Runco Releases LS-10d and LS-10i LightStyle Projectors

[admin]

Runco today announced that it is expanding its LightStyle Series with two new 3-chip DLP, 1080p projectors; the LS-10d and LS-10i. Designed to excel in both the dedicated theater as well as other rooms in the home, such as media rooms, basements, dens, these new Runco projectors deliver uncompromised 1080p 3-chip video performance at an astounding value.

Discuss "Runco Releases LS-10d and LS-10i LightStyle Projectors" here. Read the article.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Runco has been a very high price tag product for years and simply remains the Bose/Monster of the projector industry. Their support is abysmal and their prices are outrageous for product which is 5% (or less?) better than many of the competing products out there.

Of course, there are products out there from Sim2, ProjectionDesign, and Digital Projection which are all comparible and similarly priced which I would recommend in a second over Runco just for reliability alone.

A good Runco is like an Italian sports car... It is great to enjoy, but you better know your mechanic darn well, and be prepared to pay them regularly, often at inopertune times, to get it fixed.

Desn't Runco realize that with the release of a 2.35:1 native DLP chip that touting 'anamorphic' capabilities on a NEW product, is already a sign that you are way behind the curve?

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68386

Give me 2.35 native in a nice theater and add in a 3-chip DLP if my budget allows it! But, in the real world, like most of us, give us 95% of that quality with a Panasonic AE4000 or an Epson 8500UB.

 

[InTheIndustry]

Runco has been a very high price tag product for years and simply remains the Bose/Monster of the projector industry. Their support is abysmal and their prices are outrageous for product which is 5% (or less?) better than many of the competing products out there.

Of course, there are products out there from Sim2, ProjectionDesign, and Digital Projection which are all comparible and similarly priced which I would recommend in a second over Runco just for reliability alone.

A good Runco is like an Italian sports car... It is great to enjoy, but you better know your mechanic darn well, and be prepared to pay them regularly, often at inopertune times, to get it fixed.

Desn't Runco realize that with the release of a 2.35:1 native DLP chip that touting 'anamorphic' capabilities on a NEW product, is already a sign that you are way behind the curve?

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68386

Give me 2.35 native in a nice theater and add in a 3-chip DLP if my budget allows it! But, in the real world, like most of us, give us 95% of that quality with a Panasonic AE4000 or an Epson 8500UB.

I think these are inaccurate generalizations of a company that's gone under a lot of changes over the past 2-3 years.

Since Planar took over for Runco their service has been excellent. In regards to the entry level pieces, like the LS-5 ($5K) & LS-7 ($7K), those are tweaked Planar carryovers from when the company merged their pieces into the Runco line. Build quality and engineering is 1st class on those two pieces.

The fact that those new Runco models are priced at $1K lower than the previous Planar models, yet offer no less performance shows at least an effort towards offering value. Personally, I would rather have the Runco LS-7 DLP projector at $7K retail over the $8K JVC LCOS piece. Especially since a more generous price break should be able to be found on the Runco. The JVC typically gets marked up on its way through distribution where as the Runco is sold direct to dealers.

The LCD value preposition is a strong one, no doubt. However, those models are designed and built with a specific price point in mind and it shows. The Epson projectors, which I LOVE, are great - but there are quirky quality issues with those as well.

2:35 is slowly coming along, but that Projection Design model you're (I'm guessing) referring to is going to be HUGE $. Considering the Runco LS-10 models, show me a 1080P 3-Chip DLP projector under $20K that's available? I don't know if there are any. But to agree with you to a point, I don't know if one is really even necessary with how good the single chip & LCOS stuff is.

The projector market is becoming a bit of a mess. Incredibly fast changing technology, globalized manufacturing and chipsets/engines so good being mass produced so inexpensively, I'd be lying to pitch the value of a $20K projector. But Runco, at least on their entry level, is offering some really well built & competitive pieces of gear.

PS: Epson's going to show some stuff at Cedia that should also address the 2:35 (similar to Panasonic) movement. As well as some upper end things to compete more directly with JVC, Sony, & Runco. I believe they will be positioned at $4500 & $6500. Watch for a much more elegant styling of casing and a better build quality. A little birdie told me that Epson's been working on a "LCOS like" solution for the $6500 price point. LOOK OUT!

 

[BMXTRIX]

Good information. I just continue to feel that Runco has used up a well which they dirtied up with their poor engineering for years and that competition, while it may be good for them, has allowed many other competitors to come to the table with products which are equally as exceptional for similar pricing including the Digital Projection, Projection Design, and Sim2 products in the 'upper' class.

No doubt, that some cheaper stuff can have issues, but at 1/2, or more often far far less, the price, it is hard to say that it isn't still the best value (by far).

As I said, Runco looks great when they work, and it is good to hear that they have significantly improved their quality in the past few years, but Planar, who also bought Clarity has certainly not helped that product line and their support has been terrible for that product division.

All I know, is that 5 years ago, I got to ask the president of Runco why it was that their $20,000 projectors could not perform as well as a $8,000 Marantz/Sharp, and his response was 'That's the price you pay for the best.' - Not exactly a company which recognizes its own failings. Good to hear Planar improving that, but still not something I am convinced of.

Often with a great image, from sometimes very noisy projectors and replacement lamps often costing twice what the competitors lamps cost (try to find an LS-3 lamp online!) the Runco product still seems to be dedicated to the high dollar, highly profitable custom installation sector in a world which has basically moved to online options. It's a fairly antiquated way to maintain a business strategy from a company which had notoriously unreliable products delivered year after year after year.

I do hope for the best from them just for the sake of the customers that buy their products, but I'm not prepared to endorse them yet for sure.