p.s. i am thinking of or [going to] buying a second hand large screen tv !! im looking at a 2 year old tosiba 50" re/pojection tv,,, if any 1 has any input for me ???
Rear projection TVs do have a bulb that will burn out. Bulb life differs manufacturer to manufacturer and is largely dependent on how you treat the bulb (i.e. environment, on/off cycles, hours of viewing, etc.). However, each time you replace the bulb your TV is restored to its original intensity. LCD and plasma both suffer from intensity degradation over time. Rear projections, for the most part, do not.
Regarding your two year old Toshiba, find out the model number and so some Internet research on it. How long do the bulbs last? How much are they to replace? Does this model have any reported problems, etc.?
I have bought three big screen televisions over the past few years. I had owned a JVC in the beginning but for me it was one problem after another and this was before thirty days were up. I returned the set and bought a Samsung with the LED set up instead of a bulb. This set is still running strong. Two months later I bought an RCA 52 inch rear projection ( the one with three picture tubes ) for a basement game room. It too is still going strong. Both televisions get a lot of use. The RCA DLP televisions have a lot of problems but the tube type seem to be okay. They can be bought new at Walmart for around 750.00. Bob