[JMag]

In fact, many plasma manufacturers boast a life span of 60,000 hours to half life! This is a longer life than a tube based television. The specification is somewhat suspect since the process of determining longevity of the product is based on deductive mathematical calculation of phosphor dissipation, and does not take into account the electronic components and the myriad of problems that can occur. Panasonic was the first to claim the 60,000 hour life span, up from a previous 30,000 just a year prior.

Within months after Panasonic announced this new life span, other manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon announcing that their plasma television is now rated to 60,000.

So how long will a plasma last? The long and short of it is that it depends upon your daily hourly usage as well as how you use the monitor. 12 to 55 years is my new short answer.

(from: http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatv/plasmatv-lifespan.html

Plasma v. LCD

http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/plasma-vs-lcd.html

Tossup they say; you'll pay more for LCD, however.