Last year you blended art with product, but this time it was almost ALL art. Why the shift?

Budgets are tight around the world and we want to spend as much as we can on product development and education vs. union labor and a big-ass heavy trade show booth.

At CEDIA 208 we choose to use an existing structure that three brothers (the Do Lab) built by hand — no union labor required since it was art made in an artistic way on site.

We choose to use a recycled booth that has appeared at half a dozen concerts nationwide from Coachella to Burning Man to Rothburry.

We picked live art and music as it embodies what we do. The venue was perfect to allow our speakers to crank and the dream of live performance to happen.

For many years we have wanted a live show at CEDIA. This year our team pulled it off with our friends from Lucent Dossier. Music is why we are in business, music is what it’s all about. We love performers and this was a dream come true.

Did the marketing ploy work?

Our dealers get the fact that there is no ploy.

What you see is a company that looks whacked out. Our dealers get that we exist to serve them from education to making the best sounding and easiest products to sell and install in the world.

We market as ourselves to the industry and spend millions on high-end look-and-feel products for target end users.

The dealers that didn’t get it were not our targets.

Read the full interview at CE Pro.

Runco HD LCD

Runco’s revolutionary Optical Path Alignment (OPAL) image enhancement technology optimizes flat-panel imagery while enabling a Runco-caliber experience in high ambient light environments.

Denver, CO - CEDIA EXPO 2008 - September 4-7, 2008 - Booth #510 - Runco, the leading brand in luxury video solutions, proudly introduces seven new 1080p LCD and plasma flat panels, including its largest LCD panel to date: the 70-inch Crystal SeriesTM CX-70DHD. In the grand Runco tradition, each new model delivers a masterful blend of image prowess, impeccable design and state-of-the-art craftsmanship that will delight the most discerning of video aficionados. Runco also is unveiling its exclusive new OPALTM (Optical Path AlignmentTM) image enhancement technology, available on select Runco models, which delivers extreme glare reduction and enhanced contrast for high ambient light environments.

“In the world of high-end video, there are flat panels and then, for those who seek the very best, there are Runco flat panels,” said Matt Christensen, sr. product manager, Planar Home Theater Business Unit. “Our new flat-panel models feature the attention to detail, incredibly accurate video processing, design, and installer-friendly features that our industry has long expected and consistently receives from Runco. And with the introduction of OPAL, Runco is taking the lead in fighting persistent problems installers and their customers face with flat panels.”

Headlining today’s announcement is the 70-inch Crystal Series CX-70DHD, Runco’s largest LCD flat panel to date. The CX-70DHD is perfect for rooms of distinction where a large screen size is desired, but where ambient light issues make front projection difficult and the glare of a plasma screen unacceptable. For true-to-life image quality, the CX-70DHD delivers an exceptional contrast ratio, superb gray scaling, and the ISFTM (Imaging Science Foundation) ISFcccTM calibration suite, including day and night modes for an optimal picture even in the most challenging lighting conditions.

More after the break.

Hitachi 1.5 Ultra Thin Plasma

Continuing its leadership position in developing the world’s thinnest HDTVs, Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc. has unveiled the first Plasma Display Panel in its UltraThin “1.5” family. This gorgeous new plasma addition to Hitachi’s 1.5 line – so named for its ultra thin 1.5-inch depth – will be offered in a 50-inch screen size, making it among the largest in the UltraThin category. In fact, it represents one of the world’s thinnest, at approximately one-third the depth of other plasma displays.

This new product embodies an engineering milestone of major significance for Hitachi and the HDTV industry. The 50-inch 1.5 UltraThin PDP is expected to be a main attraction of the CEDIA Expo in Hitachi’s booth (#925).

Read full article on Business Wire.