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Anyone have the real word on UHP bulb life?

789 Views 7 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  eskimo2176, 
M
My GWIII bulb is nearing 2,000 hours. I have heard and read varying claims, from 2,000 hours up to 8,000. Anyone know the true score on this?


How about you GWII owners out there? I figure you guys should be at 4-6,000 hours by now. Any observations?


I have not noticed any decline in brightness from my bulb. Granted, the theory I read was that there is no decline in brightness until *pop* you're done.


Of course, it is covered by warranty for 3 more years (which should put it at 8,000 at my pace), and I purchased a spare to boot (from vanns.com - 10 bucks off retail plus free shipping). So I'm set.


How about other sets besides the Grand Wegas? Sammy DLP? Panny? Hitachi? Zenith? How about you Qualia owners? What have you heard about bulb life for these sets? (I hear the Qualia front projector has a $3,000 bulb - how much does the Qualia 006's cost?)
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also, what are some of the wattages on different brand's bulbs? The GWIII is 100W, while the XBR950 is 120. The Qualia is 200 I guess. What do the Sammy, Hitachi and Panny have?
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The Panasonic LCD RPTV lamps are rated at 100 watts. Sorry to say, but there is no real answer to your question. The Panasonic bulbs are rated at 10,000 hours. I don't expect mine to last that long though.


Although different components are used in these lamps than a standard 100 watt household bulb, they can act the same. That means they can go at any time. Period. Have you ever purchased a bulb of any kind knowing that you will really get X amount of hours out of it?
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NVBoy,


Where did you hear/read the 10,000 hour figure for the panny lamp?


I agree there is no way to really tell - the rating a factory gives a bulb depends on the yields - and it's usually a low average to be safe - so many will actually get more life under ideal conditions.


But then, of course, people's usage habits can affect the life. Rapid on-off cycles i'm sure stress the filament.


Even if my bulb holds out for the long haul, I still will be calling my warrantor and getting it replaced at the end of my 3 year warranty - I want to get $200 of the warranty cost back! :)
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Quote:
Originally posted by mweflen
NVBoy,


Where did you hear/read the 10,000 hour figure for the panny lamp?

It's printed in the manual, even on the newest models. Kind of odd considering they must have been aware of all the GWIII problems with lamps & ballasts. There are definitely posts on this forum about blown lamps from Panny owners, but they are in the minority.
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what sort of bulb is the panny lamp - what mfg? Philips? Osram? Sylvania? someone else?
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Quote:
Originally posted by mweflen
what sort of bulb is the panny lamp - what mfg? Philips? Osram? Sylvania? someone else?
No clue. I'm not even going to touch the compartment cover lest I jinx myself. I'm sure someone around here will know.
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I am planning to also call Panny at the end of my manufacturer's warranty and have a replacement bulb sent if at all possible.


NVboy is correct, panny bulb problems really seem to be in the minority as I have only heard of one or maybe two that have lost the bulbs early in their life.

The manuals state 10,000 hour rating on the bulbs, but, I am expecting closer to 5,000.
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