Runco PL-42cx Plasma Monitor
January 2001
Runco PL-42cx Plasma Monitor
It's a Picture, Not a Pixel
By Grant Clauser
There's no doubt that plasma monitors are cool. They're thin, light, big...and not cheap. If you're looking for a TV you can mount above the fireplace or hang on the ceiling your choices are pretty much limited to plasma. Two years ago there's weren't a whole lot of manufacturers to choose from when shopping for a plasma monitor. Over the past year that's changed a lot, but despite all the new players in the field, Runco plasmas still rate among the top.
I get excited every time I get to immerse myself in some new high-tech product. That excitement was doubled with the Runco PL-42cx because it's actually two products in one. The main part is the 42-inch widescreen PlasmaWall monitor, a sharp-looking panel with a textured deep black frame and optional stand. The second part, and the thing which sets the Runco plasma apart from its competitors, is the Virtual High Definition controller. The VHD controller is a pixel-for-pixel video processor perfectly matched to the panel's 853x480 pixel resolution.
The plasma panel itself is a 42-inch widescreen with a resolution of 853x480 pixels. Each pixel is subdivided into three colored pixels. Runco reports a contrast ratio of 1500:1 which is considerable, regardless of how the company generates the number. Connections are adequate, including one RGB/HV component (BNC connectors), one 15-pin RGB, one composite video and one S-Video. Most of the video sources you'll use with the display are going to come through the VHD processor rather than plugged directly into the monitor.
You connect the monitor to the controller with a five-cable RGB/HV connection. DVD players can be hooked up through the component input (though a progressive DVD signal is passed through unprocessed). Laser disc players and satellite receivers can be hooked up through the S-Video jack. There's also a video component jack and a 15-pin VGA or HDTV pass-through input, which passes all signals through unprocessed. A phone jack-style RS-232 wire allows the VHD to control certain aspects of the monitor. We used a set of Monster Cable RGB/HV cables for sending all video signals from the controller to the monitor. Though the two units are sold together, they don't come with their own cables.
All pixel-addressed displays (devices that electronically trigger individual pixels rather than electronic scanning) include some sort of video processing to get the resolution of the source signal to match the fixed resolution of the display. But most in-board processors do this very poorly. You can get external processors from several companies such as Faroudja, DVDO, Dwin and Focus Enhancements, but the one that comes with the 42cx was made with this monitor in mind, so they match perfectly.
The VHD does a lot of interesting things for the monitor. In scaling the incoming video signals to the native resolution of the display, it adds user-adjustable luma (for dark to light transitions) and chroma enhancement (for color transitions) to sharpen edges, 3:2 pulldown correction to smooth out artifacts and aspect ratio control to get any size picture to fit within the 16:9 aspect of the monitor. Two remotes are supplied, one for the monitor and one for the controller, but when the two units are connected, one remote will control both units seamlessly.
Once both units were connected we hooked up a Sencore VP300 to run our assortment of test patterns. Setting the black level (brightness) with a PLUGE pattern gave me a surprise. I hadn't experienced such good blacks and contrast on a plasma before. Color bars proved equally striking, being bright, powerful and accurate.
With plasma displays the focus can't be adjusted, so if it's off there's no way to fix it. This Runco was sharp all the way across, something that few CRT displays can claim.
Next I went to a DVD player, switching it to its interlaced (480i) mode so I could judge how well the VHD controller handled the video processing (as I said earlier, progressive scan signals are passed through the controller untouched). Ignoring the pleas from the rest of the staff here, I set chapter 26 of Starship Troopers, the brain-sucking scene, to repeat mode on the DVD player so I could carefully assess the picture quality. Most noticeable was the incredibly crisp, three-dimensional picture. The excellent contrast gave the image great depth and realism. Night scenes showed lots of detail while extra-atmospheric battles demonstrated the darkness of space broken up by bright flashes of fireballs with no hesitation. At one point in the movie, when Denise Richard's boyfriend is about to get his brain sucked out by a great bug, you want to wipe the oily bug spit off the screen.
The Runco VHD controller did an excellent job of eliminating artifacts and making the switch from film frame rate to video frame rate. For the sake of argument I switched the DVD player to progressive mode and set the VHD to component pass-through to see which did a better job of de-interlacing the picture. Clearly the VHD won out. There were more artifacts and the picture lacked a bit of edge provided by the controller.
Some plasma monitors E-Gear's reviewed in the past have had a little trouble with black and white material, adding odd colors where colors aren't meant to be. The PL-42cx does none of that. In honor of Halloween, which was a week away as I wrote this, I placed Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho in the DVD player and ran the shower murder scene over and over, looking for something that wasn't right. I couldn't find anything. The aspect ratio of the non-anamorphic disc didn't fit perfectly into the 16:9 screen, so I used the VHD's aspect control to re-adjust the picture, which it did very effectively.
Another thing worth noting was the excellent off-access viewing the PL-42cx provided. There was no drop-off in image when moving from side to side or up and down, so owners can mount the panel higher than typical for TVs and be assured that everyone in the room will see the picture properly.
This display is also capable of displaying high-definition material, though it is scaled down to the enhanced-definition resolution of the panel. I've seen other plasmas with higher resolution that didn't look as good as this one, and I've seen them side by side. Runco proves that image quality is about pictures and not necessarily about pixels.
Despite some very complex tricks going on under the hood of these two products, using the display and VHD was remarkably intuitive. Most owners will probably use the supplied remotes for the initial set up, then toss them in a drawer in place of a high-end learning remote or control system.
A short time ago there weren't a lot of plasma monitors I would recommend, but this Runco is unquestionably a home theater-quality display. All who came into my office while I was evaluating the PL-42cx exclaimed that they had the perfect place for the plasma in their homes. A plasma monitor is one of those pieces of technology which makes people drool with envy. Just don't let them drool on the remote.
It's a Picture, Not a Pixel
By Grant Clauser
There's no doubt that plasma monitors are cool. They're thin, light, big...and not cheap. If you're looking for a TV you can mount above the fireplace or hang on the ceiling your choices are pretty much limited to plasma. Two years ago there's weren't a whole lot of manufacturers to choose from when shopping for a plasma monitor. Over the past year that's changed a lot, but despite all the new players in the field, Runco plasmas still rate among the top.
I get excited every time I get to immerse myself in some new high-tech product. That excitement was doubled with the Runco PL-42cx because it's actually two products in one. The main part is the 42-inch widescreen PlasmaWall monitor, a sharp-looking panel with a textured deep black frame and optional stand. The second part, and the thing which sets the Runco plasma apart from its competitors, is the Virtual High Definition controller. The VHD controller is a pixel-for-pixel video processor perfectly matched to the panel's 853x480 pixel resolution.
The plasma panel itself is a 42-inch widescreen with a resolution of 853x480 pixels. Each pixel is subdivided into three colored pixels. Runco reports a contrast ratio of 1500:1 which is considerable, regardless of how the company generates the number. Connections are adequate, including one RGB/HV component (BNC connectors), one 15-pin RGB, one composite video and one S-Video. Most of the video sources you'll use with the display are going to come through the VHD processor rather than plugged directly into the monitor.
You connect the monitor to the controller with a five-cable RGB/HV connection. DVD players can be hooked up through the component input (though a progressive DVD signal is passed through unprocessed). Laser disc players and satellite receivers can be hooked up through the S-Video jack. There's also a video component jack and a 15-pin VGA or HDTV pass-through input, which passes all signals through unprocessed. A phone jack-style RS-232 wire allows the VHD to control certain aspects of the monitor. We used a set of Monster Cable RGB/HV cables for sending all video signals from the controller to the monitor. Though the two units are sold together, they don't come with their own cables.
All pixel-addressed displays (devices that electronically trigger individual pixels rather than electronic scanning) include some sort of video processing to get the resolution of the source signal to match the fixed resolution of the display. But most in-board processors do this very poorly. You can get external processors from several companies such as Faroudja, DVDO, Dwin and Focus Enhancements, but the one that comes with the 42cx was made with this monitor in mind, so they match perfectly.
The VHD does a lot of interesting things for the monitor. In scaling the incoming video signals to the native resolution of the display, it adds user-adjustable luma (for dark to light transitions) and chroma enhancement (for color transitions) to sharpen edges, 3:2 pulldown correction to smooth out artifacts and aspect ratio control to get any size picture to fit within the 16:9 aspect of the monitor. Two remotes are supplied, one for the monitor and one for the controller, but when the two units are connected, one remote will control both units seamlessly.
Once both units were connected we hooked up a Sencore VP300 to run our assortment of test patterns. Setting the black level (brightness) with a PLUGE pattern gave me a surprise. I hadn't experienced such good blacks and contrast on a plasma before. Color bars proved equally striking, being bright, powerful and accurate.
With plasma displays the focus can't be adjusted, so if it's off there's no way to fix it. This Runco was sharp all the way across, something that few CRT displays can claim.
Next I went to a DVD player, switching it to its interlaced (480i) mode so I could judge how well the VHD controller handled the video processing (as I said earlier, progressive scan signals are passed through the controller untouched). Ignoring the pleas from the rest of the staff here, I set chapter 26 of Starship Troopers, the brain-sucking scene, to repeat mode on the DVD player so I could carefully assess the picture quality. Most noticeable was the incredibly crisp, three-dimensional picture. The excellent contrast gave the image great depth and realism. Night scenes showed lots of detail while extra-atmospheric battles demonstrated the darkness of space broken up by bright flashes of fireballs with no hesitation. At one point in the movie, when Denise Richard's boyfriend is about to get his brain sucked out by a great bug, you want to wipe the oily bug spit off the screen.
The Runco VHD controller did an excellent job of eliminating artifacts and making the switch from film frame rate to video frame rate. For the sake of argument I switched the DVD player to progressive mode and set the VHD to component pass-through to see which did a better job of de-interlacing the picture. Clearly the VHD won out. There were more artifacts and the picture lacked a bit of edge provided by the controller.
Some plasma monitors E-Gear's reviewed in the past have had a little trouble with black and white material, adding odd colors where colors aren't meant to be. The PL-42cx does none of that. In honor of Halloween, which was a week away as I wrote this, I placed Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho in the DVD player and ran the shower murder scene over and over, looking for something that wasn't right. I couldn't find anything. The aspect ratio of the non-anamorphic disc didn't fit perfectly into the 16:9 screen, so I used the VHD's aspect control to re-adjust the picture, which it did very effectively.
Another thing worth noting was the excellent off-access viewing the PL-42cx provided. There was no drop-off in image when moving from side to side or up and down, so owners can mount the panel higher than typical for TVs and be assured that everyone in the room will see the picture properly.
This display is also capable of displaying high-definition material, though it is scaled down to the enhanced-definition resolution of the panel. I've seen other plasmas with higher resolution that didn't look as good as this one, and I've seen them side by side. Runco proves that image quality is about pictures and not necessarily about pixels.
Despite some very complex tricks going on under the hood of these two products, using the display and VHD was remarkably intuitive. Most owners will probably use the supplied remotes for the initial set up, then toss them in a drawer in place of a high-end learning remote or control system.
A short time ago there weren't a lot of plasma monitors I would recommend, but this Runco is unquestionably a home theater-quality display. All who came into my office while I was evaluating the PL-42cx exclaimed that they had the perfect place for the plasma in their homes. A plasma monitor is one of those pieces of technology which makes people drool with envy. Just don't let them drool on the remote.
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