Who makes the Vivitek 3797048800 DLP lamps?

Vivitek doesn't make lamps for their DLP TVs! Philips is the original lamp manufacturer for your Vivitek 3797048800 Lamp. In rare instances, Osram may also be the original, but they still use a Philips lamp driver, or ballast, so it's best to replace with a Philips brand UHP lamp!

How does the Vivitek 3797048800 DLP Lamp work?

• Vivitek 3797048800 lamps are pre-charged with about 15,000 volts
• There is no actual filament inside because it's a gas lamp
  (Hg - mercury vapor)
• Vivitek DLP lamps will fail continuity test

How long do Vivitek DLP lamps usually last?

• First Generation Vivitek lamps lasted from 2,000 to 3,000 hours or more.
• Second Generation Vivitek lamps will last up to 8,000 hours.
• Second Generation Vivitek lamps have better consistency.
• All depending on your usage and the type of lamp you have.

What are the benefits of replacing the entire lamp unit (the lamp and the enclosure)?

• Super quick installation.
• Just pop the old one out, and the new one in.
• Newer enclosures don't warp and are safer to re-use later.
• The cost is now almost negligible. You'll spend only $20 more for a lamp inside the enclosure from Discount-Merchant.com.

How easy is it to replace just the lamp?

It can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes depending on your personal dexterity with a screw driver, but replacing a lamp yourself is very straight forward. I can do it in 5 minutes!

Whether you have a Samsung, RCA, or Mitsubishi, swapping out the lamp is very easy. The ballast wires don't even have to go in any particular order because most DLP's use AC (alternating current, for those tech-savvy people).

Where do I purchase the lamps?

Vivitek 3797048800, sometimes written as 3797048800 can be purchased from many places such as Discount-Merchant.com, which sells bulb-only and lamps with enclosures for various TV models. I highly recommend them because they are one of the largest parts distributors in the United States with a very loyal customer base. Any company can sell you lamps, but Discount-Merchant.com also provides free technical support and same day shipping--just read their reviews online!

NOTE: You're not always going to be able to see the part numbers and you shouldn't worry about them. The complete cage part number is what matters and this is usually on the lamp housing and on the right side of your TV.

Symptoms of a bad lamp:

• If you hear audio, but have no picture
• If you hear a ballast click, but the lamp doesn't ignite
• If you can't see the lamp light up in the back of the TV
• If you have blinking lamp indicator lights
• Visual indication that the lamp is blown
• Dim picture after years of use

Symptoms of another part malfunctioning:

• Consistent or inconsistent clicking from the ballast
• Screeching or winding sounds from the color wheel
• No picture, no audio (possible power supply or ballast)
• Blurry picture, or truncated picture (DMD or light tunnel)
• No blinking lights, or different blinking lights
• Spots or blobs on the screen (prevalent in LCD projection)

How do I take my enclosure out of my TV?

For the Vivitek 3797048800 use the flathead to unscrew the lamp enclosure from the housing.

Pull the enclosure out of the TV.

You can see how the enclosure fits into the TV and connects to the ballast connector.

Examine the lamp enclosure, we'll tackle getting the lamp out next.

The lamp is finally in the enclosure.

Screw it back in snug.