Runco sticking by plasma displays

With companies heading for the exits at chez plasma, smaller vendors -- most of whom do not have in-house plasma manufacturing -- are left in a precarious position. In what may well be the waning hours for plasma TVs, high-end brand Runco is staying in the game for one last (high margin, we imagine) round. LCDs are catching up to the image quality of even top-tier plasmas, but there's still a performance gap in areas that some consumers value. Somehow we didn't envision Runco outlasting Pioneer in the plasma game, but it's "business as usual" for Runco plasma TVs spanning the 50-inch to 103-inch range; perfect for that "secondary" TV for guests who don't want to watch what's on your $40,000 Runco VideoWall, don't you think?

Beaverton, OR – April 28, 2009 – Runco, the leading brand in luxury video solutions, has confirmed its unyielding commitment to deliver premium flat-panel displays to the custom installation industry. In a marketplace where an increasing number of video display manufacturers are exiting the custom flat-panel market in favor of mass market retail or discontinuing their flat panel product lines altogether, Runco remains focused on providing its dealers with the highest-performing luxury video displays for custom application and viewing environment.

"At Runco, image quality and performance are our top priorities," said Matt Christensen, manager of product marketing for Runco. "Our flat panel displays deliver the highest-fidelity video performance with the most accurate color reproduction and a rich, cinematic feel. Unlike other brands that proved unsuccessful in providing flat panel solutions for dealers within the custom installation channel, Runco continues to provide LCDs and plasmas that are demonstrably superior to the ubiquitous big-brand panels. We are now offering Runco dealers the widest range of custom flat-panel solutions that are the industry benchmark for exceptional video quality and are available in massive screen sizes with innovative proprietary technologies found only in Runco panels."

Runco is now shipping its entire portfolio of LCD flat-panel displays, which offer high-performance video solutions for rooms of distinction, as well as luxury outdoor living spaces. For indoor and outdoor environments with high levels of ambient light, Runco LCDs deliver a masterful blend of image prowess, impeccable design and state-of-the-art craftsmanship. Runco's large selection of high-definition LCD flat panels offers a broad range of screen sizes to meet the viewing needs in any room, now ranging from 32 to 70 inches.

For the ultimate flat-panel theater experience, Runco also touts a refreshed line of plasma displays with a wide range of screen sizes, from 50 inches to the massive XP-103DHD, which measures 103 inches in diagonal. The company's CinemaWall™ and PlasmaWall™ plasma displays elevate image quality to the highest levels of full 1080p resolution, and boast impressive brightness and contrast ratio, deep black levels and the most accurate colorimetry available. Like their sister LCDs, Runco's plasma line incorporates signature engineering enhancements and sophisticated technologies, exclusive Vivix™ processing (internal and external) and control options to perfectly display all video content, protecting image integrity while providing the utmost installation versatility for Runco dealers.

In addition to proprietary video processing and image correction technologies, Runco flat panels are available with Runco's exclusive new OPAL™ (Optical Path Alignment) image enhancement technology. OPAL is a proprietary new technology from Runco designed to enhance flat panels in their optimal applications. When applied to its LCDs, Runco's OPAL preserves the integrity of video content in high ambient light, which directly competes against and degrades LCD images and distracts from the experience. Runco's OPAL utilizes proprietary micro-visual surface treatment of the LCD panel to reduce internal and surface reflections by more than 20 times, increase contrast by more than three times, and enhance protection of the panel from contamination from dust, condensation and even the occasional blow from a handheld gaming remote. When applied to plasma, Runco's OPAL thrives in lower-light applications to create a cinema-quality experience. The OPAL technology within Runco plasma significantly enhances the black level, detail and clarity specifically within dark scenes. Runco's OPAL technology allows the smallest details within the darkest scenes to be vibrant without sacrificing the overall picture quality. Only Runco offers superior OPAL engineering to provide a truly stellar viewing experience to achieve the best imagery, technology and HD performance in any flat panel application.

Runco's PlasmaWall and CinemaWall plasma display monitors, Crystal Series™ and Climate Portfolio™ LCDs are now availablethrough authorized Runco dealers. Runco's CX-OPAL47 and weather-proof Climate Portfolio WP-OPAL42 LCDs are the first Runco products currently available with OPAL. Runco will be offering its CinemaWall and PlasmaWall products with proprietary Runco's OPAL technology in the near future.