Samsung forum: White Dots on Samsung DLP- Samsung will do nothing to help!

samsung_tv_user -

The update that I received is that your model is not covered by any program, and it is out of warranty. So it's likely that the technician would be charging you, unless they knew otherwise that Samsung would be paying for it - but you may want to check with your service guy. They should be able to tell you if they're planning on charging you, and that seems to be the case.

You can inquire on this, or appeal or ask to have a manager review the situation at the Service Issues Thread, but I have no way of escalating this further.

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-13973_102-542437/service-issues-click-here-for-help/?tag=contentBody;threadListing

--HDTech

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Check the other reply and this link.

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-13973_102-542437/service-issues-click-here-for-help/?tag=contentBody;threadListing

This old discussion could confuse folk so it's now closed.

And yes, the same chip seems to be found across makes. I see Ti took some heat on this over some make of projectors and extended the warranty on those. I'm unsure if anyone was going to listen to engineers about the life span when Ti steamrollered this to the market.
Bob

I have a Samsung Slim LED DLP TV, model=HLT5687SX/XAA Serial=AH5V3CKP800709R Version=RE01, that has hundreds of white dots. It is a well known defect in the DMD module or DLP Chip and it is disappointing that Samsung won't cover this manufactured defect. I have spoke with Samsung Support, transaction number 5103231880, but they are not going to do anything about it. It will be the last Samsung product I buy.

It is impractical to dig into and research the underlying components of the products we buy. That's Samsung's job to ensure they're using the best quality core components into their products, and then to stand by their products and customers if one of the core components they selected for their product turns out to have widespread defective failures. I would certainly stay away from devices that use TI products if I knew that was the case, but in this instance, Samsung needs to pick up responsibility and make good the customers who depended on the Samsung name. I have the same problem with my 67-inch Samsung DLP TV, reported the problem to Samsung with transaction # 5103077273, to no avail. They say it's out of warranty and I'm entirely responsible for the repair. I paid big money for the TV with the expectation that it would last me a lifetime (except for standard replacement parts such as the lamp), but this known defect in the chip is curtailing the life of my TV - I wonder what the average life of this chip is across all Samsung DLP TVs? I have a feeling that it is short, and Samsung must have that info and yet they are not doing the right thing for their customers.

I'm disappointed in Samsung. My next TV, refrigerator, and smart phone (I have the Galaxy Epic 4g) will not be Samsung.

You purchase a $150 LCD monitor, and you get a 3 year warranty. You purchase a $2500 and up large screen TV and you get a 1 year warranty. How does this make sense?

I agree. Any company who expects me to pay more than $1000 for their product must offer a better warranty. One year is just not sufficient. Currently I own a Sony 46" TV that has been working like a champ for about 3 years. My previous TV was a "Best Buy house brand" 42" LCD and it lasted until just after the warranty ran out before starting to develop a horizontal line through the picture. However, on my next TV purchase I will give my money to whatever product I can find that offers the best warranty.

I am tired of these companies selling multi thousand dollar products and offering such a short warranty. Personally I think it's obvious they don't trust their own products. If they did, they would be more than happy to offer longer warranties.

In case anyone is thinking about purchasing extended warranties as a solution, I offer this little tidbit. Most extended warranties are not actually warranties at all. In fact, if you read them they read more like insurance. Many of them don't just cover manufacturing defects, but even accidents. If you read the payout print, again many of them will not offer a replacement item, but a payout. They will negotiate a price to pay the consumer based on the depreciated value of the merchandise. I'm not interested in paying for insurance. I want manufacturers to stand behind their products.

On my next TV purchase, I'm going out of my way to find the best warranty.

What they will do is take a look at the failure rate of the DMD chips. If the failure rate is below a particular threshold, they will consider the chips a good batch.

Many LCD TVs die by getting a vertical or horizontal line or lines through the display. This is actually a defect, but if the defect rate is low and the TV has outlasted its warranty, they will consider that a normal failure.

Now, if one particular chip gets way above normal failure rates, then they know there's a problem with this chip. Those are the ones they will consider recalling or replacing.

I agree with you. Lots of DMD chips last loads longer than yours has. In fact, the vast majority do. This is why, personally, I've never liked the technology myself. Having something that can be on as long as a TV depend on a mechanical system for use is just stupid IMO. Electronics, plasma tubes and ccfl backlights are bad enough without adding in switching micro mirrors and colour wheels. On top of this issue, DLP also requires a very bright backlight (usually halogen) that also must be replaced every few years. Personally, I don't think DLP would ever be a tech I would pick unless it would be under fairly light use. In fact, if I do decide to go with a projector in the future, I think I'll get an LCD projector instead of DLP that must rely on a mechanical colour wheel, mechanical micro mirrors AND a halogen backlight. At least LCD eliminates two of those.

All this goes back again to the manufacturers warranties. As I mentioned, one year is nothing. Why can I get a three or (in some cases) four year warranty on an LCD monitor, but only one year on a TV that costs ten times as much? One thing you can feel good about, at least the part is available for your repair. Many companies (especially no-name companies) have no parts or service facilities. If I was in your shoes, I would try and see if I could get the DMD chip and replace it myself. There must be instructions on the 'net somewhere. Projectors require the optical black to be removed so the DMD chip can be replaced, but it sounds a lot harder than it is. TVs offer more room to work in, so it may not be as big a problem as projectors can be.

If you have a buddy who's into electronics/computers, and a case of beer with a pizza or two, you may be able to get it done relatively inexpensively.