Generally we do not encourage this…but we’ve seen too many people email about lamp failures…about bad color wheels…about defective ballasts…and even the light engines! We know it’s difficult to justify buying another projection DLP TV if you’ve gone through a few lamps…a new ballast…or surely at least a color wheel. RCA’s are prone to these failures, unfortunately…and they can become a money pit!
RCA’s are emphasis for the loud “whining noise” the color wheel makes when its bearings start to give out. Even if you still have experienced a distored picture, whether it be discoloration or flickering on the screen, if you heard the color wheel “whine,” you will see those symptoms soon.
For color wheels and ballast issues, it seems like you’ve got no choice other than the factory.
For that reason, here’s RCA’s contact details:
In Warranty TVs (purchased within the last year): 800-338-0376
Out of Warranty TVs (TV sets older than 1 year): 866-723-6486
For lamp replacement, we suggest Discount-Merchant.com. If you have a TYPE B lamp, you most likely have a OSRAM lamp inside your TV. Type A lamps should be fitted with Philips lamps. Per our experience and feedback, we only recommend replacing your old lamp with a Philips brand lamp, regardless if it was fitted with an OSRAM or a Philips originally.
The Philips lamps tend to last longer, per our datalogging, nearly 2,000 hours longer on average! Don’t settle for the inferior lamp…purchase the Philips brand replacement bulb.
GENERAL Disclaimer: Never purchase an LTI, APO, or third-party aftermarket brand lamp. If we had it our way, we would get rid of UHP lamps all together and install the new LED Based Light Engines. But since we cannot do that, the next best thing is to go with the innovator in UHP technology: Philips.
Good luck! 🙁
