Optoma HD 72 Bulb just went... I Think... - Page 3

I am seriously thinking a class action lawsuit is the way to go with this. Hopefully someone knows a lawyer and can at least throw a scare at them.

My 2nd bulb is starting the same problems as the 1st - only powers up in ecomode. This one also lasted only 900 hours. I could buy a much nicer projector if I factored buying new bulb $350 every year into the price...add my name to the class action suit!! BTW - mine is also ceiling mounted. Ill try flipping it over.

I tried flipping it over, that didn't work for me. The projector still shuts down after 30 seconds or so . . .

I've had the same problem, sent it in and it was fine for a month or so.... it happened again on thanksgiving. I talked to optoma and they said that they had to try one more time, if the issue reoccurred the tech said that he would recommend a new unit replacement... we shall see. All I know is that 2 week absences of the projector are a complete pain in the a.....

Add me to the list as well. My second bulb went out after less than 800 hours, just like the first bulb. And by "went out" I mean the screen goes black after 30 seconds of the projector working perfectly after I power it up. I have contacted Optoma and they have issued an RMA and all that crap. But at this point I am seriously wondering if it is even worth the effort. I am with morrisdl on this one. I could buy a different projector if I add in the cost of replacing bulbs once a year or more to the price of this projector.

Any feedback from Niclette?

I had to replace the bulb in my unit and received it back about 10 days ago. My settings are all over the place. To get a decent picture I have to take the colour down to -24, also the brightness pulses every so often which is very annoying and it is definitely not as sharp as it was. It looks like I'll have to get another RMA!!

so i sent the unit in again last tues. I finally get a hold of someone to find out what's going on today. he proceeds to tell me that the bulb has been changed by someone since they "replaced" it in Oct. I guess he meant me... It seems clesr to to me at least that optoma never changed the lamp back in Oct. . A possibility that my wife and I discussed a couple of times. the tech assured me that he himself delivered the new lamp himself and that he was sure it had been installed! Let's just say I was/am furious about their handling of this... the tech ensured me that new lamp would be installed and the unit should be back to me by the end of the week, another 2 week absence....I didn't check the lamp last time, but I sure will when it arrives! this has left me with a very poor opinion of customer care at optoma and little confidence that the underlying problem affecting our projectors will be resolved without an enourmous amount of time and complaints! If you let them tell you it was your lamp that was the problem,I urge you to revisit the issue and demand a lamp and projector repair/replacement. sorry to vent for so long, I still can't get over being accused of trying to switch lamps....

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i posted this in a new thread but i was givin a link to here

ok ive had my 72 for about a year now and im going on my 3rd yes 3rd bulb

so what do u guys recommend ?
is it the projector is it worth sending back ?
or the bulbs i get

also where is a good place to get a new bulb the others came under warrenty

p.s. projector lamp center is out of stock should i just wait ?

thanx

I would call optoma and make them supply you with a new lamp. this will require an RMA , but don't let them tell you that bulb life estimates are just approximations. make sure you can prove that you purchased a new lamp, and don't take no for an answer! Perhaps you can take pictures of the old lamp next to the projector with the newer one in it. when I sent mine back a second time they tried to say i had changed the new replacement for an old lamp! one that they should have had back at the service facility. After raising as fuss, they said they would replace the lamp... when it arrived on fri. I checked and it was a new lamp. no problems so far other than a couple of dust blobs (nice, huh?) anyway just be firm, you or anyone else shouldn't be paying for optoma's mistakes. good luck

how long does it usually take to send and receive my pj?

This problem does not appear to be just a HD72 issue. I have a HD77 and have been battling this problem since I have had the projector. My first lamp lasted around 800 hours. I replaced it with the "free" lamp that I got when I purchased the projector. The second lamp failed after 600 hours so contacted Optoma and got the same story indicated in this thread. They replaced the ballast according to my paperwork 6 months ago. Guess what, my new lamp (289 hours) goes dark after being on for about 10 mins. I am looking for the best approach with Optoma to have this problem resolved.

tjmanitou, I would insist on a new projector! the lamp performance is abysmal...raise hell with them, we should not let them keep placing the blame on the lamps. I was told that if my lamp failed a third time they would reccomend a replacement unit... at the very least you should get free lamps or some sort of break on the newer models. good luck, chris

do i have to pay for shipping ???

you pay for shipping to them, they cover the return. but you have to have an rma # or they won't pay to return it. expect it to take two weeks or so....

Thanks for the advice.....I am currently discussing the possibility of sending my unit back to Optoma. The tech believes it might be a faulty unit based on the desciption of the problem but of course they want you to send the unit back. I will post the outcome of this situation.

This is the reply I finally received from Optoma:

please be advise of the following information in regards to your lamp.
Once lamp turn on about after 20 second turn off.
Reason:
1 if lamp are weak it takes more current when turn on, if the ballast allow high demand of current by lamp to continue eventually lamp will blow with loud noise and scatter lamp glass into pieces. To avoid this to happen a monitor system is in place to check and balance the lamp current if it takes more current the circuit will cut the supply to lamp ballast. This is what happening now.

At the same time it Industry stand from all Manufacture lamp are covered only for 90day, it's when you purchased projector and clear state in warranty card.

The reason for failing could be different case.

Lamp life for a projector will vary based on many factors including application, installation, and intake of cool air and exhaust of hot air, usage, and proper maintenance. Heat buildup can reduce lamp life and even damage your projector. Here are some tips to help your projector lamps last longer.
1.
Once you turn on your projector, wait at least five minutes before turning it off to allow the fan to properly cool the unit. After the fan has cooled your projector, you may unplug it and store it as desired.
2.
Do not obstruct the air intake or exhaust vent. Paper should not be placed on top of a projector, or where vents are located.
3.
Keep the exhaust vent at least two feet from any object.
4.
If the projector is built into a compartment, wall, ceiling or shelf mount, the minimum distance requirement (usually at least two feet) stated in your owners manual must be maintained.
5.
Clean the projector's air intake filter every three to six months -- or more frequently -- based on your operating environment.
6.
Do not move your projector until the lamp has cooled (about five minutes).
7.
Run your projector for two weeks and/or 20 hours shortly after your purchase. If the lamp is going to fail, it will usually occur within the first ten hours of operation. Lamp warranties typically last just 90-180 days from the date of purchase, rather than the first installation.
8.
When you purchase a replacement lamp for your projector, remove the existing lamp and use the old lamp as your spare. If your projector is new, test the original lamp for the two weeks/20 hours before removing and storing as a spare.

Please let us know your approval.

What ********. I can't believe what a joke this company is.

That part actually kinda helps. It explains why we were getting lamp shutoff without a lamp failure light - apparently the LAMP DRIVER part some of us saw repaired was a bit too sensitive here and causing premature shutdowns.

I'd hazard a guess that the bulbs that went out for the 72s weren't a particularly great batch. The 2000 hour lifespan is a best guess.

My repair paperwork said I still needed a new bulb. I've run at least 100 hours since then without problems.

well i cant send mine out till after christmass
having a huge paty now i tired 4 places even optoma to get a bulb next day aired jus to use for one day then im gonna send it out

there gonna say i need a lamp anyway

so plllleaaase help me find someone with a lamp instock
im in ri

thanx

we're having the exact problems. I have no clue on the lamp hours, since this piece of junk decides to randomly reset itself when we turn it on atleast once a month, flipping the picture upside down to its default and resetting the lamp hour counter. It was roughly 9 months when the first lamp stopped working. replaced it with the free lamp our purchase came with, and after roughly 6 months that stopped working. We sent the hd72 off to optoma, and yes, you guessed it: $400 lamp replacement. I'm fuming just thinking about how this joke of a company actually thinks they can get away with this. 3 pages of people in this thread having this problem, and god knows how many people not on this forum who are having to spend hundreds of dollars replacing a part that isn't even broken. I'm thinking about asking to speak to the supervisor on this when I call in the next day or two. It's funny how it's a lamp problem, yet the last lamp that stopped working works fine on my friend's hd72 when I swapped it in.

well i next dayed a bulb from visual apex excellent company cost my f'n 440$
after Christmas ill put the dead bulb in and send it back

just think i was gonna buy a hd81 lol ha never again from optoma

I'm just now having the same issue after 579 hrs. I have a spare bulb but I'm going to try and pull the power first. Hopefully the existing bulb will stay lit. ...Merry Xmas all.

Wow - my HD72 has been working great since getting it back from RMA but reading all of this makes me nervous.

Seven months of warranty left.

May be time to Ebay the PJ...

This is very disturbing to me. I didn't know I had to clean the intake filter or that I even had an intake filter! I thought these were sealed units... no mention of intake filter in the owners manual...

http://marketing.optomausa.com/PDFs/...D72_Manual.pdf

Mine has been stable in the few months since it came back from RMA. We've put a lot of hours on it too (at least a hundred).

Diba: if the bulb works in someone else's HD72 it's not the bulb. Call Optoma and tell them that.

My first bulb lasted about 950 hours before auto bulb shutoff problem appeared.
Sent it to Optoma and received my unit back a month later with a new bulb only. The second bulb has now failed with the same problem at about 960 hours. I will never buy another Optoma projector. My HD72 will be hitting craigslist soon if anyone is interested. I will be buying the panasonic ae-2000u 1080p projector. Screw Optoma.

Mine too. We've put 300-400 hours on it since it came back. I'm just paranoid.

First bulb when within 90 days @500 hours. Second bulb went with 1750 hours just after Thanksgiving. I have the 4-year CC warranty (pre 11/06 which has NO limit on the bulbs) and was denied, then told it would be approved, but was not submitted, then told it was submitted. One month later I called the manager of my local store where I purchased the projector in Oct 2006 and he personally went to bat for me (gave me his cell phone number, too)! At first he thought they were going to replace the unit, then they said they would replace the bulb.

After reading here, I called him back and asked him if I could still get a new unit or send mine in. He said he could not get a new HD72 and it may take awhile to get it back from Optoma. Sooo, he said he would give me CREDIT for my full purchase price of the HD72 toward a new projector! After I compared the brightness of the other alternatives at CC (Mitsubishi HC4900 and Epson 1080) with projector central's calculator, I had not choice with my setup to get the HD80. I found a 10% coupon (can't stack coupons at any CC store that is paying attention) and the 10% rebate/card through entertainment.com and ended up getting the HD80 a $500 difference.

He said he would have to order an HD80, but I found out the next day one came in. Tonight I brought the new addition home!

More to come - thanks to everyone here for the great information (gave me the ammo I needed for a replacement unit). I also wanted to put in a plug for a good local CC manager, even when the corporate warranty people are less than helpful.

I just bought one of these and after reading this I'm considering returning the unit. However I just read this (Hopefully I can post this)...

www. projectorreviews.com/projectorlamps/ProjectorLampLife/index.php

If this is true, it seems these projectors are fuctioning fine? I mean if the blub is dimming does that not mean it's probably close to dieing?

I'm not a spammer just trying to get everyone's viewpoint on this, trying to decide if I should return the unit or not.

If you have a new one, I would hope that Optoma has fixed the problem. It would be interesting to know if there is a specific manufacture date range for the projectors that are having problems. I know there has to be a certain amount of use for this to show up, but just hoping we could find a common denominator.

Optoma does give a 90-day bulb warranty - if you can get an extended warranty that covers bulbs, I would do that ASAP!

I liked my HD72, but jumped at the chance to upgrade If I had not had that chance, I would have sent the projector to Optoma to be fixed.

That's what one would hope, but maybe the unit is overheating the blub. But based on the other link I posted it sounds like these blubs are lasting about average.