Toshiba 56HM66 Whole Screen Dim

[Gulf]

I was wondering if someone could help me make an educated decision. I have a Toshiba 56HM66 TV. I like it very much. I recently had a problem with the screen shutting off and the lamp light blinking. This wouldn't happen all the time, just sometimes at random. Then i turned it on one day and the sound came on and the screen was very faint. Actually had to turn off the room lights to see the screen on the tv. Since I have replaced it before, I assumed that was the problem again. I installed the new lamp and it is still doing the same thing. Now I feel like i have wasted $120 and i have been told that I may need a new ballast (not by a tv tech, by a friend who had a similar issue). I hate to spend another $80 and still not fix my problem. I see a lot of forums saying the screen went half blank, but i haven't seen anything for a whole screen going dim. Any suggestions? Thank you very much for your help.

[Gulf]

Thank you very much. I have ordered a replacement bulb again. If that doesn't work, then i can only assume the problem is the ballast and will replace it.