BYE BYE Mits DLPs - Page 4

Well now that I've had a chance to take apart a light engine and play with its insides I will stand 100% behind my observation that this is a technology that by design is impaired. Way too many parts all of which play a critical role in the final product, the picture on our screens.

Obviously at least one person does not like that observation and conclusion. Doesn't change the validity of it just because a person doesn't like it.


Clearly a technology that to keep it on par with cost points that make it competitive is unable to survive at those cost points.

More proof?

Talked to MIT extended warranty folks last week. They can not find an under writer to fund extended warranties for the MIT DLP TV's. Again the simple realities of the market speak for themselves. Repairs more likely than less likely which means money is not going to be made in the same way extended warranties for other technology offer those who fund such things. IF the cost of repairs presented itself as a rarity then money could be made and MIT Extended Warranty folks would have any number of folks looking to underwrite them.

So again, passionate defense of this technology does not prove its ability to stay profitable and at that profit price point represent a solid reliable long term viewing option is solid. The technology can not stay both competitive and reliable. Cost too much to make it so it is solid and long lived.

Again wish it were not so. If it were the case that MIT Ext Warranty folks were able to extend the warranty I would have. Would have been my third time too. I don't look forward to buying a new 60 to 65 inch television again. But there it is.

Bye bye MIT DLP RPTV.

Mack and Squaretrade both offer 5 year extended warranties for the DLP sets. Finding an extended warranty was easy, it was just about how much you would pay. I've seen 4 and 5 year extended warranties priced between $130 and $300. And Mack still offers 3 year warranties on the DLP bulb. I had one when I purchased a Toshiba DLP set in 2007. It's still running great and on the original bulb. So far I haven't needed to use the extended warranty with any of my DLP sets. I had a 1080P Sammy DLP in 2005, a Toshiba 1080P DLP in 2007, a Sammy 1080P LED DLP in 2008, and now I have a Mitsubishi DLP which is what I got a five year Mack warranty for. Hopefully I don't need it but you never know.

I still have the 2007 Toshiba and 2008 Sammy. But I'll need to move the Sammy to replace the Toshiba. Hopefully I can sell the Toshiba DLP to someone. Although I would love to keep the Toshiba if I had the space to use three DLP sets.
Edited by aaronwt - 1/6/13 at 8:35am

Cue the Charlie Brown school instructor muted trombone voice/sound. "Wa waaa wa waaa wa wa wa waaaa."

Your observation has been duly noted. Your repetition of it, proffering all sorts of problematic "support" that assumes market values should rule the day on what is arguably an enthusiast Website about a product category that has been around for years is specious, myopic and annoying. Just because my 1993 Acura Legend has design flaws that only in recent years have some mechanics become more able to clearly identify compared to other vehicle/engine designs doesn't mean that that car has not served and is not continuing to serve well for nearly 20 years.

And who knows what the situation is with Mitsu purportedly not being able to "find an under writer to fund extended warranties." We have no idea what the calculus is for those underwriters. Maybe their decision is based on nothing more than the fact that Mitsu is no longer making the sets going forward. You're reifying that decision into some form of ipso facto support for your foregone conclusion. Those underwriters' decisions may or may not be dispositive of anything. It is the logical fallacies and assumption that whatever doesn't make it in the market clearly had no place in that market that is offensive, tiresome and, again, tautological.

Your persisting with this issue herein (and your penultimate "Bye bye MIT DLP RPTV" remark, regurgitating the questionable thread title) IMO borders on thread crapping. It would be nice if an attitude of rueful appreciation of Mitsu DLPs was the prevailing sentiment here, not this attitude of "nanner nanner" and good riddance.
Edited by Paul.R.S - 1/9/13 at 11:28am

As I have mentioned before I bought a Square Trade 4 year warranty for my 92" last year around a $100 via Costco.

Warranty kicked in at the one year point last month on my 92840. I really did not need a Mits branded warrany. It would not have been priced attractively even if they were still producing and had ample underwriting offers. All I need out of Mits is to keep lamps and spares available.

Mack has the 3 year warranty on my 82837 with about a year left.

Finding warranty coverage never seemed to be as difficult as jsmiddleton4 wants us to believe. I have my doubts about any conversation with Mits that supposedly opens the Kimono.

My 2008 72" Samsung DLP never got an extended warranty nor any service either. I gave it to a brother when I upgraded. He sold it a few weeks ago with the original lamp intact because he wanted something bigger that he could hang on the wall. I have a 2006 Sammy that is sitting in my Mother-in Laws home that got a Light Engine in its first year under factory warranty, still running fine and on the same lamp. A 2006 HP 65" I owned was troublesome in the first year and got a ight engine but worked ever since. I sold the HP to a neighbor last year and it is still working its magic.

So basically, it seems 2005-2006 had some iffy DMD chips and after that things were pretty solid. I think my experience is probably not an unrepresentative sample from a service point of view.

So far even though I have bought a number of extended warranites I have never had a service event under any of them. Underwriting has to be a bitch!

DLPs are dead! OK, Well long live my 92840!

You do have to at least pencil in some numbers to amortize and depreciate the cost of a big HDTV purchase to understand the economics of it.. For my life I use the $80 a month rule.. I will spend approximately $80 a month on my primary display. I was a relative early adopter on the 92840 and bought for just less than $4k.Sadly not $2500 or less many paid. So that means it has to last 50 months total before I can buy the next bigger, better. Roughly 36 more months to go or another 7600 hours... Even without the SquareTrade underwriter I am pretty sure the odds are favorable.

Thanks for your comments, gtgray.

Wow on your brother selling a 72" DLP in favor of something, excuse me, larger to hang on the wall. When's Movie Night at your bro's place?

I literally couldn't upgrade by selling my 73738 to get an 82742 fast enough: Walt's raised prices on these sets in the past month. Bit the bullet and got one though.

Wow this news truly saddens me. Been reading about it all day thus far. I have a 73 Diamond now and love it. Been thinking about selling it and grabbing a 92"..yet now i don't know if that wise or not. What a shame. What do you all think, go for a 92", or is it time to leave this arena. pros, cons?... Laservue?.... damn this just sucks.

Which you can even get may depend on availability at this point: At least according to my salesman at Walt's the last time I got quantities from him, I think you'll have greater luck getting a Laservue than a 92 at this point. I could be wrong but I'd suggest getting on the phone pronto.

Whether or not you want to get either is really a personal decision based upon your wants/needs/"paranoias": I for one am concerned about front PJs meeting a similar fate before we get 70-inch plus sized 4k, much less OLED, at "reasonable" prices. If front PJs went away, our choices at that point would be LCD (black level issues?) or plasma, which is irritatingly still pricey at greater than 70". That $25,000 Sony 84" 4k is a non-starter for me. So it boils down to whether you're happy enough with what you have right now to last you until those prices start to seriously fall (5+ years?).

DLP laservue and such, are the best technology and best picture so far. Why the US always like to stay with the worst technology.
I used to record FM station back on the 70's, 80;s and so on, with my cassette, try that with a CD. CDs are not friendly; Well why should I talk.

I think the last time I saw a 92" Mits RPTV for sale was at least 2-3 months ago. Other than from I guess only Waltstv.com right now but they're asking about 6 grand!!!!

They've been gone for awhile everywhere. Same with 82". Biggest you can get is a 73".

Are you saying a linear format like a cassette is more friendly than a non-linear format like CD? I'll take a Cd over a cassette. But I also have no desire to record an FM broadcast. I didn't in the 70's either. Although my brother recorded FM alot on a reel to reel recorder in the 70's.

FWIW this isn't entirely accurate. Two to three months ago (around Xmas and into January) there was "plenty" of availability. Things got tight/more scarce in the past month.

And a local Fry's has at least one 82842.

^ ^ ^ ^

You're right to an extent. I was referring to online availability.

Sorry about that.

Locally could be another story.

yes. plenty of the 92" models in late December through early January. I was deciding on which model to get online back then and decided on the 82642 model. All sizes were readily available from multiple online sources.

Local and online are essentially one and the same for the two major outlets I'm aware of for these displays though--Walt's and Paul's. "Free" shipping.

And if someone really wants one, they can search Fry's country-wide and, I'd imagine, make arrangements to have a display picked up by a freight company at the store (since Fry's won't ship)?