[anderdea]

This may have been addressed already but after a lengthly search I couldn't find an answer. On the Sony GW III LCD ( Why can't the model be mentioned here??? , ) does anyone know what the estimated bulb life is, type of bulb and replacement bulb cost? To me this is a very important part of purchasing an item of this size and price. It will be replacing my every day SD Toshiba 32" DV TV.


Thanks, Don

 

[anderdea]

Bump:

well I was able to determine (at the Sony site) that the bulb is 100Watt Ultra Hugh Pressure (UHP) and is $200 from Sony and is owner replaceable. Substantially less than my JVC, GII projector at $550 aftermarket, $800 from JVC.


I still haven't been able to get an answer on the bulb life. Has Anyone been able to find that out. It's hard to believe with all the 60" model owners posting in this forum that this issue hasn't been discussed. I have done many searches , but to no avail.


Thanks, Don

 

[fstopp]

According to this thread over at Agoraquest the bulb is supposed to last 8000 hours.


I was going to submit the link here but I have not made five posts yet. If you go over to agoraquest(dot)com and do a search in the forum you should be able to find it. The thread subject is:


42" Grand WEGAâ„¢ LCD Rear Projection TV

 

[Villanman]

Sony's support website states 6000-8000 hours.

Also The Original lamp has a 1 year warranty. 90 days for replacement lamps

 

[scs0]

From personal experience I'd have to say that the life expectency of the bulb is less than 100 hours. Research this set on this site and you'll find it to be highly unreliable. I owned it for about 30 days and then sent it in for repair. It's been 15 days and I still don't have my set.

 

[saberry]

Quote:

Originally posted by scs0 From personal experience I'd have to say that the life expectency of the bulb is less than 100 hours. Research this set on this site and you'll find it to be highly unreliable. I owned it for about 30 days and then sent it in for repair. It's been 15 days and I still don't have my set.

Give me a break. You may have had a bad bulb, and certainly there are wide spread issues people are having with the GWIII but I think saying the bulb is only good for 100 hours is ridiculous. I've had my GWIII since late November and it easily has 300 hours or more on it with no problems - including the bulb.


Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for the people having problems and I have not ruled out the possibility that I too may have problems down the road, but I don't think it's reasonable (even with your experience) to say the expected bulb life is 100 hours.

 

[Shane Martin]

A dealer that is near me stated 8,000 hours and he hasn't had one returned yet. I get the feeling that the # of problems is rather small compared to the # of sets sold. Unfortunately lemons do occur and I'm sorry if anyone has to deal with it. I surely wouldn't want to.

 

[anderdea]

Thanks,

6000 - 8000 hours is acceptable considering the reasonable cost of $200 (list) for the bulb.

Don

 

[aydu]

Quote:

Originally posted by anderdea Thanks, 6000 - 8000 hours is acceptable considering the reasonable cost of $200 (list) for the bulb. Don

You have to live in Connecticut to find $200 a reasonable cost for a light bulb.

 

[anderdea]

Not really. As I stated above the Xenon Bulb for my JVC D-ILA projector is $800 for JVC and $550 after market. The Price you pay for a 100" extraordinarily image especially in HD and DVD using a HTPC. That is for a 1000 hour bulb life, although I put 1300 hours on my original and it still looked quite good. The new aftermarket replacement bulb should give me a longer life.

Don

 

[aydu]

I just find it interesting that I can get a headlight for a car for about $10. Should a lamp for these sets really cost 20 times as much?


When you think you can get a new DVD player + a microwave oven for the price of one replacement lamp for the GWIIIs, it makes you wonder about the built in profit in the bulb sales.


I know there is probably magic super reflective fairy dust in the bulbs that adds to the cost, but this does seem to be a big profit center for Sony down the road.

 

[saberry]

Aren't these bulbs expensive for pretty much all projection sets? It's not like you can go down to Walmart and grab a Silvania 100 Watt to just through in there.

 

[capecodguy]

Quote:

Originally posted by aydu I just find it interesting that I can get a headlight for a car for about $10. Should a lamp for these sets really cost 20 times as much? When you think you can get a new DVD player + a microwave oven for the price of one replacement lamp for the GWIIIs, it makes you wonder about the built in profit in the bulb sales. I know there is probably magic super reflective fairy dust in the bulbs that adds to the cost, but this does seem to be a big profit center for Sony down the road.

In a prior life I ran a small chain of video stores with our own service department. I can tell you that parts usually were marked up 100-150%. Labor was billed at 4-6 times what the tech actually earned as a wage, yet the department was not a huge profit center. Why? Lots of overhead to run a service department. I don't think $200 for a projector bulb is out of line. When I bought my 60" GWlll in Novenmeber, I was quoted $300-$350 for a replacement, so they already have come down quite a bit.


As for all the Sony bashers out there...go the end of the GWlll Buzz thread here and see all the people who Sony, without question, are sending out FREE replacement bulbs via FedEx before the Super Bowl (add me to the list). It may have taken them a while to figure out the problem, but they ARE doing the right (and costly to them) thing with free $200 bulbs.

 

[saberry]

Quote:

Originally posted by capecodguy In a prior life I ran a small chain of video stores with our own service department. I can tell you that parts usually were marked up 100-150%. Labor was billed at 4-6 times what the tech actually earned as a wage, yet the department was not a huge profit center. Why? Lots of overhead to run a service department. I don't think $200 for a projector bulb is out of line. When I bought my 60" GWlll in November, I was quoted $300-$350 for a replacement, so they already have come down quite a bit. As for all the Sony bashers out there...go the end of the GWlll Buzz thread here and see all the people who Sony, without question, are sending out FREE replacement bulbs via FedEx before the Super Bowl (add me to the list). It may have taken them a while to figure out the problem, but they ARE doing the right (and costly to them) thing with free $200 bulbs.

Fortunately, I have not experienced any of these problems so I won't start a thread but I wish someone would post a new thread stating what you just did about Sony's customer service trying to do the right thing. Making that sort of effort before the Super Bowl demonstrates that they are showing some concern for their customers and apparently are empathetic to their situations. There will probably be a lot of people who won't find this information being at the end of such a long existing thread.

 

[aydu]

I agree that Sony is doing the right thing sending out replacement bulbs. It is unfortunate that some who have not had problems with their sets are calling and reporting problems, just to get a "free" bulb.


This type of behavior makes any manufacturer wary of claims by customers. The next time you get the urge to complain about a manufacturer making you jump through hoops, remember the "free bulb" guys that helped create the situation.

 

[JimP]

What better advertising than to have a bunch of friends over for a superbowl party watching the game in HD on a GWIII.


$200, not bad. Wonder why the price dropped so fast.

 

[aydu]

Quote:

Originally posted by JimP What better advertising than to have a bunch of friends over for a superbowl party watching the game in HD on a GWIII. $200, not bad. Wonder why the price dropped so fast.

I just wish my local affiliates were broadcasting in HD. In my area, the CBS stations are the last on the HD bandwagon. They won't grant waivers and have vowed to take as long as the law allows before they start HD broadcasting.


Too bad, but fortunately the GWIII does an excellent job with SD material.


I'm not too hung up on the lamp price. I have the extended warranty that includes lamp replacement, so I'm covered for the next 5 years. All these propriatary parts are pretty overpriced, however.