Well, my trusty (until now) Panny PT-AE900u projector died while I was on vacation-my daughter tells me it just stopped displaying, but I don't know anything else about the failure mode since I was not here to observe it myself. The lamp has a bit over 1200 hours on it, and when I looked at it I noticed some light deposits on the inside of the lamp inner glass. I had noticed some dimming of the display the last time I used the projector, but that was the only issue-no weird noises, no error messages or anything else out of the ordinary. Now none of the buttons work except the main power switch, which turns on the green power light but no red standby light or fan operation. I managed to find a service manual for the 900u and popped off the cover, but there is nothing obviously failed, including the main 5A internal fuse.
I am willing to purchase a new lamp, but I'm not sure the projector is worth a more comprehensive repair, since that begins to get into the realm of the cost of a new projector. Has anyone else here seen a failure mode like this, and if so, is it indicative of a bad lamp or something more insidious? I must admit that the prospect of a nice shiny new 1080p Panny or Epson is very compelling, but the CFO (my wife) insists that I do some due diligence on the repair possibilities before I spring for a new unit. Even so, if the 900u just needs a new lamp, it would be a nice backup or projector for my other HT in the living room. TIA for any comments or tips.