CEDIA 2007 - Day 2: 1080p Projector Roundup, High Def Players & Ferrari Sound

Runco Goes "Mainstream"

Much like SIM2, Runco is another extremely high end projector maker, recently acquired by Planar Systems. The acquisition should allow Runco to target more affordable price points, instead of its usual $8K - $250K range of MSRPs.

Runco introduced two new projectors: the RS-440 and the RS-900. The RS-440 is a 720p projector, shipping in December with a $4995 MSRP, or $5995 with a long throw lens.

Runco's RS-440

The RS-900 is a single-chip DLP 1080p projector, shipping now, with an $8995 MSRP. The problem with a single-chip DLP is that some viewers may experience distracting rainbows, making this $9K option a no-go for some users right out of the box. 3-chip solutions don't require a color wheel and thus the rainbows aren't a problem, but the cheapest 3-chip Runcos are well over $9K.

Runco RS-900

Runco demonstrated both projectors, but on relatively small screen sizes (and odd angles to the audience) making it difficult to compare the other projectors we'd seen.

Runco's pricing is obviously significantly higher than the competition we'd seen, and unlike the SIM2 C3X1080 demonstration, there was not a visible advantage compared to cheaper alternatives at the show. That's not to say that there's no advantage, just not something our untrained eyes could see.

Before we left Runco, the reps did fire up the big one:

Now this projector left us floored, much like the SIM2 in that respect. It threw an image from at least 30 or 40' without a problem. The SC-1 is a serious projector, but also carries a $250,000 price tag and is meant for screens measured in tens of feet. The projector weighs 342 lbs, is 1' tall, 2' wide and 5' deep.

If you're planning on building an actual theater in your home...