The Consumer Reports article cited for RPTV reliability is somewhat skewed as bulb replacement is included in the repairs tally.
As such, this is not anymore a repair than calling a floor lamp defective for needing a new bulb.
Another issue with Consumer Reports is does not deal with certain long term issues that affect the life cycle cost of flat panel displays.
With no mechanical moving parts, PDP and LCD have no mechanical reliability issues. But when LCD or PDP does develop a problem, the TV cqan only be replaced to solve the issue. Dead pixels and color deterioration leaves little that can be done to make a repair, and that certainly puts a hurt on the life cycle cost of flat panels.
DLP based RPTVs do not suffer dead pixels or color deterioration that is common in other display technologies. TI has tested the DMD/DLP chips with out damage to over a 119000 hour MTBF (13.6 years of 24/7 TV watching) based on field reliability testing data and a fresh bulb brings color back to new performance.
DMD Hinge Memory Lifetime
Long-Term Data Projector Color Performance Test
TI/DLP White Papers
While there may be potential mechanical problems with the color wheel and lenses, they are all repairable.
With some of the new light source technologies such as LIFI (LIght FIdelity), LED, and lasers bulb replacement will become a non-issue. Lasers and LED also may remove the need for a color wheel, further limiting potential mechanical issues.
TI has also introduced
Brilliant Color and by using a 6 color wheel, the color gamut is extended beyond what RBG LCD and PDP are capable of.
All televisions have their pros and cons, flat panels are the current fad, but they are not inherently better.