Random shut-offs describe how my 710 behaved both times it needed a new lamp. BTW, I also ordered a new lamp from Samsungparts.com and was surprised to find it was just the bulb and two leads rather than an assembly already mounted in a plastic housing (ready to plug into the projector) as my previous replacement lamps were. Did you have to uninstall the old bulb and reinstall the new bulb into the old housing? If so did you use the new leads supplied or use the originals? For what it’s worth, I reused the old leads as they were already bent into the right shape and an old housing from a previously worn out lamp. I figured the leads should be fine. I did notice it would be easy when attaching the leads to the screw terminals on the bulb to allow the insulation to touch the bulb body which I assume could melt the insulation. I have not tried this new lamp yet, but it will be the next lamp to go into the 710 after the current lamp dies.
Nonetheless, I’m very sorry for your trouble.

Thanks for the commiseration. I'm debating calling Samsung, only because the projector is well out of warranty and because the horror stories with their customer service. What I'm going to do is take the projector apart and try some of the techniques others have found (reseat the connectors; remove the ferrules, etc.). I hope these work. I'll let everyone know. Unfortunately, with a newborn and a three year old, it takes me so long to do anything, that it might be weeks before i can do this.

I did have to take off the bulb and put on the new one. The bulbs look identical, although they're supposedly different parts. The instructions make it appear that the bulb is a drop-in replacement, since the instructions do not discuss unscrewing multiple screws and replacing wiring, which is what you have to do.

I would have kept the 710 that I had, if not for fear of failures etc...I think it's picture is still competitive today. It had a realism with color that most other projectors will simply never match.

Well, I did the fix the others suggested, which was to reseat everything inside the projector. I kept the ferrules, but added support for them to effectively place compression on the connections. The problem I'm having now is a random shutoff. Instead of the normal, hard to start problem, it's a total random shutoff.

I'm using a new bulb. Could this be a bulb issue anyway?

By the way, I watched Star Trek in Bluray. What a phenomenal picture. I had a Pioneer Elite RPTV that was calibrated, and this might exceed that.

Well, I found a local place that rents the Epson 8350 projector and decided to do a comparison against my Samsung. Here is my quick review. Epson was brighter even in ECO mode. The Samsung was sharper than the Epson. Maybe this has to do with DLP vs LCD. Even the Samsung at 720p vs the 1080p from the Epson could hold it's own. When the Epson was displaying a blank black screen, I could tell some uniformity issues in the corners. It kind of reminded me of viewing on an old RPTV but It didn't come through on real image material. Also the very left edge had a faint yellow tint to it kind of like a light tunnel issue but also was not visible on real material. The Epson is definitely quieter that's for sure. I had the itch to upgrade to 1080p but now will hold on to my trusty Samsung even longer and plus i have a spare bulb in the closet. I am considering the Mitsubishi HC4000 or Benq W1100 or W6000 since they are all DLP for comparison, but I don't know if I can do a real in home test before pulling the trigger. I may have to find somewhere with a good return policy.

PS. I have calibrated the Samsung using an Eye One Display meter using HCFR. I'll do a more thorough calibration on the Epson tomorrow.

Well, I took down my Samsung because I was having problems with it. Originally, I did not reseat all connectors. This time, I reseated all the connectors and took off the ferrules. I have not had a problem since then. I wonder if the ferrules were the problem, not by causing the connectors to become loose (which I have a hard time believing), but perhaps causing some other problem (like a timing problem)?

All I have to say is what a phenomenal picture this is, couples with a high power screen. It's amazing, and I never go above low power on the lamp.

Next, I have to put in some nice fans. The fans are a little loud in scenes with no talking, as the projector is directly above our heads.

Any ideas what else could be causing a dim picture other than a bad bulb? Right now the dim picture is by far the main reason I would replace this projector.

I replaced a two-year-old bulb (~900 hours) in November expecting a jump in brightness but I didn't notice any change. I have tried switching between the "bright" and "theater" lamp modes but even the bright mode is weak. Last weekend my wife and I were watching the Social Network dvd at night with all the nights out and we were constantly switching video modes and adjusting the picture settings just to see some of the scenes. It was pretty bad. Perhaps I got a dud bulb but I don't want to spend $150 on another bulb to test a theory at this point.

Thanks for any suggestions or ideas.

I measured 14 ft lamberts in theater mode with my custom settings. Brightness is at 51 and contrast I think at 49 or something very close to 50. It's isn't the brightest projector but it is bright enough in a light controlled room. I had an Epson 8350 for a few days and it indeed was brighter but for me it was like going from theater mode to normal and then taking it one more step higher. (eco mode on 8350)

If you have placement flexibility, you can zoom out as far as you can and then move the projector closer. You may be too far back and zooming in to fit the screen.

What size screen are you using? I'm currently at 100" and will be going to 110" soon and my projector is about 14' back.

I wouldn't risk buying a new bulb. I think you'd get the same result.

My screen is 106" and the projector is zoomed out all the way (widest picture for the mounting distance).

What is your technique for measuring the brightness of the projected image?

I'm using an Eye One Display meter. It measures light. You can read more about it in the calibration section. What screen are you using?

Well after nearly four years, my Sammy gave me real trouble last night. Turned on, bulb ran for maybe 30 seconds, then no more light. Repeated this about 4 times and gave up.

Something similar had happened last year, perhaps 200-300 hours ago, but only a one-time failure to light. (I don't keep track of hours really, and the last time I checked I think it had just passed 1000 (last year). We don't use it much, perhaps 2 movies a week on average, no TV. BTW on that one failure, it started right up after a reattempt and didn't give me any more trouble, until several months later (ie last night).

Anyway- from what I read here, this seems to indicate the death rattle of the bulb? I don't mind buying a new bulb (duh) but I wouldn't want to buy one and then find out that wasn't the problem after all. What kind of checking/troubleshooting can I do?

I agree the pic is great, but really I don't have much to compare it against. I can't stand going to stores and comparing. Only one friend of mine has a pj setup and it's my previous InFocus that he took off my hands!

I contemplated a new, 1080 pj, and I may still go that way but I'd want to exhaust my possibilities first (without spending a lot of money of course). Hope someone can chime in with some pointers.

Well after nearly four years, my Sammy gave me real trouble last night. Turned on, bulb ran for maybe 30 seconds, then no more light. Repeated this about 4 times and gave up.

Something similar had happened last year, perhaps 200-300 hours ago, but only a one-time failure to light. (I don't keep track of hours really, and the last time I checked I think it had just passed 1000 (last year). We don't use it much, perhaps 2 movies a week on average, no TV. BTW on that one failure, it started right up after a reattempt and didn't give me any more trouble, until several months later (ie last night).

Anyway- from what I read here, this seems to indicate the death rattle of the bulb? I don't mind buying a new bulb (duh) but I wouldn't want to buy one and then find out that wasn't the problem after all. What kind of checking/troubleshooting can I do?

I agree the pic is great, but really I don't have much to compare it against. I can't stand going to stores and comparing. Only one friend of mine has a pj setup and it's my previous InFocus that he took off my hands!

I contemplated a new, 1080 pj, and I may still go that way but I'd want to exhaust my possibilities first (without spending a lot of money of course). Hope someone can chime in with some pointers.

I believe your bulb is done. My first one only lasted 1300 hours. You can find a new bulb for around $150 on samsungparts.com. I would recommend buying a new bulb. I'm on my second one and have another one in the closet. I'm around 1300 more hours on my 2nd bulb and just waiting for the day when it will turn off own it's own.

I also would stick with this projector instead of buying a new 1080p entry level one. That's my opinion from comparing it to the Epson 8350.

I believe your bulb is done. My first one only lasted 1300 hours. You can find a new bulb for around $150 on samsungparts.com. I would recommend buying a new bulb. I'm on my second one and have another one in the closet. I'm around 1300 more hours on my 2nd bulb and just waiting for the day when it will turn off own it's own.

I also would stick with this projector instead of buying a new 1080p entry level one. That's my opinion from comparing it to the Epson 8350.

Thanks. I did open it up and do some of the re-seating etc that some talked about in the other thread. Same results, bulb is on for some 30 seconds, then off.

Is this more or less a sure thing (the symptom and the cause, I mean)? I would hate to spring even $150 and find out it's something else. Reason I say that is, if the bulb were done, then how come it lights to begin with?

I have had this occur when my bulb was dead. It went turn on for a few seconds and then shut off. I'm 90% sure it is the bulb but maybe others can chime in.

I was reminded of an issue that I have with mine. I have it ceiling mounted which hangs upside down. I have to wedge something in the lens barrel to prop up the lens assembly like 1/4 an inch. Otherwise, it will never focus. I've messed with the lens shift which works but it seems somethings not right. It seems it's not an issue when it is right side up.

How is everyone mounting theirs?

Mine is hanging upside down on the ceiling and I've never had a focus issue. Although I do have to occasionally move the lens shift up a bit as it seems to slowly drop on its own. I too have had the famed but feared bulb issue. My first one only lasted 500 hours. But the second one has 700 on it and is going strong. I had the same symptoms. It just kept shutting off. Not sure if it's a bulb issue or a heat issue. I'm a shadow detail nut! I have not seen a a low priced 1080p that matches our beloved Samsung. I will settle for a little higher black level if I can see whats in the shadows.

Guys I need help. The bulb came in today, BUT!!

It is way too large for the original housing and the little 'frame' that the original bulb seats into. If I were to ballpark guess I'd say the surface area of the glass is about 2x that of the original one. It's not just a small difference, you can tell they are different sizes from 10 feet away.

The partnum was as specified on samsungparts.com. I even called before ordering and verified.

The new bulb has printed on the glass: 102616949
Original bulb: 101859717

Of course I'll be calling them but it will be Monday.

If this is indeed the correct bulb and there's a trick to mounting it in the original housing please share. There were no instructions included in the package, but if they were the same size it's not hard at all. The box wasn't even sealed btw, although the bulb and wires do look new. The kicker is they charge about $15 for S&H, and there is a 15% restock fee, and then shipping back, so if they give me a hard time I'm about $45 out of pocket on this.

I'm sorry to hear this. I checked for myself samsungparts and partstore.com and they don't have the bulb BP96-01551A any longer. This is the one that I have bought twice which fits perfectly. Let us know what you find out. Is this the lamp part number you bought? BP47-00010A

Thanks Bachelor... BP47-00010A is what's the label on the box says. However, as the box was not sealed, there is no sure way to tell that is what it contains. That number, as you probably know, is not on the bulb itself.
Also, the label has been glued over another, original label which, best I can tell, is not for that part.

Hopefully they own up to a mistake and make me whole by exchanging this at no cost and all I'm out is a few days.

KCK7,

If they don't have that bulb in stock you can try encompassparts.com. I bought a bulb from them in December. It took about three weeks to get it. But, it was the correct bulb and the price was comparible to the samsungparts site.

I'm using an Eye One Display meter. It measures light. You can read more about it in the calibration section. What screen are you using?

I am using a diy screen painted NG8.0 (neutral grey) mixed with polycrylic in a 3:1 ratio.

Our house is under contract and the buyer is requesting to leave the projector so I guess I won't have to worry about it anymore.

I'll check out the eye one for my next setup. It looks pretty cool. Thanks for the tip.

Well, mine has been running happily for three and a half years now.

However if bulbs are becoming scarce I think I may have to order one or two just to keep them around for "insurance".

KCK7,

If they don't have that bulb in stock you can try encompassparts.com. I bought a bulb from them in December. It took about three weeks to get it. But, it was the correct bulb and the price was comparible to the samsungparts site.
Thanks blplce. A bit pricier than from samsungparts. I called ssp today and got the worst runaround. Still waiting for a call back after spending time out of my workday to send them multiple pictures because they won't believe me when I tell them the bulb is too large.

blpce and bachelor: do you recall that your replacement bulb was an exact, drop-in replacement? Did you use your old housing and rewire it in? If I were to try to use the old housing (the new bulb came bare and with two wires) there is no way it would fit, but am wondering if it goes in without a housing? However, I don't see how that can be made to happen.

Attached is a pic of the two bulbs, old one on left.

blpce and bachelor: do you recall that your replacement bulb was an exact, drop-in replacement? Did you use your old housing and rewire it in? If I were to try to use the old housing (the new bulb came bare and with two wires) there is no way it would fit, but am wondering if it goes in without a housing? However, I don't see how that can be made to happen.

Attached is a pic of the two bulbs, old one on left.

My replacement bulb came with housing. I can take a picture of it if you like. It is the discontinued part BP96-01551A. I still have one new in the box. (Insurance)

Argh. (thanks Bachelor. No I don't need a pic, as the partnum alone tells me the story).

I just got off the phone with a Samsungparts supervisor. She was helpful but, owing to the circumstances, ultimately not helpful. The bottom line is this: the one I bought is what Samsung told them to sell as a replacement for our 710, and as reported a few times in this thread. However, I am the second customer to complain that it does not fit, and at this point they are going to (a) issue a full refund to me and a shipping label, and (b) check with Samsung on what might replace this bulb - they took down my unit's model and serial number.

So this begs the question of, if the 'new' one BP47-00010A is NOT the right bulb as stated by Samsung, then what is? (Note it is just a bulb, NO housing). And, has anyone bought that exact model and was able to get it to fit? (physically impossible IMO but I am considering the (far out) possibility that they gave a new bulb the model number of something else).

This is really screwed up. Add to that the fact that Woot has the Optoma HD20/HD180 on a refurb deal today only, and I don't know if I will have ANY chance of getting a new bulb for my Sammy, in which case I should buy a new PJ, and this Optoma is a very good deal so should I go with it????

I know only I can definitively answer some of these questions, but am still putting it out there for you guys to opine to. The Optoma gets great reviews but there are those who have complained about way premature bulb demise, with replacements costing $250. With a 30-day bulb warranty, this isn't too comforting.

Well, thanks for confirming to us owners not to order part BP47-00010A as a replacement bulb! :)

I'm surprised the bulb BP96-01551A has doubled in price. If you could get 3000 hours on a bulb, I would suggest replacing it and not getting the newer projector.

I'm on my second one with about 1300 hours and still good. My first one only lasted 1300 and had the dead bulb symptom of turning off after a few minutes of powering on. If I knew the "real" number of hours I could expect it would be an easier decision, but paying $240ish for a bulb which may not last the full 3000 hours maybe better used to go towards a newer projector. I've never seen the Optoma so I can't offer any real comparisons.

I did a google shopping search with BP96-01551A and found a few places but all around $240. Let us know what you end up doing.

http://www.encompassparts.com/products/?BP96-01551A has it for $160. Scratch that! looks like it uses BP47-00010A as a replacement part!

I believe encompassparts buys their stuff from samsungparts.com. I called them earlier today and they did say I could order it and come in to compare, and could reject it if not the same (one of their locations is about 25 miles away, but I'd have to take off from work to go there).

I think it's the same bloody lamp! But I will call tomorrow and find out.

KCK7,

The lamp I bought from Encompassparts.com 4 months ago was the correct bulb. It is the bare bulb and new wire set only and it did fit in the old housing perfectly. I hope they have one for you. I have asked a few videophiles that have had experience with the new low cost 1080p projectors and I have personally viewed the HD20. While the HD20 is slightly sharper and brighter than the sp-h710ae, it lacks the depth and film like picture of the Sammy. If you watch a lot of HD television the Optoma may be for you. Personally I prefer HDTV on my plasma and movies on the Sammy. Good Luck in your search.

Well I have been on countless phone calls with samsungparts, Samsung, and encompass. I am getting nowhere fast and it looks like at this time I am SOL and will either need to sell this to someone who needs a pj w/o lamp (for parts or whatever) or buy the correct lamp from some kind soul who has a spare.

Even encompass now has the larger lamp. samsungparts won't return my calls or emails, figuring they've done their part (I am still awaiting my refund though). Samsung people keep pushing me off to some other department and I am stuck in a loop with them. They basically seem to be staffed by uneducated, unmotivated individuals who are trained to say 'No' to the paying customer and not much more. I even spoke to a 'supervisor' who was only marginally more helpful but still wanted me to call someone else.

So atm I have a dead PJ unless someone can come up with a great idea. And be warned: DO NOT buy this partnum (BP47-00010A) as a replacement lamp for your 710, from either samsungparts or encompass.

I have seen some sites that list BP90-00213A as a replacement for the 710ae as well although I have no idea just how accurate those claims me be.

Edit: It looks like some people here have actually used this bulb successfully as a replacement.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11404726#post11404726

Post 574

Well based upon the reports that bulbs are getting scarce I decided to see about ordering one myself.

I ordered a replacement from http://www.projectorlampsworld.com/ and it showed up today (8 days after being ordered).

The bad news is that rather than an original BP90-00213A, the bulb that they sent me is an aftermarket bulb from APO International that was shipped out of Hong Kong.

The good news is that the bulb -is- the correct size/wattage and after taking about 10 minutes to swap it out the new bulb is running in my SP-H710AE perfectly.

I'll be running this new bulb over the next 90 days (the warranty period on the bulb) to see if it holds up, but so far so good.

thanks luclin99.

On that site the nearest pj model is the SP-H701AE. That is, 01 rather than 10. Is this just a typo, or was there really such a model? Was yours just a bulb or housing included?

I see that a company called Electrified is also selling what they claim is the original bulb (BP96 etc), WITH housing (I know the housing is no big deal as we can reuse the old one but it may mean the bulb is actually the correct one.

Still confused about what to do. At about 150 from samsungparts, it was ok. Now climbing into the mid $200 range and one still gets an iffy replacement, a new 1080p a la the Epson 8350 for around $1100 starts to look interesting.

thanks luclin99.

On that site the nearest pj model is the SP-H701AE. That is, 01 rather than 10. Is this just a typo, or was there really such a model? Was yours just a bulb or housing included?


It is a typo. I just ordered it by the part # which also references the SP-H700AE on their site and it also uses the same bulb as the 710AE.

All you get is the bulb. No housing.



I see that a company called Electrified is also selling what they claim is the original bulb (BP96 etc), WITH housing (I know the housing is no big deal as we can reuse the old one but it may mean the bulb is actually the correct one.

Still confused about what to do. At about 150 from samsungparts, it was ok. Now climbing into the mid $200 range and one still gets an iffy replacement, a new 1080p a la the Epson 8350 for around $1100 starts to look interesting.

I love my Samsung for it's near reference quality image and plan to keep using it for years to come. However, I do understand that different people have differing things that they may want from a projector.

I am also currently shopping for a new projector for my great room, and as that room is not anywhere near as light controlled as my theater I am considering the 8350 for it's higher light output and placement flexibility.