The infamous lamp said to lasts UP TO 5000 hrs.

Yes, it burnt on me 3 years after purchasing the panasonic PT45LC12 rear projection TV. At that time I was very disappointed and bitterly swallowed the $300 loss. The lamp hrs counter later showed that I only got 2000 hrs or so of the expected (and marketed) full 5000 hrs. I was especially disappointed as I used my TV mostly in the bulb saving “cinema” (or low power) mode. Later I learned that I was lucky as the owners of the panasonic’s next model, LC13 series, rear projection TVs would got no more than 1000 hrs from their similar TY-LA1000 lamps (marketed lifespan of the TY-LA1000 lamp unit was rated at ten thousand hours): http://www.petitiononline.com/panbulb/petition.html

I also learned that the HID lamp life could be extended by infrequent switching on and off and keeping it cool (clean filters). Five thousand hours is a number probably arrived at in a lab condition with continues power, no power fluctuations and optimal cooling. No TV users will get the ideal number IMHO. Panasonic should have made it clear and the lamp should not be as expensive of course. Based on that knowledge, sometimes I keep the TV on muted for a few hrs to prevent unnecessary on and off cycles. I also invested in interrupted power supply for those rare power interruption incidents. I keep the air filters clean and the amount of dust at home decreased when I upgraded to better furnace and AC filters.

So far so good, except for a recent thermal fuse burnout that is common problem in panasonic LC12 series rear projection TVs: http://www.fixya.com/support/t142873-panasonic_pt40lc12_blinking_green_power

Another good news that the lamps can be purchased now for $150-160 on ebay and even less as the small internal bulb is available separately.