Toshiba DLP white dot problems (please help)

I'm having the same problem, at the same time. White dots and black dots that I'm assuming are failures of the mirrors in the DMD chip. Any way to repair this yourself? Otherwise a repair shop charges $300 + shipping on the light engine, or you have to buy a new light engine for $650! Or a refurb for $450.

Do a search for threads involving white dot issues. I began one recently on behalf of my Mitsubishi.

Samsung has been good about replacing DMD's but only after some time while customers haggled with them.

I think the problem is going to have to become more widespread for other companies like Toshiba and Mitsubishi to step up to the plate.

This is obviously becoming a HUGE problem for all DLP owners.

The 'white spot' problem on the Toshiba 65HM167 TV is caused by a faulty optical block processor or 'light engine' in the TV. It must be replaced for the problem to go away.

The bad news is that the optical block processor is expensive and, since DLP TV's aren't manufactured anymore, they are somehwat hard to find. I found one at wwwDOTencompasspartsDOTcom for $647 of which $220 is a core charge that is refunded when you return the old light engine back to Encompass Parts. So the out of pocket is around $430 with shipping. The Toshiba part number for the light engine is 75006693. Encompass was very easy to work with.

The good news is that you can make the installation yourself. It's a little complicated but with patience and a careful labeling of all wiring, you can make the switch. I did it and my TV now works better than ever (no spots and a much better picture). Get a service manual for the Toshiba 65HM167 at wwwDOTservicemanualsDOTnet for $17 (download) and it will give step by step instructions for replacing the light engine. The replacement process took me about 2.5 hours.

Is it worth it? I think so because I love the size of this TV and to replace it with a comparable LCD TV would cost around $2500. Of course, I won't know for a while because if this new light engine fails anytime soon it won't be. Since I bought my DLP TV early on in the product cycle, I'm betting that the replacement is better technology. We'll see

I just had this problem fixed on my 65hm167. Fortunately, it was under an extended warranty, so cost was zero to me.

The repair people admitted that it was the DMD chip that was going bad, but that they only replace the entire light engine on these sets. The reason given was that the chip needed alighment after replacement, and that took hours of effort. When the light engine is replaced, it is already aligned and it is about a 30 minute process to repair.

I think the repair people were giving me a story that led to the least effort and most profit for them. Many people have replaced just the chip themselves and had the problem fixed entirely at a much lower cost.

There is a thread on this board that gives part number details and pretty much step by step instructions on how to get the chip replaced. So a search of the model number and you'll find it. Most of the chip replacement discussions are in the last few pages of the thread.

The only issue with my repair was getting a light engine. The repair guys only wanted to install a brand new unit from Toshiba. They told me that other sources sell rebuilt units that have a higher failure rate, and there is a chance that the DMD chip on the new light engine was not one of the parts that was replaced during the rebuild.

Toshiba had these on endless backorder, with no real estimated time of arrival. I ended up waiting over 2 months for one. When the repair guy would check with Toshiba, the expected arrival date was always the 1st of the next month. I'd guess that if they have something backordered their system just bumps the date up a month automatically.

Once the new light engine came in (it was from Toshiba as it was marked on the box) the replacement was quick and looked easy. Most of the work seemed to be taking the screws out of the cabnet. Once that was done, it looked like a couple of screws held the light engine in place and a few cables needed to be unhooked. New on slipped in and we powered up the set with no problems - especially white dots.

If I had not had the extended warranty covering this repair, I would have tried the chip replacement. It looks like it can be done without fully removing the light engine from the set and does not involve any soldering or other work that doesn't just involve a screwdriver and a bit of time.

The chip that is going bad is the same one Samsung replaced under warranty. Mitsubishi DLP sets used this same chip in some of their models. It can be found on E-bay, ShopJimmy, and Samsung parts.

The part itself was made by Samsung.

Good luck to those developing this problem. It only gets worse over time. I got a new white dot about once a week and they never cured themselves.

My set looks like it did when it was brand new. All my settings were retained and I'm hoping to get another few years of use out of the set.

I just got off the phone with Toshiba and I'm appalled at how they tried to handle the situation. The first person I spoke with told me it was the color wheel and had me turn my tv off and uplugg it to see if it would correct the problem. Then he tried to brush me off by saying he would log my complaint and someone would get back with me. I demanded to speak with a case manager who said the previous rep told her it was the color wheel or the dmd board. He never said that, I'm the one who told him. She refused to acknowledge there was a problem with the product. I asked her if she thought a tv should only last 4 years before it has major problems she said, "things go wrong with electronics". It just happens sometimes" She just kept repeating over and over that the warranty has expired and they will not do anything. I told her that Samsung was standing behind their product and asked how come Toshiba wasn't doing the same? Her reply, "we stand behind our product during the warranty period". WOW! I will never buy a Toshiba product again and suggest you don't either.

The only "help" I ever got from Toshiba was them referring me to my local authorized Toshiba repair facility.

Their support is a joke. Even my repair guy complained that Toshiba was one of the most difficult companies to get repair parts from.

Once my set dies again, I certainly won't look at a Toshiba product as a replacement.

The faulty parts are made by TI. They're the ones that claimed these devices should exceed 10 years of normal usage. Obviously, there has been some manufacturing defect somewhere down the line with these DMD chips. Maybe someone should pursue TI to offer replacement chips at a discounted price. I believe it is them who should be standing behind this defect; after all, tv's from 3 different makers are suffering the same failure.

i just bought a new dmd chip for my 65hm167 tv today. Can anyone help with a how to guide on replacing the chip? I have seen some pics of other tv's but i want to make sure i have something to follow.
thanks

I have the same problem with my toshiba with the 57" model. It started with 2 white dots last week and now I just got an extra one. Before this problem, I had another problem where the TV will just blink yellow and dont turn off. I called toshiba because I still have 1 year warranty with them and the problem came up in the 11month. I was starting to worry about the quality of their products because how can a brand name fail within a year. So they gave me a number to call local authorized repair shop and srsly they are so unprofessional. I also believe those thieves stole some of my rechargable batteries that were laying around. There was a problem with my siene board if I spelled correctly and had it replaced and they left me with extra $300 bulb. A year later now, Im starting to have white dots. I knew buying DLP would be a disaster but didnt know it will happen so quick even with light uses. Shouldnt had bet my money with TI products. Im just gonna wait till my screen goes completely white and buy a LED. Its not worth fixing it if it will break down again in a year. Never in my life I would buy toshiba again.

Check out the thread for your specific set. Many have ordered and installed a replacement DMD chip themselves, for a reasonable cost.

I had the white dot problem with my 65hm167, but fortunately had an extended warranty. They replaced the whole light engine, which fixed the problem.

The chip replacement is not too complicated - no soldering, etc. - just a screw driver and some time to get it replaced.

There are photos and instructions in the thread specific to the 57 and 65 inch Toshiba models.

I agree that Toshiba product support is next to worthless. Samsung and Mitsubishi DLP sets of the same era used the same chip and had the same problems develop. Samsung extended the warranty on their sets, covering the chip replacement for their owners. Toshiba did nothing. I don't know about Mitsubishi.

I can tell you that it's worth the little time it takes to fix the Dmd chip.
I bought the replacement part (1910-6143w) off of eBay new for $215.00
It took three days to get it and only took 30 mins or so to fix my toshiba 65hm167.
If you have any technical skills whatsoever you can easily replace the part. Take your time and you will have a picture that looks like brand new in no time. All you need is a couple of screwdrivers, thermal paste and the chip. That's it!! Good luck!

So I see I need a new DMD. Can anyone tell me where to find instructions on how to replace the chip. I am ok with electronics, but want to know what I am in for before ordering the part and have a game plan going into the job.

I have a 65HM167 that got on white dot (locked) a couple black dots (dead) and about 4-8 flakey dots (sometimes locked) and I am afraid it's starting a DLp chip death spiral. I was reading that in most cases the DMD Board has to be replaced along with the DLP Chip. I would hate to spend $200 on a new DLP chip only to find out I need to throw in another $100-200 for a new DMD Board which I can't seem to find.

My friend was having a lot of issues with his same generation Mistubishi 65" TV and decided to punt and get a new TV. Sears has a nice 60" Sharp LED set available for $1200 for Labor Day. I'm thinking this might be a better way to go than to get sucked into a bunch $$ and hours repairing this set. I have had good luck with the set (replaced first lamp that was still working @ 4 years back in spring) but I'm thinking I can probably gut it and make a few hundred on the parts.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toshiba-Sucks-Class-Action-Lawsuit/315946341851824

Join a lawsuit against toshiba for selling defective parts----REPAIR OR REPLACE MY TV

I realize that this reply is to a very old post, but if you are reading this reply, looking for the solution to this problem... it's easy. Go to TVlampsforless.com and get the DLP chip for about $250. I just did this and it worked great. The people at TVlampsforless.com are very helpful and the skill needed to switch out the parts is low. They will provide instructions. This endorsement is from a very happy customer who just saved a bunch of cash- and his TV from the junk heap.