Focusing on Outdoor TV, Runco Shows New ‘High Bright’ Model

Runco's "next big thing" is the outdoor market, and the company is attacking it with a vengeance.

The maker of high-end video products (acquired by Planar last year) introduced its first outdoor television, the Runco WP-42 at the CEDIA Expo in September 2007.

Back then, Scott Hix, VP and general manager of Planar's Home Theater Business Unit said, "The outdoors will really be our story in 2008."

Indeed, just a few days ago, at the Runco Mexico Getaway for top dealers and reps, the company showed one new prototype in its Climate Collection, and Hix promised plenty more to come.

The outdoor business was fast-tracked when Runco was acquired by Planar last year. Planar is a leading developer of ruggedized displays, with thousands of applications from fighter planes to gas pumps.

The WP-42 began shipping in November to Runco's 650+ specialty resellers. "So far, so good. We're very comfortable with the run rates," Hix says.

Even so, he concedes that selling a $8,995 (retail) display "isn't as easy as putting an SKU into the system. We have to be able to tell customers what it is they're paying for when they buy an IP56."

What the Heck is IP56?

IP56 refers to the Ingress Protection value of the WP-42 television, as defined by the IEC standard 60529.

The first digit of the IP code refers to protection against solid foreign objects. On this, the WP-42 earns a 5 rating out of 6, meaning it is "dust protected." The best rating would define the unit as "dust tight."

The second digit in the code refers to protection against liquids. Here, the television earns a 6 out of 8 because it can withstand "powerful jetting water, any direction."

An "8" rating would mean that the TV could survive "continuous immersion in water."

I may have joked about the IEC's Ingress Protection code during a presentation I did at the Runco event, but at least one dealer took it to heart. Anthony Pavia of Ridgefield, Conn.-based Lights, Camera, Action said he called his sales manager after the presentation to explain the rating system and the merits of an IP56-rated television.

"I was aware that there was some kind of rating system, but wasn't really paying attention to it," he says. "I called my sales guy and said, 'Do you realize these products are rated 56? We really need to use this.'"

What Cost Waterproof?

When it comes to outdoor flat-screen TVs, there aren't many options, especially not cheap ones.

SunbriteTV makes a few models up to 46 inches, and seems to be the preferred outdoor TV vendor for non-Runco dealers. The 32-inch starts at about $3,300 (street price).

SunbriteTV's Pat Caminiti says the TVs are IEC-rated IP54.

Global Outdoor Concepts has a couple of MirageVision models up to 47 inches. Its 32-inch starts at $4,100 (street).

Lux Outdoors has several outdoor TVs, and touts the Media Center functionality of its products. Prices start at $2,700 (street) for a 27-inch with stand.

Pantel just released a couple of TVs up to 42 inches ($4,450 for that one), with some nice weatherproof speakers. The company says the TVs are undergoing IEC certification and expect the products to be rated at IP66.

I found several weatherproof TVs for sale in the UK, including a 55-inch model (currently out of stock) that sells for about $12,000 USD.

And then there's Cal Spas, which offers some pretty funky motorized TV lifts and other TV options with its outdoor kitchens and spas, but no word on whether the TVs are waterproof. (Update: Cal Spas tells me that the TVs are made by SunbriteTV; Marine-grade speakers surround the display.)

There are some options -- like ItsEnclosures -- for weatherproofing traditional TVs, but the enclosures aren't cheap (about as much as a weatherproof TV itself).

As for big-name CE brands, they don't seem to be out there. Sanyo introduced a 42-inch weatherproof TV, the Sanyo 42LM4WP, at CeBIT in March 2007.

We haven't heard anything since, but the product is evidently for sale, at least through some online stores, for about $7,500.

Hix says he's not surprised that the name-brand CE manufacturers have been slow to embrace the outdoor TV market.

"With all new market segments, this one is still relatively unknown and small enough that the big brands want to wait," he says.

As for the more niche brands, can they really make it? "They might not have the channels," Hix suggests.

"We have the channel, and the operating strength and the engineering strength to get in there quickly. The first products will be higher priced [until the market is established], so you really need a channel that can sell the high-end."

Is it really worth it? "I sell disposable televisions right now," says Runco rep Mike Sajecki of Miami-based C&E Marketing.

"They [consumers] are assuming they can buy an $800 42-inch LCD and if they have to throw it away in one or two years, that's OK."

Even so, Sajecki sees a definite need for weatherproof TVs like Runco's for applications where the product is not covered, or the customer simply wants a better picture. It is a Runco, after all.

Other dealers are taking the two-piece approach to outdoor video, with projectors and rugged screens (Stewart's Starglas is a standout).

"We're taking clients' old projectors and putting them outside," says Greg Margolis of Dallas-based Hometronics. "They get to keep a projector they like, and upgrade to a new one inside."

Still, virtually every dealer I spoke with at the Mexico Getaway thought Runco's outdoor TV is a "no brainer."

Coming Soon: Runco 'High Bright'

Runco's WP-42 is just the first outdoor TV for the company, which plans to offer new models in different sizes, and with advanced features.

At the Getaway, Runco demonstrated a prototype of a TV so new that it doesn't have a name yet. They're calling it "High Bright" for now because, well, it's super-bright.

The unit features two sets of backlight panels and two power supplies. Senior product marketing manager Matt Christensen says that other companies have implemented double-backlight solutions, but that Runco's solution is still "pretty novel."

The double-panel makes the TV hot already, but throw in some intense sunlight and you have a pretty brutal environment for thermal management. "We're doing a lot of work right now, putting the TV inside a weatherproof enclosure," says Christensen. "We're really close.

Also, it's no easy task to get such high brightness (about 1,100-1,200 nits versus the typical 450 nits for an LCD) without washing out the contrast. Christensen says that Runco has this little problem licked.

And here's a dirty little secret in the outdoor-TV business. Manufacturers often quote temperatures at which their TVs can operate, but it can be a bear to actually power on a TV from a cold start. (If you live in Minnesota, you'll see power cords dangling from many an engine. Same thing.)

"What we haven't seen in the competition is the ability to turn on a television at low temperatures," Christensen claims. "It needs a certain amount of heat to kick start."

Runco's High Bright TVs will have a "winter mode" during which a tiny bit of power circulates through the chassis to keep the engines warm and ready for a cold start.

OK, so no one said the TV was green.


Planar/Runco's Matt Christensen demonstrates products in Runco's Climate Collection during the company's Mexico Getaway.