Do All Rear Projection TVs have Lamp Issues?

[micbain]

Hey,

First of all, Hello to everyone as I'm a new member. My discovery of this forum was due to the unforunate event of my 2 month old Toshiba 50HM66 failing (Lamp Failure). I won't really talk about that as there is already a thread on that particular problem.

What I wanted to know is this: Are lamp failures a common problem among all other DLP TV's? This and many other forums are littered with threads about almost every brand regarding lamp failures.

Right now I'm thinking of going back to Best Buy to exchange my Toshiba for another brand; however, now I'm unsure if projection is the way to go due all the failures in many other brands. It goes with out saying that I expect my TV to last a reasonable period of time when I spend well over a thousand dollars for it.

Right Now I have three options:
1. Get lamp fixed under warranty
2. Try to exchange TV for a different DLP (eyeing a Samsung HLS5087)
3. Go for a Plasma or LCD of a smaller size (42inches)

Any thoughts/advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

Mike