Cleveland - I have a Sony KDS-55A2000 rear projection HDTV. Yes, you heard me right. I don't own a large size flat panel TV. I'm fine with that because my Sony TV uses their patented SXRD technology which offers an amazing picture. Nowadays you can only get an SXRD in a front projector since rear projection is all but extinct.
The KDS-55A2000 is seven years old and over the weekend the lamp on it went. I was a bit ticked since there was no warning that came up on screen in the days leading up to the failure as you'd imagine. I heard a click sound and the picture went away. I turned the TV off and back on. In about 30 seconds a red LED light flashed next to the word "lamp" telling me I needed to replace it.
I pulled out the manual from the drawer I keep all my manuals in and found the correct replacement lamp model number. As an Amazon Prime member I went directly there first. It's where I do the majority of my shopping these days. I found replacement lamps for between $30 and $40. Then I went to the Sony site to discover the official replacement lamp runs $300. That's quite a difference.
So I read the reviews on Amazon. Crowd sourcing has replaced the need to consumer reports hasn't it? It turns out these cheap lamps were after-market knock-offs. Some buyers said they only received a bulb and had to fasten it into the old lamp casing. That's not what the photo of the product showed. Other reviews said the new lamp only lasted six months or a year.
The original lamp in my TV had worked for seven years. If the authorized replacement lamp lasts seven years it'd be well worth the large price tag. So that's the way I went. Afterall, this is my main viewing TV and I love it.
It could've been worse. The lamp could've died during some major event I'd planned on watching. Instead it happened on a Saturday morning in the summer. There's been plenty of other things to do these past few days as I wait for the new lamp to arrive. By the way, it ships second day air at no extra charge.
I'm really looking forward to replacing the lamp. I'm certain the bright picture will be quite startling as over the years a lamp begins to weaken, darkening the screen. It'll be like owning a new TV set. That and the piece of mind that comes from buying the authorized replacement makes it money well spent.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com
John Hannibal