[tidalwdave]

Okay, I did a search, but the first three pages didn't cover what I'm looking for.


I have a Panasonic AE700U projector. It's a year old with 940 hours on the lamp.


I watched a movie last night and the picture was normal. Tonight I put in a movie, and tried several others, and the picture was very dark. All the imputs on in correctly, I've not adjusted any settings. How would the picture be normal one night, the next it looks way too dark?


Is my lamp already going out? I hate to fork over $350 for a new one if I don't need it, but I'm guessing I do?


I've tried taking out the cords, putting in new ones even, but the picture is still dark.


Do I need a new lamp? I thought these things were suppose to last 4k hours. I was expecting may 2k in real life, but 940 hours? That seems too low. Is it my bulb or projector, or something else?


Thanks,

Dave

 

[sc2005]

Sounds a bit odd it would drop so suddenly. Tried putting lamp mode on high, and set to dynamic picture?


Even if you buy a lamp and the current lamp sorts itself out, at least you'll have a hot swapable lamp ready

 

[tidalwdave]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sc2005 /forum/post/0


Sounds a bit odd it would drop so suddenly. Tried putting lamp mode on high, and set to dynamic picture?


Even if you buy a lamp and the current lamp sorts itself out, at least you'll have a hot swapable lamp ready

Yes, I did set it to high. I wouldn't think the brighness would drop that quickly either.

Guess I'll blow the money on a new lamp.

 

[rday1960]

Mine just died tonight while watching 24 . There was a loud pop and no picture . I thought there would be a warning . Picture was a bit darker but not by much . I had just over 900 hours on it after 2 years of use . The bulb was on low and the fan speed on high . Also , the filter was cleaned more often than needed . I wonder how some bulbs can get to reach the 3000 mark while others die moch earlier dispite proper care .


I had purchased a spare and will put it in when I get a chance . But it sure is annoying to have it die in the middle of a show without a warning . I would also have prefered the manufacturer to give a more realistic idea of bulb life

 

[EJ]

mp mode. I have no hard data, just what n seem to remember finding in my Searches.


I LOVE the Panasonic projectorS and wish you the best of luck!



EJ

 

[tidalwdave]

I'm going to order a replament lamp today. How hard is it to change and will it come with directions?


I just moved into a new house, so I don't know where the owner's manual is for the projector, so I can't use that as a reference.

 

[rmccormack]

That sucks, I got 2500 hours so far on my Z3 and its still bright!

 

[dapdrums]

From my readings, if it goes noticably dark consider yourself warned, turned the projector off, and order a replacement bulb. Otherwise, you'll be cleaning out bulb goop when it pops. No one gets 2000k out of those bulbs. If I hit 1000 I'll consider myself fortunate. BTW, where are people ordering the replacements from?

 

[rday1960]

I just made a thread on issues involving changing bulbs .I have some shards inside the machine and wondered how to clean out the small shards I noticed .Also , I find fitting the new bulb is not as easy as I thought . Seems like a tight fit as it doesnt seem to go straight down . Perhaps some of those who have faced these issues can give the rest of us some tips

 

[dapdrums]

Would you provide the link? I suppose it will be on main page now, but that might not always be the case.

 

[1st Cav]



Quote:
Originally Posted by dapdrums /forum/post/0


No one gets 2000k out of those bulbs. If I hit 1000 I'll consider myself fortunate.

I guess I can't disagree with this statement....yet, i'm at 1912 and going strong.

 

[dapdrums]

There is hope then! :> I think that a ups/power conditioner really helps too. Non ceiling mounting also helps for people above your basement aren't shaking the projector when they walk on the floor above your theater.

 

[jbann27]

I have about 2200hrs on my ae700 bulb and while it is not as bright as a new bulb, there is nothing wrong with the pictutre. I have had it in High Lamp mode the whole time too...Go figure...

Quote:
Originally Posted by dapdrums /forum/post/0


From my readings, if it goes noticably dark consider yourself warned, turned the projector off, and order a replacement bulb. Otherwise, you'll be cleaning out bulb goop when it pops. No one gets 2000k out of those bulbs. If I hit 1000 I'll consider myself fortunate. BTW, where are people ordering the replacements from?

 

[dapdrums]

High Lamp is surprising, but that is good for you. The research I did all pointed to not using high lamp. Honestly the low lamp is bright enough for me anyway. I've read that the brightness drops significantly in the first 100 or so hours and then dims at a much slower rate. Should I be lucky to even get 1800 hours out of my bulb, I'll be shopping for a new projector instead of a new bulb for it will be appox. 2009 should I continue my usage pattern.

I keep a tip jar in my theater and all daily spare change goes into it as a "bulb fund".

 

[christer W.]

FWIW, I have nearly 4,400 hours on my L200u. Been in Low Power mode except for the last 700 yours or so as it is looking a little dim. Keep hoping it will die to justify a new PJ. New bulb is not an option, given the price of the new(er) pj's.

 

[tidalwdave]

Well, I got my new lamp and put it in today. Wow, that picture sure is bright!


When I went to reset my lamp timer, I saw that I only had 740 hours on my lamp before it went bad. Hopefully this one lasts ALOT longer!


Oh, I run my projector on low lamp and high fan and still only got the 740 hours out of that first lamp.

 

[Lloyd84]

Mine did exactly the same thing at 826 hours. Got it replaced under warranty by Panasonic Australia. There was actually a legal case won here about this, last October.

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?s...=42324&hl=Vcat

 

[rday1960]

Very interesting lloyd . I wonder if the organic panel failure can be resolved that way

 

[ld685]

My AE700 bulb blew out last night. A few weeks ago, I checked the bulb. It only had 500hrs. Now I guess it had around 600hrs. I bought it 1 1/2 years ago for DVD and Xbox games. Too bad it only last 600hrs. Anyone know where I can get a new bulb at lower price? Thanks.

 

[broadwayblue]

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, my 23 month old Panny AE700 is on its original bulb and has 2365 low power hours on it. I actually just bought a slightly used bulb from an AVS member and I'm not sure whether to swap them now or hold out for a few hundred more hours. While the projector is definitely dimmer than it was 2 years ago it is still bright enough for me to enjoy, even with some lights on.