Can a DLP lamp go bad but still look completely good?

Question

I have a Samsung HL-S4676S I think the lamp went bad, was watching it lost picture, sound was still there, then lost that and got 3 blinking lights. There was no "popping" noise and the lamp doesnt look bad, could it be something else? I tried taking out the lamp and put it back in, but that didnt work, when you turn it on you hear a weird noise and see blue flashes where the lamp is at, it tries to turn on 3 times and then I get the 3 blinking lights again. Just want to make sure what it was before shelling out the money. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

If all 3 lights are blinking, that means the lamp is defective. It doesn't have to pop or look blown to be bad. Sometimes the gas inside just escapes or dissipates to the point that the bulb won't work.

Your user manual is online at

http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/conten...

if you want it

Answer 2

It sounds like a bulb, but it might be something else.  You best bet would be to call Samsung and have someone help you troubleshoot it over the phone.  If the TV has a lot of hours on it it probably is the bulb though.