[Realist @ May 14th 2007 5:30PM]

According to the Department of Energy, high-power white LEDs have an estimated useful life somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000 hours or approximately 4 to 6 years (not 80+ years). From a more realistic point of view, drive around town and observe the frequency of dead pixels in LED traffic signals. Since these are typically based on tried-and-true red/green LEDs, you will see that there is reason to be concerned about the details of a companies "dead pixel" policy -- even if the problem is in the manufacturing of the LED panel. Most policies allow for both a total number of allowable dead pixels with an maximum number of adjacent pixels. I would suspect that a single dead LED will be much more obvious than a single dead LCD pixel. It's definitely worth knowing the details of any specific policy before making a purchase.

[Alex @ May 14th 2007 6:12PM]

Although I agree with your statement about dead pixels, I would assume that it would be the equivalent of a dead backlight in this case. The manufacturers have to realize that a single dead LED would be a significant problem and be covered under warranty, much lick a current backlight would be. However, regarding the lifespan of an LED, you're misrepresenting the data. If I used my computer for 24 hours a day then, yes, an LED lifespan of only 4 years would be terrible. Thankfully, since most people don't even use their computers for more than 6 hours a day, they can expect 16 or more years from their LEDs.