DLP TV Owners ...

[Lee Koepke]

how long after the color wheel starts sounding like a WWI prop plane does it explode leaving me without any substantial viewing possibility. :confused:

[Jerome Hanby]

Pretty quick. If you order another one ASAP, it may last until you can get it in. If you are going to stay with your DLP for a while, it's a good bet to keep an extra bulb, color wheel, and ballast in stock and order a new spare whenever you make a replacement.

For my set, each of those is about a $100 a throw, so heading down to Sam's for a new Vizio or Samsung LED is pretty attractive...

[Lee Koepke]

I am eyeing a vizio lcd/led but its a factory refurbished model...hurts when the pending repairs are almost half the cost of new.

[Jerome Hanby]

In general I've had ZERO problems with refurbs. By that i mean i have about the same problems I have with brand new purchases <g>. Where are you seeing the Vizio refurbs? We bought a medium sized LED for the bedroom last black Friday and it's great. I'm sorely tempted to pass on buying any more parts for my Samsung DLP and buy a bigger Vizio for the living room.

[Paul McGaha]

I've never had an issue with my color wheel. This is the first time I've heard the term.

Had mine about 4 years so far, I've had to change the lamp twice already.

Mine's a 61 inch Samsung. Pretty good picture. Good for Football games.

PHM

[Jerome Hanby]

You may have the same model as me, mine is a 6163HLP. Seems like I was on my third bulb (so into the third year, we use the set almost constantly) when the color wheel shattered. It's a consumable, but the good news is that the newer replacements have better bearings that the original wheels... Replacing one can be a little daunting if you have no electronics or TV repair background. Good instructions online and it's pretty much common sense.
I've never had an issue with my color wheel. This is the first time I've heard the term.

Had mine about 4 years so far, I've had to change the lamp twice already.

Mine's a 61 inch Samsung. Pretty good picture. Good for Football games.

PHM

[Jerome Stanek]

my black and decker dewalt repair shop recommends refurbished as they have to go over the whole product and bring everything up to specs as a new unit it may have bad parts in it from the line that never get tested.

[Lee Koepke]

In general I've had ZERO problems with refurbs. By that i mean i have about the same problems I have with brand new purchases <g>. Where are you seeing the Vizio refurbs? We bought a medium sized LED for the bedroom last black Friday and it's great. I'm sorely tempted to pass on buying any more parts for my Samsung DLP and buy a bigger Vizio for the living room.
I actually bought a Refurbished Vizio 55" LCD/LED tv yesterday, its got builtin WiFi and seems to be a pretty decent level of their productline. I bought it from TigerDirect.com, seems that they have acquired some of the CompUSA / Circuit City brick and mortar stores.

I have fixed various things in my lifetime, and may scout around for a new color wheel and swap it out, as I really needed a big screen in my basement bar anyway.