You have a point there, but in your example, we are also dealing with two known quantities…
With plasma TVs (and DLP, too), people can’t really give a MTBT number because they have not been around long enough to figure it out. LCDs have been around for quite a while longer.
Look how long it has taken for technology to come up with something better than a CRT (and some would argue that were it not for size limitations, a CRT still works better than any of the new technologies in most aspects). Early adoptors of plasma are taking a gamble that they will withstand the test of time. I’m taking the under on that bet…
I’d agree with that statement, especially working in the automotive industry, but you want to talk apples and apples, how about comparing a CRT-based TV to a car. Both have been around long enough to establish some trends. Plasma TVs have not. Comparing a plasma TV to a car would require that car to be a hybrid… another technology whose longevity I don’t trust. 