Runco introduces its new WindowWall display - a revolutionary fusion of design and leading-edge technology

WESTWEEK 2010, West Hollywood, CA – March 24, 2010 – Runco®, the pioneer and leading brand in luxury home theater video solutions, today unveils its revolutionary Runco WindowWall™ modular LCD-based display wall system. This innovative solution enables designers and authorized Runco dealers to integrate innovative visual solutions that complement the most unique home design projects.

The Runco WindowWall extends imaginative options in a room’s design and it offers a gamut of applications, from digital ambience to home entertainment, to sophisticated home office applications, such as video conferencing. The WindowWall can also become a virtual window changing the mood for any room by displaying snow falling on the mountains or the view of Manhattan from a skyscraper.  Perfect for sports enthusiasts, the WindowWall can become an enormous screen showing a game or multiple games at once. As a digital display system, the Runco WindowWall can easily be used for any application at any given time.  When combined with a home automation system and architectural speakers, an enormous array of lifestyle options are enabled. With the WindowWall, Runco authorized dealers can expand their business beyond the traditional home theater setting.

“The original video pioneer that created the home theater display category decades ago, Runco once again introduces a new video solution created in the same spirit as that pioneer tradition,” said Runco’s General Manager, Adam Schmidt.  “At a time when other manufacturers are opting to integrate ubiquitous feature sets instead of focusing on differentiation, Runco continues to deliver products that are custom built for each home installation.  This new display wall category of products provides unique opportunities for partnership between our Runco dealers to bring a unique lifestyle solution to their clients’ extraordinary homes.”

The Runco WindowWall was architected and developed by Runco’s engineering team combining the best-in-class technology used in mission-critical applications with Runco’s legendary video processing to deliver impeccable images. Unlike any other home video product of similar scale and size, Runco WindowWall combines an ultra-thin profile of only 4.5 inches (inclusive of the Tile-Align™ mounting system) and its off-board, rack-based electronics for easier installation, greater reliability and serviceability, and WhisperQuiet™ wall performance.  Once assembled in the client’s space, the WindowWall features an image-to-image gap of only 0.28 inches and it can be custom framed to provide beautiful integration into any extraordinary room design. Clients can chose one of Runco’s professional-designed reference configurations or apply other unique configurations to create a large digital surface that can follow the curve of a wall, span an entire portico or be stacked to create a digital column.

Maintenance and repair are extremely simple because the modules incorporate a single simple interface board designed to distribute off-board power, video and control signals to the LCD panel keeping depth, weight, heat and points of potential failure to an unprecedented minimum. This proprietary design means panels can to be individually accessed or removed. Within each panel, the simple interface board can be disconnected and replaced using thumbscrews with access from either the front or the back of the wall. Because of their streamlined design, the panels each weigh less than traditional LCD displays, are more easily handled, and produce no noise.

The rack-mount video processing and power supply units each support four LCD modules, incorporate their own cooling and make configuration, maintenance, and upgrades easily accessible and unobtrusive to the video wall itself. For even further reliability, the Runco WindoWall power supply is designed to be independent so if any one power supply in the unit fails, the remaining four will continue to power the Runco WindowWall with uninterrupted operation.

“Born from growing demand for something unique in residential settings, the Runco WindowWall offers fresh design options that integrate technology, innovation and finesse to compliment any home,” noted Runco’s VP of Marketing, Jennifer Davis. “The Runco WindowWall is a product that can be customized in both size and configuration, for each client’s home enabling Runco dealers to exceed the expectations of their discriminating clients without compromising the home’s design. The result creates dynamic ambience and introduces new applications in visual technology.”

To enable designers, architects and installers to differentiate their work with Runco technology, Runco has created and added key tools, including reference designs, product CAD files, design parameters, customization options and links to Runco’s Authorized Dealers for support in executing the vision of their projects. These tools and others are available on the Runco website at www.runco.com.

To locate a Runco Authorized Dealer to design a custom WindowWall solution or to design your own WindowWall visit www.Runco.com.

About Runco
Founded in 1987 and acquired by Planar Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLNR) in 2007, Runco is a market leader in state-of-the-art projection systems, flat-panel plasma monitors, video processors and other components for the custom consumer market. Runco’s innovations have won numerous awards and citations from the world press. Runco continues to be a pioneer in the custom video display market.

Planar Systems, Inc is a global leader of specialty display technology providing hardware and software solutions for the world’s most demanding environments including hospitals, space and military programs, utility and transportation hubs, shopping centers, banks, government agencies, businesses, and home theaters.

WindowWall, TileAlign, and WhisperQuiet are trademarks of Runco International.