6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Fantastic Picture IF THE !@$%!!* BULB WORKS
Date of Review: Nov 1, 2005
The Bottom Line: Best HDTV I know of until JVC solves their terrible lamp problem. I give it excellent marks otherwise.
I've had the HD61Z575 for about 9 months. I use a Direct TV satellite hook up. I've never seen a more impressive picture, although some HD feeds are better than others. I found I had no need to use an amp and extra speakers, the sound system on the monitor is pretty decent by itself. I have not had any problems with noise from the fan, although the long start-up and cool down are necessary.
Then my first bulb blew out in less than 4 months. I have the TV turned on in the evenings between 6:00 and 9:00 pm, considerably more over the weekend, but never even close to the printed limit specified in the users manual (24hr/day). My first replacement bulb came in about 10 business days with a polite verbal apology from the customer service center. Replacing it was easier than I had imagined but throwing away the burned out lamp is another matter as it contains hazardous waste and required special disposal.
About 4-5 months later the replacement bulb blew out but my experience with customer service this time around was not so good. They were willing to replce the lamp but it was going to take a week; when it didn't show up a week later I called customer service and was told the part was on back order and had not shipped yet. (Thanks for telling me!) I missed watching the world series and am pretty whizzed off. Anyway I'm still waiting for the second replacement bulb - expecting it today or tomorrow.
Here is a bright side: When the thing is working it provides an eye popping drop jaw dazzling picture. If it didn't I'd send it back. I decided to buy a replacement lamp of my own ($199 $7 shipping) so I can pop it in as a temporary holder when the third lamp blows. JVC has to replace the lamps for free as the warranty is for 3-4 years or 6000 hrs whichever comes first. I also figure a class action suit may come up and I'm saving my paperwork for the moment. For what it's worth the service center told me JVC is changing suppliers for the lamp, we'll see how my patience holds up. I think the long wait for replacement lamps is due to the number of people requiring them. From a business aspect this isn't sustainable - they have to find a better lamp soon. I await further developments and have empathy for those who cannot keep a spare bulb on hand.
