A projection TV can give a user thousands of hours of enjoyment if used properly with regular maintenance. Unfortunately even the best TV can develop issues, especially with the picture quality. Many of these issues will require the attention of a professional, but some problems are specific to projection TVs and if diagnosed properly can be fixed by an owner without requiring a trip to the TV repair shop. A lamp that has had dirt deposits on only one area of the light’s surface can develop uneven temperatures in this surface, causing what’s known as a hot spot. A hot spot shows on your screen as a spot in the picture that’s brighter than the surrounding image. If you’ve developed a hot spot you should clean the lamp’s surface of all dirt and dust. If the lamp’s surface hasn’t had time to develop a temperature stress point, the hot spot may go away. If it doesn’t, the lamp is damaged and the picture problem will continue until your lamp burns out. Another problem caused by aging of the lamp is a dimming picture. When the lamp nears the end of its life, the picture you see will begin to dim, followed by a distortion of the picture and color skewing. Unfortunately, once your lamp has begun to show these characteristics there’s nothing you can do except replace the lamp. Fortunately, once replaced, your picture should be as good as the day you bought the TV.
