Synopsis:

The highly respected Vidikron brand was established in Milan, Italy, in 1980. For years the Vidikron brand name has been synonymous with the highest quality products designed for home cinema video displays.

Runco International, the leader in high end home theater video technology, acquired the Vidikron brand in 2002, with the intention of offering a second comprehensive brand of video display products (in addition to the Runco brand) that are designed for today’s most challenging premium custom installation environments.

Today, Vidikron offers a comprehensive selection of high performance, cutting edge video display products, distributed globally through a select network of authorized Vidikron dealers and custom installation professionals.

Since the acquisition by Runco, Vidikron has had great success, proving to be a prevailing presence in the market. Over the five years that Vidikron has been a part of the Runco family, they have garnered numerous rave reviews that continuously place Vidikron above and beyond their competition. Starting with front projection displays, the Vidikron product line has significantly grown, now including comprehensive lines of the Vision^™ Series Front Projectors, Plasma View^™ Plasma Display Monitors, DView^™ LCD Display Monitors and Video Processors.

This extensive line of products along with the stellar manufacturing capabilities of Vidikron has resulted in copious industry awards. In 2006 and again in 2007, Vidikron took home the “Best of Demo Alley” award at the Spring EH Expo. In 2005 Vidikron was the victor of six major awards, including the Electronic House Product of the Year Award, CEDIA Manufacturer’s Excellence Award and the Excite Custom Retailer Award, to name just a few.

Roots:

The Vidikron legacy goes back to 1977, when the company became a subcontractor for such manufacturers as Hitachi, Aiwa and Pioneer. By the early 1980's, Vidikron saw the need for reliable, high-performance video projectors. It took eight years of research and development to perfect the styling and groundbreaking electronics that would become Vidikron's hallmark. In fact, Vidikron produced HDTV-ready projectors as far back as 1992.

The industry's most respected critics consistently gave Vidikron the highest ratings for its family of home theater products, considered among the most advanced in the industry. Vidikron's leading-edge technology was admired worldwide. As the recipient of virtually every award for home theater projectors, Vidikron became the preferred choice of such luminaries as renowned movie director Martin Scorsese and other prominant filmakers. Vidikron's superior image and electronic exellence is what gave birth to the tagline, "The Director's Choice".

Known for unrivaled excellence, Vidikron projection televisions became essential to the creation of the very best home theater systems. Each Vidikron projector was presented as a tour de force in technology as well as industrial design.

The Vidikron customer was never asked to compromise their desire for a quality image and reliability. Vidikron's complete family of products defined what home theater should be, just as they do today.

Exquisite exterior styling by the legendary Pininfarina, including top of the line models painted in Ferrari Red and Ferrari Yellow, set the standard for high class and unique appearance in the projector arena.

Vidikron presented itself then, and still does today, as more than a great series of products. It's a point of view. . . an uncompromising set of ideals. And most important, a dedication to consumers with discerning taste. Make no mistake about it, Vidikron is not a purchase - it's an investment.

CineWide™ and Technological Leadership:

As part of the Runco International family, Vidikron has had benefit of the exciting technologies developed in Runco's engineering labs and incorporated into Vidikron products.

For example, The CineWide™ and CineWide™ with AutoScope™ system was developed especially for select Vidikron projectors. CineWide technology provides uncompromised widescreen reproduction of movies originally filmed in the CinemaScope™ 2.35:1 format. It maintains constant vertical height on the screen just as in a movie theater.

When a viewer transitions from 1.78:1 (16:9) program material to 2.35:1, the image simply gets wider while full height is maintained.  Through a combination of software, electronics and remote controlled motorized anamorphic optics, the projector is able to use the full pixel array on its DMD™ chips, thereby producing a 2.35:1 image with enhanced resolution and increased brightness. No resolution is lost to annoying black bars on the top and bottom of the screen that contain no picture information. 

CineWide™ and CineWide™ with AutoScope™ are currently available as a technology option with all current Vision Series projectors except for the Vision Models 10 and 12.

CineWide technology has been the talk of the industry and has garnered numerous awards including: the prestigious 2005 CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles^® Manufacturer’s Excellence Award, Electronic House magazine’s 2005 Product of the Year Award, Residential Systems magazine’s Best 2005 Video Projector in the "RESI Award" competition, 2005 Best New Product award from Sound & Video Contractor magazine, as well as RAVE magazine’s 2005 Overall Most Creative New Product Award.

Cinema Standards Measurement System:

Vidikron has carefully developed a full set of specification standards for its video projectors that is founded upon more realistic, and easier to understand criteria for expressing the light output or brightness capability of a display device, as well as its contrast ratio. This criterion was developed based on the actual experience one has in a movie theater.

This provides the consumer with an objective reference point to compare specifications with what they are accustomed to seeing in the movie theater, assisting them in determining what a projector's displayed image might look like once installed in their home.

Vidikron has adopted these specification standards, known as "Cinema Standards Measurement System", or CSMS™, for its entire line of projectors. You’ll find discussions and evaluations of the CSMS system by leading industry experts, including Gary Reber, Editor-in-Chief of Widescreen Review Magazine, and Anthony Grimani, President of Performance Media Industries and a longtime technical expert with Lucasfilm's THX Division.

Through the Years, Rave Reviews By The The Industry's Most Respected Critics:

"... the picture looked more like film than it did like video "
Stereophile Guide to Home Theater

". ..but with the Vidikron, we saw productions the way their directors had intended. what an experience! what a pleasure!"
Popular Electronics

"it's the Ferrari of video projectors. fortunately you won't have to pay Ferrari-like prices."
Robb Report

". . . this high-tech icon's beauty never lost its charm. neither did the knockout quality of Vidikron's picture."
Audio/Video Interiors

"Vidikron's sharpness and detail are as close to perfection as we are likely to see ..."
Audio Magazine

"Vidikron's sleek styling provides a fitting appetizer for its exemplary performance."
Audio/Video International

"in any light, Vidikron delivered a red worthy of the best crt projectors and better
than most I've seen."
Lawrence B. Johnson, Audio Video Interiors

"the new Vidikron projectors show remarkable promise, with superb pictures that are bright, sharp and accurately rendered. Vidikron's research and development is indeed evident in its new designs, which have impressive clarity."
Gary Reber, Editor, Widescreen Review

"all along the way, Vidikron has won -- for many years in a row -- Audio Video's Grand Prix award for excellence in video reproduction, design engineering, reliability, craftsmanship and product integrity . . . the Vidikron, in my opinion, is the best money can buy."
High Performance Review

Going Forward:

With such a rich heritage, combined with the design and engineering expertise for which Runco International is famous, Vidikron is well positioned as it moves into the future with a comprehensive line of leading edge, high performance products and an established network of the most pretigious retailers in the custom installation, home theater business. Vidikron's respected reputation for excellence continues, further strengthened by its new heritage as part of the Runco International family.