Extended Warranties For DLP TVs

By Jack Burden

The DMD (Digital Micro Mirrors) device for DLP and rear projection TVs can have quite a number of complications - one being the potential for some of the mirrors to "stick" when overheating. White dots can appear on the screen when this occurs. Other reported problems over the past few years have occured with the color wheel included in DLPs going bad and displaying irregular colors. There are also a variety of problems that can occur with the video boards inside the DLP TV including vertical or horizontal lines appearing on screen. Video board replacement is fairly common when problems occur. Lastly, the bulbs or lamps in DLP televisions must be replacement when they wear out or falter due to defect. The lamps display a lot of inconsistency and are rarely produced by the TV manufacturer.

It is natural for anyone who's investing thousands of hard-earned dollars in a high-end rear-projection DLP television to wonder whether it might be worth it to spring for an extended warranty. And to those people, I say, "Absolutely."

Here's why:

"DLP Televisions have had higher than average defect rates" -according to Bankers Warranty Group representative Bruce Caldwell. "We have had numerous issues with newer DLP and rear projection HD sets and our insurance actuaries have had to increase our warranty rates slightly because of it." Indeed from our findings DLP televisions though offering a great value for the money, have had higher default rates than plasma and LCD televisions. However, and here's the catch - the defects are usually easy to repair. The normal problems associated are with bulb replacement, chip replacement, power supply replacement and the like. There is no screen to go bad in a DLP TV as there is for a plasma or LCD.

Nevertheless, repair costs are extremely high for repairing a DLP television due to parts costs and monopolies by the local service center - allowing them to charge exhorbitant rates when the owner is out of warranty coverage. For this reason if you can find a reasonabe deal on an extended warranty for your DLP we recommend it - especially if it has lamp replacement included (all lamps must be replaced at some point). One such A-rated extended warranty we have found to be solid is the XpresServ extended warranty which covers in home service and one lamp replacement for DLP televisions.

 Extended warranties are essentially service contracts, which protect you against exorbitant after-warranty labor/repair costs (which can be upwards of $250 per hour) and pricey parts (which can be quite high, for example, if you have to replace a DLP display's optical engine).

It really is a no-brainer, but before you get an extended warranty:

• Make sure the warranty comes from a reputable company that has demonstrated some staying power.
• Realize that extended warranties begin after the manufacturer's warranty has ended. You can generally buy warranties in 2-, 3-, or 5-year intervals, though these warranties only go into effect after the original warranty expires. So, if your DLP TV comes with a one-year warranty from the manufacturer, and you buy a 3-year extended warranty, your television is still only covered for 3 years from its purchase date.

Note: It is not a good idea to purchase a refurbished DLP TV due to the fact that 1) your original manufacturers warranty is likely only 90 days and 2) you will not be able to purchase an extended warranty for the TV - and as I've mentioned they have had many problems and need of frequent repair.