Official LaserVue Owners thread - Page 84

Update: The tech came out today with parts for pretty much a whole new TV, lol. He said since it's a three hour drive to me, he may as well not have to make it more than once. I guess he's been doing this often to have that sort of rotating inventory of spares on hand, and he's certainly said this isn't the first of these sets he's had to fix. Anyway, it's fixed...and it is amazing how much brightness has been restored. At the same time, it's really worrisome. I figure, I've had the set for about two years, and my guess is that the unit he replaced is a hell of a lot more expensive than a new bulb...so...yeah, after another two years it'll probably be just as dim and then I won't get another replacement. I'm going to have to be on the ball right around the four year mark (two years from now) before my warranty expires to make sure this thing gets one more re-up, or be ready to buy a new set.... Frustrating -- maybe I should have just went with the bulb based set, ugh!

That said, he basically replaced the "light engine" (which is the part that contains the DMD device and the mirrors) and the "light generator" which has the lasers. I have no idea why he'd replace the light engine, and I knew once he started to replace it that it wasn't going to help, but I let him do it anyway because I may as well have a closer to new set. When it didn't work, he replaced the light generator, which, not surprisingly, restored all the light output and stopped all the "pulsing".

He also mentioned the white dots problem, which he's seen before, and has said it is an issue with the DMD device. He said the DMD can be ordered and replaced separately from the entire light engine. However, since I have a new one, hopefully I won't be seeing that.

So...that's the skinny -- the set is restored to "like new" conditions. It may even be a little brighter than it was new...but my visual memory is way off from two years ago, lol. Thank deity for extended warranty coverage.

I'm wishing I read stuff like your post BEFORE we bought a LaserVue. Did NOT get an extended warranty.

Our experience with this TV is going to suck, isn't it.
I'm thinking tomorrow Best Buy is going to get a phone call inquiring if an extended warranty can be tacked on 6 months after purchase.

Maybe not. I've had mine a year and a half with no issues other than occasional motion artifacts which I put up with. PIcture is still very bright. But given the reports here, an extended warranty probably a good idea if you plan on keeping the set more than a couple years.

As stated years ago on this thread, the fact that Mitsu did not offer Extended Warranties on this themselves spoke volumes.

Good luck, then...hopefully you got a good one. Mine went dim probably around the 22 month mark. It didn't really seem progressive, either.... It was almost like one day someone shut half the light off. Of course, it could have been mildly progressive and we hadn't noticed it, but I can say that the loss of detail and ability to see anything in dark scenes was so apparent even in a very dark room, so I don't know how we would have been "living with it" for a long time without noticing. That combined with the annoying pulse made it very obvious something was very wrong.

Then again, I suppose if you watch on Bright or Brilliant most of the time, you'd probably not notice. I could still put the TV in Brilliant and have a quasi-watchable picture. But that mode is horrible in general as far as colors and blacks and everything else, so I never used it.

BB says they can tack on an extended warranty at this point. Always felt it was a waste of money, but if these TV's aren't likely to last through an extended warranty period, it sounds like a must.

Of course we've got the A96, no telling if that's more solidly built or not.

Well, you know my opinion...if they will let you do it, I personally think it will be money very well spent. The BB warranty is apparently even better than mine in that if they can't fix an issue within 14 days they then replace/exchange it automatically. Don't take my word for it and thoroughly check the terms of the warranty (I heard it from a tech), but if that is the case the piece of mind knowing you're covered for 4 years on a TV Mitsubishi no longer makes would be worth it. It would also be really good if you have some of the dimming issues as you'd have free replacement parts....the light engine and main board are quite pricey.

No idea what it'd have cost me to fix this set, but in other thread someone mentioned the light engine was around $600, that was pretty much what my warranty cost if I recall correctly, and they replaced the laser assembly as well, so, I figure I've made up the money. Plus, it's a four year warranty, and as much as I hope I don't need another replacement in 2 years, I have a feeling I will. So.... At that point, if they fix it, I'm way up, if they don't, I guess I'll have had my money's worth on the set and will be more than ready to move on. Then again, it's been two years since I bought it and I still don't like anything else better...I'd have tolerated the Sharp 80" set, but I still think this set has overall a more natural picture than any LCD I've seen. Such a pity its reliability is crap .

Take away for anyone in this thread looking to buy this set -- it's a great set, but it has serious reliability issues. Get an extended warranty, and make sure the warranty company has a good rep for repair/replace.

Follow up.

The repair company came back, picked up the TV and took it back to their shop.

They called a few days later saying it was repaired. Just got it back and the picture is perfect! Smudge gone.

They told me that the first dlp chip was defective.

Thankful for the 4 year square trade warranty. Hope the set holds up!

I've got the same issue. This past Sunday I was watching TV and the picture just all-of-a-sudden went to half brightness. I literally thought someone open a curtain and let the sun shine directly on the TV but that wasn't it. Then I did the normal troubleshooting. Changed channels, tried Blu-Ray, recalibrated TV, tried different HDMI inputs, and a few other things.

Then later on I noticed the "pulsing". Exactly as you described, pale to reddish, most noticeable in the faces. The TV is almost unwatchable now during the day in a dim room and at night with all the lights down, it still sucks. The colors are bad and the TV doesn't look quite "in focus or as clear" as it should either. It looks like a very old RPTV from the late 80's is how I would describe the picture quality and brightness.

I called the warranty company and they're coming out on Saturday. I'm SO HAPPY that I have this thread that I am going to print out and show them that this is a "real problem" and is common and that the fixes you describe previously are good candidates for the root cause of this problem.

Yeah, I've had the TV about 22 months also. L75-A91 Model.

Discouraging...but, I guess everyone in here is starting to get a good feel for why Mitsu is getting out of this business. My guess is this has been going on for a while now. To say I'm disappointed would be a half-truth. When working, i still love the set. It is just a real pity that I bought the Laservue entirely on the premise that I would never need to change a lamp. Of course, at this point, lamps are cheaper than replacing the laser light source, so once out of warranty (and extended warranty) this set pretty much has to be relegated to the trash bin unless I feel like replacing (if it's even available) a nearly $600 part every two years. Not to mention it doesn't look really easy to install myself, so that's labor on top of it.

Again, to everyone reading this thread: this is a great set when it works, but it works for about two years. If you don't have a good extended warranty, expect to replace it before then...factor that heavily into your buying decision. If I had it to do all over, I may very well have just bought the larger lamp-based set. It was a lot cheaper and the lamps can be installed easily by me and purchased for much cheaper than repair/replace costs of the "wear items" in the Laservue set. I certainly did not expect a $600 + labor wear item (light source) needing replacement every two years!!

I'm sort of curious if Mitusbishi has improved the laser source since the A91 (which seems to have the most people replacing them).
You'd think SOME changes have been made with each year's refresh.

I know my A96 is pretty much identical to the A94 but lacks the channel guide and is about 20 lbs. heavier.
I have no explanation for that added weight.

Has anyone with a newer model had to replace the lighting?
Has anyone who has previously replaced the light had to do it a second time?

The tech came out that the warranty company authorized. He checked it all out and agreed it was the light generator/engine. He checked his sources and was told by Mits that the parts are no longer available. So we'll see what happens next with the warranty company. I'll keep you all posted.

How can the parts no longer be available? They're still selling new Laservues.
There are laws against that.

They aren't still selling new L75-A91's. As long as they replace the set with something comparable (such as one of the current LasterVue's) or provide a refund to cover the purchase of a "comparable" TV, I doubt there are any legal issues there.

The technical repair manual for the L75-A91 can be downloaded free here. Keep trying if it doesn't load the first time. It took me four attempts but finally the PDF loaded and I was able to save it to my drive.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxidXp6YXJkNzY3fGd4OjIyZmIwYmRkM2RhNDQ0Y2U
Edited by EHSTEINERT - 3/20/13 at 12:29pm

Whew, 6 months later, FINALLY got someone at Best Buy to sort out our receipt issue so we could get the extended warranty on our LaserVue.

The down side is we had to pay for coverage for the full retail value of an A96 even though we paid something like a third of that. Ah well, still an awesome deal.
Can sleep better at night now. Surprised to see BB no longer lists LaserVues on their site.

If anybody knows where to buy a new A96, or perhaps an A94, please message me. I'd like to get one at a reasonable (READ: Not Amazon) price... I'd think that the prices would be going down given the risk of no new production & replacement parts.

I'd probably get a new ZT60 plasma, but frankly the room I need it for is pretty bright. And an LCD has way too poor off angle viewing for our environment.

I noticed fry's has an ad for an A94 at $3,000.00 but they have none in stock.

T
Try Walts tv. I just got an A94 a few weeks ago for $4799. This was the cheapest Price I could find. The price since then has been fluctuating up and down from $4799 to $5599. They have free shipping and I added on a extra 5 year warranty (total of 6 years). I think they have about 5 or so left in stock, which is why the price has gone up I think.

Well, I pulled the trigger on one of the open box items from Walt's, through Amazon. About $4,000 but I have 30 days return, and as I understand it has a full warranty.

So after I get it I'll add a squaretrade warranty (if I can on open box), have the needed repairs done under warranty and hopefully have a decent tv for a good 4 years.
It's going to replace my Samsung LED dlp. It's been flawless, but isn't as bright as when new and was never quite bright enough for our living room in the daytime.

I'm a contractor in Afghanistan, coming home soon and it'll be nice to have this new toy.

Does anybody have any first hand experience with the A96? Does the clear contrast screen help?
Edited by bmack500 - 4/8/13 at 5:35am

I believe the A94 and A96 are very similar, as there is not much new in the A96 version (I just got an A94). I too went from a Samsung LED DLP that I got in 2007. I can tell you that the clear contrast screen on the A94/A96 is great. The blacks are so much better on it than the Sammy. The screen is noticeably more reflective but does improve the contrast a good bit. I have read that it approaches Kuro 9G levels, which is excellent. The color on this thing is best I have ever seen too, although the out of box settings do require some tweaking (I am currently using one of the ADV modes). The Mits is also a better built TV as well compared to the Samsung. The screen is glass and the bezel is metal. I am very glad to have made the purchase on one.

I would steer clear of open box units at this point. They are likely to the "lemons" that others have returned -- in some case two or three times.

I am anticipating problems because it's an open box, however I'm prepared to go through the process of getting it fixed under warranty. Granted, even if it takes several attempts, they will eventually fix / replace it.

Parts supplies are very limited and Mits has no more new stock. Realistically, by the end of this year, the best they could probably do for you is give you a pro rata refund. Why put yourself through that hassle when factory-sealed units are available for not much more? Just sayin'...

I called Mits about parts availability. They told me they would have parts for 5-7 years for these models and provide support as needed, as required by law. And Walt's also told me the same, that Mits will continue to have parts on hand for these models, just not new stock. Granted they did mention that older models, like the A91 and A90 they will not have parts for. But newer models, A94/A96 it should not be a problem for several years at least.

Samsung quit making DLP TVs in 2008 I believe. A friend of mine just got his 2008 LED DLP TV repaired recently by Samsung, indicating that companies keep parts on hand for years to come, even if they are discontinued entirely.

OK, now I'm not certain it's going to come with a warranty at all. It's through Amazon Warehouse Deals, not Walt's tv like I thought. So I've emailed them and if there's no warranty, I'll cancel the order and continue my search. Just not willing to spend much over $4k for one, not with it going out of production.

I see no factory sealed units around that price... if you know of a source, please let me know!

All I know is that in the past, Mitsubishi would often replace a LaserVue instead of fix it, citing a parts shortage. Also, it doesn't make sense that they would maintain parts for the L75-A94 and A96 for five to seven years "as required by law" (not quite sure what law you are referring to), but not, as Walt's told you, for the L75-A91, which was introduced just one year prior to the A94 (i.e., in 2010). By the logic you have presented, the "lawfully required" parts availability period for the A91 would expire in 2017. Unfortunately, these are the kinds of things some retailers will say to close a sale. Caveat emptor.
Edited by RU Geekman - 4/8/13 at 7:02am

Keep checking Walt's website daily. After I bought one at $4799, the price went up to $5499, then back down to $4799. It's at $5500 right now, but could flux again if no one buys at that high price. When I asked them about the price, they said $4799 was the lowest it would get because they are no longer getting manufacture rebates from Mits anymore to move them at lower prices. So if you see it at 4799, I would snag one.

All I know is that when I called Mits and talked to them about this, they assured me that parts would be available for the later models for several years. Also, if you buy the extra warranty from Walts, it includes a full replacement of the TV with a new one at the price you paid for the first one if it cannot be fixed. This could happen either due to a "parts shortage" or inability to be fixed. So either way you are covered.