Mitsubishi Nightmare DLP WD-65000

Video Asylum

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I dove in and purchased a Mitsubishi WD-65000 DLP rear projection unit in November of 2001. The set performed like a champ for the first 11 months, but then the problems startedâ€¦.
After watching for about 20 minutes, the unit would start to fail by displaying the following characteristics:
1) start to drop frames
2) screen would go black then show about dozen random placed white spots (1 pixel in size)
3) screen would go all white then show about dozen random placed black spots (1 pixel in size)
4) A 2 to 4 inch horizontal gray line would display about 25% from the top of the screen.
5) Steps 2 through 5 would repeat
Since the set was still under warranty, Mitsubishi authorized repairs on my $11,500 set.
After over 3 weeks in the shop, the local service provider returned the set. They told me how they were testing the LCD on the set (what LCD in a DLP unit?) They claimed a cold solder was the problem & that they had corrected the problem. I went on vacation and when I returned, I decided to watch a few movies. The set worked for the next week, but then the problems started again. The set failed with 2 minutes remaining in the first half of the Super Bowl (talk about bad timing).
I called Mitsubishi & then the fun began. The local Mitsubishi service guys picked-up the sets internals & claimed that they were unable to duplicate the problem in their shop. They said they cleaned the DLP mirrors (oh myâ€¦how do you clean 1.5 million mirrors?). They then told me the problem was with my connections to the TVâ€¦they claimed 5 wires had to be used for the high gain inputâ€¦I explained that through the menu you can change between the standard 3 component input & the 3 + Horizontal + Vertical. The service reps disagreed, but after talking to Mitsubishi they changed their story. Then they claimed my problem was my high def satellite receiver. The only way they could encounter a problem was by plugging the input wires in the wrong plugsâ€¦then the set would shut off after it made a clicking noise (oh no!).
I explained the problem occurred regardless of the source (DVD, cable, SAT). The story after over a dozen calls is that without the technicians being able to reproduce the problem, there must not be a problem.
Strange, the set flaked-out consistently at my home after being powered on for about 20 minutes. The set is on a dedicated AC circuit, the entire house is protected by surge protection at the breaker box, the media room is a comfortable 70 degrees, and plenty of ventilation around the unit.
Has anyone encountered a problem similar to this on their set?
Does anyone have a recommendation on who I should talk to at Mitsubishi?
I have over 5 pages of notes detailing my conversations with Mitsubishi and their service center. Any help & input would be appreciated.

A disappointed Mitsubishi DLP owner,
John

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Parts Connexion

Topic - Mitsubishi Nightmare DLP WD-65000 - TechSIS 18:32:00 02/05/03 (3)

Re: Oh no. - LarryI 08:23:28 02/06/03 (0)

Re: Mitsubishi Nightmare DLP WD-65000 - Taco 06:24:42 02/06/03 (1)

Re: Mitsubishi Nightmare DLP WD-65000 - TechSIS 08:41:58 02/06/03 (0)

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