Bulb Is Going on My SXRD... I think...

[Josh]

For the last couple weeks, I have noticed that the image on my screen looks darker than it usually does, but I thought that it was a problem with my FiOS box as I didn't notice it while watching my Blu-rays. More recently, the screen has been randomly going black while viewing, requiring me to wait a couple seconds and it would come back on. It was annoying, but not enough to stop procrastinating about calling in a service ticket.

Well, on Sunday after getting back from dinner, I turned on my gear and the thing was going out every 5 mins! I went to the back of the TV and noticed that the bulb was physically going out, so I knew exactly where the trouble was. Its been over two years since I purchased the display, so I knew it was only a matter of time, but I always figured I would have the "pop" instead of a wearing issue.

So I called Best Buy yesterday and they are sending me a bulb under warranty, but its going to take 7-10 days to get to me. So in the meantime, I went onto eBay and found a place that sells actually Sony replacement lamps (not the knock-off stuff you can find for $100), and paid for the faster shipping to get it to me (hopefully) by the end of the week. Then, when the Best Buy replacement comes in, I use that unit and throw the eBay one in the closet as a spare.

The only thing that worries me, is that there is an underlying issue that is causing the bulb to go out besides age. I had the Optical Block replaced already, so that shouldn't be the issue, but who knows? One trouble-shooting step at a time.