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In my experience, open box items or floor models aren't anymore plagued with problems than "new" items. IOW, you'd have just about the same chance of having problems with an unopened item. In fact, with a floor model, there's a good chance that the unit has already been in operation well past the "infant death" period, taking that probability out (i.e. my first Wega died 5 minutes out of the box). My concerns with such items are generally things like cosmetics, and any knobs and switches that may have seen extended abuse from curious hands.
Bulb life is definately a concern. I don't have first hand knowledge of bulb costs for RPTVs, but have heard that they range from $250-$400. That certainly equates to what we pay for projector bulbs here. However, prolonged on time may not be any more detrimental than repeated power cycles (on all day vs. on once or twice for a couple hours total). Cycling power, causing the bulb to heat and cool, will (perhaps arguably) shorten the life of the bulb.
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