You power on your Samsung DLP. It takes extra long to turn on. Lots of clicking and a few power cycles? Your TV is trying a few times to get that pesky lamp going. Finally, the process ends with the dreaded three blinking lights. Your lamp is probably burned out. You’ve got a replacement lamp, right? 
First, sometimes you can stretch a little more life out of a tempermental, but not completely dead lamp. I’ve found that sometimes if I remove the lamp and put it back in, it’ll work. I’ve also found that colder temperatures can cause a failure, even temporarily. So don’t give up on it right away, especially if you don’t have a replacement. Wait a while (especially if that allows the room to warm up some) and try again. Or, pull the lamp out and put it back in.
Toshiba DLP Lamp
And if you do get it going, don’t turn off the set until you’ve got the replacement handy.
But when it’s finally given up the ghost, unlike the replacement of the Samsung DLP color wheel, changing the lamp is easy and can be undertaken by anyone. The only reason I’d call someone in to do this one is if it’s covered by your warranty (and in fact, I did this … three times!)
Where to Get a Replacement
Partstore.com
I purchase my replacement parts from Partstore.com. They have everything, ship quickly, and have decent prices. The part number for your bulb is probably on a label on the side of your television, near the access panel. If not, it’ll be on the lamp itself. There are many different DLP sets, so be sure to get a bulb that matches yours.
Change your Lamp in 5 Minutes
Required Tools
- Philips head screwdriver
0:01 Remove the access panel
Locate and remove the lamp access panel on the rear left of the set (left if you’re facing the front of the set). There’s one screw holding it in place. Remove that screw and ease the panel off. It removes most easily if you hold the back of the panel and slide it toward the side.
0:02 Remove the old lamp
Unscrew the two brass screws on each end of the base. They won’t come out completely as they’re designed to stay on the lamp as it’s removed. There’s a pull-handle for removing the lamp. Give that a tug, and if it gives and stops, you may need to loosen the screws more.
Pull out the lamp. Don’t touch anything other than the plastic casing as it can be hot. Put it in a safe place, especially if it isn’t entirely dead and you wish to keep it as a last-ditch spare.
Once the lamp is out, make a mental note of the color wheel in the space where the light shines. You may meet this part in a future episode of your television’s maintenance.
0:03 Insert the new lamp
Look at the connector plug at the top of the lamp so you know what you’re dealing with. Carefully slide the new lamp back in the same way the old one came out. That plug needs to connect with it’s mate, and the two tabs that the screws are on will meet flush with the ends of the rails. It can be tricky to get the new lamp back in. I watched a repair guy struggle with it for quite a while once. He just kept wriggling it. I wouldn’t recommend using force, however. Keep trying, it’ll go.
Once it’s in, tighten the screws that should already be there attached to the lamp.
0:04 Close up the access panel
Put the cover back on the set and secure it with the screw. The television has a sensor and will not turn on if this panel is not in place. This is a safety feature as things get hot in there.
0:05 Turn on the TV
Power up the television and if all went well, your set should start up like the old friend you know and love.
Next Steps
- Consider buying a backup lamp. By now I probably don’t need to convince you that your set could die in game 7 of the World Series, or right in the middle of your Super Bowl party. They’re expensive, but what do you expect? You dropped a lot of money on that set in the first place. Projectors need spare bulbs.
- Read up on the color wheel replacement and bookmark that page for later. This is the other thing that can go wrong with your DLP set, and you should know the signs of a dying color wheel.
Good luck.
