H79 Lamp Promblems

EddThompson · 06-10-2006, 11:15 PM

I got my h79 in march, its done around 900 hours.

Now it keeps switching off with a flashing blue light and a red light on lamp, this in the manual indicates a lamp error, if i power down and switch on again all is fine.

It can keep going as long as 4 hours, or decided to drop out every 20 mins. Im getting no fan failure or overheating failure warnings. The bulb isnt flickering either.

I spoke to optoma and they want me to send of the projector, which means ill be without it.

If it is the lamp, due to the useless 3 month warrenty on the lamp, ill end up having to pay out over 300 quid.

Has anyone else had similar issues?

I guess i realy should send to to optoma.

Edd

Timbo21 · 07-10-2006, 1:58 PM

No problems yet for me (fingers crossed), but I would put the pressure on Optoma if they tell you to buy a new lamp.

Timbo21 · 07-10-2006, 2:01 PM

Out of interest, do you have yours mounted right way up on a shelf, or upside down with a ceiling mount?

T.

mikeaitch · 07-10-2006, 11:25 PM

Just had exactly the same thing. Sent the pj to optoma, they have lent me a H77 after I complained, and have now sent me an email

[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial]Following the examination of your projector our engineer has identified the problem associated with the lamp. Unfortunately, the warranty has now expired and the replacement would be come chargeable. Therefore I have attached a quotation & Credit Card form for your perusal.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial]£327.83

[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][FONT=Arial]How can you advertise your lamp as being able to last for 2-3,000 hrs, a three year warranty, then ask for three haundred and twenty odd quid after a few hundred hours and 9 months[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial][/FONT][/FONT]

mikeaitch · 07-10-2006, 11:36 PM

Oh, and Tim- upside down, ceiling mount.

Knyght_byte · 08-10-2006, 12:01 AM

to my mind, the manufacturer should be responsible for the bulb up to a year or the full stated hours (so 12 months or 2,000 hours high/3,000 low, whichever comes first).....

if the bulb blows early or there is a fault with the cradle they usually come in, then the manufacturer should replace it, same they would if the mirror went or the fans etc......after a year fair enough, or with replacement bulbs i guess fair enough, they are after all a consumable.....but its not right they can charge that much for a replacement from so little use....

i got lucky and have almost hit 3k hours on my bulb in 12 months, i still dont enjoy the fact i now need to buy a £300 bulb.....no reason for it to cost that much.....half that price i could put up with......ah well, the only thing is we all know when buying these things what the potential pit falls are....or at least you should know if you do your homework before spending thousands of pounds...lol.....still, i know one things for sure, given how often i use my PJ (around 6 hours a day, 7 days a week on average) i'll definitely be getting the warranty for my new bulb that means its covered for unlimited hours for up to 12 months....lol....might mean another £40, but its worth it rather than end up buying a new bulb after 600 hours or whatever....

EddThompson · 08-10-2006, 9:12 AM

These things do leave a bitter taste in your mouth thats for sure. Im very happy with the projector other than this problem with the lamp.

Im off to florida in november where the bulbs are $300, considerbly cheaper, so ill probaby pick one up there.

So far the only solution ive found is switching on brightmode, i think ive got one of the bulbs that premeturely dims (there is a thread on this on avsforum) and the extra current stops it from cutting out. hopefully it will last untill i get off to america.

if the problem happens again, then it will probably be the projector, but that has a 3 year warrenty, so thats less of a worry.

edd

*cyberheater* · 08-10-2006, 9:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeaitch

Just had exactly the same thing. Sent the pj to optoma, they have lent me a H77 after I complained, and have now sent me an email

[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial]Following the examination of your projector our engineer has identified the problem associated with the lamp. Unfortunately, the warranty has now expired and the replacement would be come chargeable. Therefore I have attached a quotation & Credit Card form for your perusal.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial]£327.83

[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][FONT=Arial]How can you advertise your lamp as being able to last for 2-3,000 hrs, a three year warranty, then ask for three haundred and twenty odd quid after a few hundred hours and 9 months[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial][/FONT][/FONT]

How many hours exactly?

EddThompson · 08-10-2006, 9:54 AM

968 hours for me, still a 3rd of what is advertised.

edd

*cyberheater* · 08-10-2006, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EddThompson

968 hours for me, still a 3rd of what is advertised.

edd

I do feel that if manufacturers state on the spec that it should 3000 hrs then they should stick to it. I'd be tempted to think about using the small claims court.

EddThompson · 08-10-2006, 12:07 PM

the problem is, the warrenty on the bulb is clearly stated as 3 months, and all hour figures are given as estimates.

small claims, the way i remember it, the burden of proof is on the customer after 6 months, so i would have to pay someone to inspect the lamp and declare the problem was caused by defective manufacture/shipping before it came into my hands. i would also be very lucky to get the full cost of the lamp back, not to mention the time this would take.

My other issue with this, is this all gets lumped on the store i bought it from, not the manufacturer, i have no problem with the store, i had excellent service from them and i dont belive this is their problem.

My parents live in the states, and the bulbs are rougthly half price there, its not the best solution, but i think its the one ill have to take for now, if there are further problems then they may be with the projector, which i have plenty of warrenty left on.

this will be the last optoma i buy.

edd

Drem · 24-10-2006, 6:43 AM

I just had the same thing happen to my H79 at 974 hours. Lamp goes out and the red lamp indicator is lit. The pj automatically turns off. It can be turned on, but same thing happens 40-80 minutes usually. It did this four times the same night so I contacted the dealer. He says there is no problem with the lamp but something with the unit. Apparently one other customer had the same problem.. I am shipping it today, lets se what happens. Havent had a single problem with the pj before this happened. Very happy with the picture.

Drem · 27-10-2006, 5:47 AM

Well the projector has reached its destination. Its in Germany, soon at the Optoma service department. I'll keep you posted, maybe this can be of value to those H79 owners who have similar problems. The dealer is sure it is not the lamp which is faulty. I sure hope it is since I got a 1000 hour/1 year lamp warranty

EddThompson · 27-10-2006, 3:26 PM

I got news from optoma today, its the lamp.

They had the cheak to send me a quote of £279 for the lamp, i think thats plus vat, ive sourced one in the states for $330, or abour £180.

I only got a 3 month warrenty on the lamp.

I cant be bothered to fight, ill buy another lamp and be done with it, hopefully it will last longer than 900 hours.

edd

Timbo21 · 27-10-2006, 6:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EddThompson

I cant be bothered to fight, ill buy another lamp and be done with it, hopefully it will last longer than 900 hours.

Well, if that happens to me I'm going to see what I can do.

I don't know how many H79 owners frequent this forum, and it will probably be a bit of time before any get 900+ hours.

T.

sold5 · 27-10-2006, 10:57 PM

Optoma. Lamp problems.

Why am I suprised.... the only manufacturer that has caught my eye over lamps blowing early has been optoma, and Ive been reviewing the internet forums for about a year researching a new projector.

Is it like the audi/VW electric window thing where everyone knows they give trouble but you kind of ....dont say anything...in case you...i dont know...say something you mustent....

Or their cv joint thing but hey thats a completely different forum.

Seriously though, is there a problem with Optoma lamps?

EddThompson · 28-10-2006, 1:00 AM

There is reccuring evidence on this forum and on avs the h79 has lamp issues in comparison to other manufacturers.

How serious it is is hard to determine, ie what percentage actually have issues.

As I have said, its hard to do anything about it, the lamp is considered a consumable, they have a 3 month warrenty, I dont think i have a leg to stand on.

I may speak to trading standards, but I cant see me getting anywhere.

edd

Drem · 28-10-2006, 8:16 AM

The US H79s (H78DC3) seem, according to avsforum at least, to have more lamp issues. Maybe that has something to do with the higher contrast ratio (4500:1 instead of european 4000:1) or power supply unit (110V)? Nobody knows for sure, but indeed there seems to be more issues with US units. I really haven't seen much on european units before this thread. Maybe I haven't been searching enough, but I do hope I don't run in to more problems with my unit after I recieve it. And again, I hope it's the lamp that is faulty so that I get a brand new one for free. Other that this, I am extremely happy with the H79 display performance

There's really no need to go 1080p quite yet.

Timbo21 · 28-10-2006, 10:03 AM

I think many avsforum members had problems at 300-500 hours.

It makes me slightly suspiscious that the H79 only ran for something like 9 months, I believe? They then completely dumped the design, which they had used for the H77, H78, and H79. However, they may have decided it was time for a change in look. I believe the latest designs aren't actually made by Optoma, which does make me wonder somewhat. They've basically dumped their old cooling method in the previous models. So does this indicate that they felt there was a problem with the cooling being insufficient for the job?

I did pm various members like Gordon @ Convergent, & Liam of Progressive AV to see what their experiences were of the H79, which they said were fine. But until peoples lamp hours get clocked up a bit.....

EddThompson · 28-10-2006, 2:39 PM

Im very happy with my h79 overall, optoma have been very easy to deal with.

If its insuffcient cooling then why dont the fans run a bit faster, they have the ability too, the fact Drem has exactly the same problem is the thing that troubles me. lucky for him he gets a 1 year warrenty on his lamp, i didnt.

I plan on keeping this projector 3 years, if that means i have to buy 3 or 4 more bulbs then i probably will, as it seems there is little else i can do about it.

edd

Timbo21 · 28-10-2006, 4:09 PM

Edd, has the lamp really dimmed a lot then?

It seems in Drem's situation that his lamp hasn't dimmed, but he is getting the warning coming up, if I have read correctly.

Personally, if it works okay on bright mode, I would use that. I'm certainly intending to use bright mode when the time comes. There is nothing to say you can't.

I tried to get a 1 year lamp warranty, but found that Optoma don't offer that here in the U.K.

I would be interested to know what Trading Standards take on the lamp is. Even though it's a "consumable", & it's only got a 3 month warranty, there may still be a case, since they rate it for 2000-3000 hours, and for it to fail within a year at only 960 odd hours may constitute as an unreasonable time for it to fail. I would check it out.

T.

EddThompson · 28-10-2006, 8:22 PM

Its hard to say if it had dimmed, i would say it did, as i remember being it realy bright when i first got it.

The bright mode stopped working, it kept failing just the same.

Its exactly the same as drems.

edd

Drem · 29-10-2006, 7:31 AM

Picture still looked really good at 974 hours. The eyes and brain adjust, but I don't think there was any abnormal dimming on my lamp. It's going to be real interesting to hear what optoma says about it. The dealer said he knew what the problem was, because he had one customer with the exact same problem. I'll let you know what happens. The projector will probably arrive at optoma sometime this week.

Timbo21 · 30-10-2006, 9:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drem

I'll let you know what happens. The projector will probably arrive at optoma sometime this week.

Please do Drem, because if this is an issue they are aware of then it's something we can quote to Optoma should they insist on any of us purchasing a new lamp if this problem comes up for any of us.

T.

ukfatboy · 30-10-2006, 5:02 PM

Hi all,

I've got similar problems . I've a h78 DC3 ceiling mounted upside down.

The projector failed after a matter of weeks and had to go back to base and they took 4 weeks to turn it around. Got about 2600 hours on bulb then I,ve had to change it.

Since installing new bulb everything is OK but when i shut down the light starts flashing orange. Everything seems Ok when I turn back on. Very occasionally i get a red light on turnon and i have to restart.

I've tried reseating bulb but its made know difference. Because of the problems i had last time I am loathed to invole optoma.

I love the picture , I love the silent operation and I thought its price a bargain at the time I purchased.

However I would seriously have to think hard about purchasing Optoma again. My experiences would make me look elsewhere. I have recommended Optoma in the past but no more.

Drem · 31-10-2006, 8:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ukfatboy

Hi all,

I've got similar problems . I've a h78 DC3 ceiling mounted upside down.

The projector failed after a matter of weeks and had to go back to base and they took 4 weeks to turn it around. Got about 2600 hours on bulb then I,ve had to change it.

Since installing new bulb everything is OK but when i shut down the light starts flashing orange. Everything seems Ok when I turn back on. Very occasionally i get a red light on turnon and i have to restart.

I've tried reseating bulb but its made know difference. Because of the problems i had last time I am loathed to invole optoma.

I love the picture , I love the silent operation and I thought its price a bargain at the time I purchased.

However I would seriously have to think hard about purchasing Optoma again. My experiences would make me look elsewhere. I have recommended Optoma in the past but no more.

Just checking, you do have the european unit? I thought H78 DC3 was the name of the US version and all european units are H79 Themescene?

EddThompson · 31-10-2006, 1:10 PM

They sold the h78 dc3 for a while in the uk, i think optoma claimed there was a difference, but i dont know what!

edd

Drem · 31-10-2006, 2:21 PM

The US H78DC3 had a higher contrast ratio (4500:1).

EddThompson · 10-11-2006, 4:03 PM

any news drem?

edd

Drem · 07-12-2006, 6:47 AM

I'm so sorry, I totally forgot to update this thread

Yes I have recieved the projector since a few weeks back, and it has been working just fine. I have used it pretty much every day. So far so good.

Now to the strange part. The answer from Optoma was -"After several tests, we have found nothing wrong with your projector" and also the dealer promised me to test it, which he did for two days after he got it back from Optoma. He didm't find anything wrong either.

Lamp hours: 974 when I sent it. 1014 when I got it back, so they sure have tested it out, which is a really good thing. The dealer said he tested for 2x4 hours so Optoma has put a lot of hours on it. So why did this happen? I did not get any more info on what Optoma have done. All the settings were reset and unfortunately I did not make a note of what firmware revision my projector had. Maybe they cleaned it, re-inserted the lamp or changed firmware, I will probably never know. The dealer said maybe something got inside the projector which caused the problem, and it came lose in the shipping from Sweden to Germany. Something like that.. I experienced the problem during two days. The first day I tried like three times and the day after just one time I and thought; OK now you're going on a trip your bastard.

As long as it is working I am a happy chap again

I would guess I have put 40-50 hours on it since I got it back.