Sony XL-5200 Replacement Lamp

Phillips XL-5200 Replacement Lamp for SONY SXRD Projection HDTV

Posted 1 year ago - The "lamp replacement light" on the front of our SONY KDS-50A2000 HDTV started blinking, and the TV would not turn on. I consulted the SONY user manual, and found instructions for removing the lamp, which I did. I could see the filament inside the lamp was burned out, so I called SONY, and they quoted $400 for the service call, including the replacement lamp! So next I got on the Internet and searched for a replacement. Some of the suppliers quoted prices of over $200. I found one on PriceGrabber.com for $129. I guessed that this would be the lamp only, not pre-installed in the housing. So I removed the old lamp from its housing - NOT an easy task - and awaited the arrival of the new lamp. I was pleasantly surprised to find this bargain price was for the entire lamp assembly, and I was glad I didn't have to install the new lamp in the old housing. The best part was that this was the Phillips XL-5200, which is the original equipment installed in the SONY, not a cheap imitation. The other positive thing is that the new lamp brings back the brilliance of the TV picture when the set was new. You don't notice it degrading over its lifetime, but you will definitely notice the improvement when you turn on the TV with the new lamp installed! The colors - especially in High Definition - absolutely jump out of the screen at you! While this was a relatively expensive repair, it was much cheaper than the $400 SONY service call. The only downside is the 2-year expected life of the lamp and the need to safely dispose of the old mercury-containing lamp. I'm hoping I can recycle it a Home Depot, which I know accepts compact fluorescent lights (CFLs, which also contain mercury) for recycling.

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