Took Apart My 62" DLP Last Night...

[Steel2686]

The lamp inside my Mitsubishi DLP blew the other night. They have a lifespan of around 8,000 hours on average. Mine lasted 5,000. Not unheard of, but I was a bit disappointed.

When the lamp goes on a Mitsu DLP , it's a pretty simple job to replace (albeit expensive at $200).

Remove the speaker grill (pops off easily).

Remove three screws on lamp cover.

Pull lamp out of track.

The picture on my TV, even when watching HD channels, was never perfect. It just didn't "wow" me (I bought the TV two years ago, however, I signed up for High Def programming last year). It was pretty good, but never looked like the demos they give in the store.

Searching online for some tips to helping the lamp reach a longer lifespan, I came across an AV forum I used to frequent. On there was an owners thread for Mitsu DLP TV's. One of the members explained (with pics) how to remove the screen to get to the mirrors and projector lens for cleaning.

I decided to give it a go while the new lamp was being installed anyway. Turned out to be a pretty easy job, although nerve-wracking in spots (any mistake could be potentially expensive). The amount of dust on the lens and bottom mirror was unreal. Turns out, these TV's are prone to attracting dust due to the five fans inside. I used a micro-fiber towel and Monster LCD/DLP screen cleaner to do the lens, mirrors, and back of the screen.

I put it all back together and was floored by the difference. It's like I just got a new TV. Amazing. There were stickers all over panels and wires I was disconnecting, warning that only a Mitsubishi Authorized Technician should remove, along with phone numbers to make an appoinment with a Mitsubishi authorized dealer for service.

The one thing I learned was, with help and tips from forums just like this one, anything can be do-it-yourself.

Here's the link to the forum I used. The pictoral is about halfway down...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...php?p=10157637

[Christopherrr]

I'm moving soon and a DLP screen is a must...this is definately gonna be stickied as a favorite. Hehe...thanks!

[Steel2686]

I'm moving soon and a DLP screen is a must...this is definately gonna be stickied as a favorite. Hehe...thanks!

No problem. I wouldn't buy anything other than a DLP for TV's above 50". LCD's just don't have the refresh rates to keep up with action sequences (sports, fast moving scenes) on that large of a screen. There is a noticable "ghosting" on the screen during those scenes.

DLP does have some maintenance involved, but as I found out, it's easy and well worth it. Plus, LCD degrades over time. DLP's are like brand new after a lamp replacement and mirror cleaning.

[MunsonGTA]

No problem. I wouldn't buy anything other than a DLP for TV's above 50". LCD's just don't have the refresh rates to keep up with action sequences (sports, fast moving scenes) on that large of a screen. There is a noticable "ghosting" on the screen during those scenes.

DLP does have some maintenance involved, but as I found out, it's easy and well worth it. Plus, LCD degrades over time. DLP's are like brand new after a lamp replacement and mirror cleaning.

i disagree, my parents have a 60 inch LCD hitachi and it's absolutely flawless with dvds and HD, reguardless of the action. i watch basketball alot and it's great, i can see the individual boards on the court, i can see the pimples on lebron james' face.

[Steel2686]

i disagree, my parents have a 60 inch LCD hitachi and it's absolutely flawless with dvds and HD, reguardless of the action. i watch basketball alot and it's great, i can see the individual boards on the court, i can see the pimples on lebron james' face.

Don't get me wrong, LCD and DLP are both incredible for viewing HD. As long as the signal coming in is 720p or 1080i, it will look fantastic. I wouldn't argue that at all.

Fact is, LCD's have a much lower refresh rate. That results in some jerkiness and ghosting. It's more evident on larger screens. Granted, certain LCD's are better than others. I believe Hitachi and Sony have the highest refresh rates, but they just don't match DLP.

On the other side of the coin, some people can see a "halo" effect on their DLP's when the screen is dark. In fact, one big reason I spent the money on a Mitsubishi was the absense of the effect on their TV's. Samsung had a nice DLP set right next to the Mits where I bought it, and it had a noticeable halo effect.

LCD's are fantastic. I have a 37" Samsung LCD and love it. Ijust weighed the pros and cons of a large screen and researched like crazy for three months before I bought it.

[Christopherrr]

That and LCD still can't produce absolute black...if you notice, where black is suppose to utterly black, its not.

Their still trying to fix it...

[Steel2686]

That and LCD still can't produce absolute black...if you notice, where black is suppose to utterly black, its not.

Their still trying to fix it...

Great point. They use grayscale to create black. DLP uses mirrors and a color wheel. Black is absolute black.

Although LCD is getting better about it, in a completely dark room, you can still notice it a little.

[MunsonGTA]

Great point. They use grayscale to create black. DLP uses mirrors and a color wheel. Black is absolute black.

Although LCD is getting better about it, in a completely dark room, you can still notice it a little.

well my parents tv is only a year or so old. it has the complete darkness option in the menu, i actually had to turn it off. when i was trying to play video games, some stuff would be so dark that i couldn't see what i was doing. it also has an option to view movies and stuff in a dark room, to enhance the picture. if you're watching a movie at night in a dark room, you flip the option and the clarity is even better. their tv is a hitachi ultravision. we actually looked at a sony dlp tv while we were looking at tvs, but it was only a 52 inch, and cost more. the only difference i saw between the tv's, was that the dlp had a brighter screen.

[Steel2686]

well my parents tv is only a year or so old. it has the complete darkness option in the menu, i actually had to turn it off. when i was trying to play video games, some stuff would be so dark that i couldn't see what i was doing. it also has an option to view movies and stuff in a dark room, to enhance the picture. if you're watching a movie at night in a dark room, you flip the option and the clarity is even better. their tv is a hitachi ultravision. we actually looked at a sony dlp tv while we were looking at tvs, but it was only a 52 inch, and cost more. the only difference i saw between the tv's, was that the dlp had a brighter screen.

Do you mean Samsung DLP? Sony doesn't make a DLP. They are LCD exclusively.

As I said... LCD's are getting better, and my 37" LCD has a "dark" option as well. What it really ends up being is a contrast/brightness adjustment. It makes dark scenes very dark, but it changes contrast and color settings.

Here's why it is like it is:

DLP creates black by flipping the mirror that controls that pixel. That means no light is shining off the mirror.

LCD changes the color to the darkest gray available. Almost black. Put several together, and it gives a gray aura instead.

Both have advantages and disadvantages. I just preferred the DLP in 62" over the LCD's close to that size. It's all about preference.

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

Additionally, I'd recommend spending the $20 and getting a calibration disc like Digital Video Essentials. The preset modes are about as bad as you can get. They're designed for maximum brightness to attract buyers. After adjusting both of my HD TV's using the DVE, the picture looked far better than I could have imagined. The biggest difference came in the color department. Tv's today are terribly off with regards to proper color and tint.

[Steel2686]

Additionally, I'd recommend spending the $20 and getting a calibration disc like Digital Video Essentials. The preset modes are about as bad as you can get. They're designed for maximum brightness to attract buyers. After adjusting both of my HD TV's using the DVE, the picture looked far better than I could have imagined. The biggest difference came in the color department. Tv's today are terribly off with regards to proper color and tint.

Great call, Al. I couldn't stand the preset colors/brightness on my TV. Running the DVE disc through a progressive scan or HD upconvert DVD player makes an enormous difference.