Not that anybody cares, but I thought I'd update everybody anyway, since I did mention the DLP TV drama here before, and maybe it will help somebody down the line.

My new ballast and bulb came in for my Samsung HLN-507W DLP TV.  Putting the ballast in was a pain in the ass because you have to remove nearly every screw near the bottom-back of the TV, so you can slide out the entire assembly to have room for installing the ballast.

It turns out the ballast wasn't necessarily the problem, as just replacing the ballast didn't do a damn thing.  I put in the new bulb, and viola!  I had my TV back.  I decided to keep the new ballast anyway, since the old one could have been contributing to the shortened life span of the bulb I just replaced.

What's funny is the picture is so much brighter (and even sharper??) than it was previously.  I guess over the years I hadn't noticed just how much the picture had faded.  I always thought these bulbs put out a constant lumen rating, and then just blew up.  I guess not, as the new one is significantly brighter and makes a world of difference.  The TV is brand new again.  Lovely, but we'll see how long it lasts.

If you ever have any questions regarding Samsung DLP TVs and their maintenance, post a comment here and I will reply to you.  I pretty much know everything there is to know now, after dealing with all this nonsense.

Thanks...