As I've already indicated, I was pleased with the performance of my Sony VW10HT and it has served me very well for over three years. Still on its first bulb (after over 1500 hours) with absolutely no problems it should continue to please in its new home (with a spare bulb as part of the package.) But if "pleased" describes my feelings about the VW10HT, "ecstatic" seems to be the appropriate word to use when discussing the Runco CL-710. Whereas my tweaking of the Sony produced acceptable black levels to me in my ambient light controlled room, the Runco produces black levels that are bound to please the most critical viewer. And not only are the blacks "blacker" but the detail in dark scenes takes viewing to another level entirely. Of course, this is the nature of DLP versus LCD technology to some extent, but it still has to be seen to be appreciated. I'm reminded of those experiences where you don't miss something until you have it. Then you can't seem to live without it. Power windows in cars is such an example.

But if black is beautiful, it still doesn't tell the whole story. Color rendition with the CL-710 surpasses the very nice color palette of the VW10HT. Reds, in particular, jump right out at me. And all the other colors seem richer and more three-dimensional as well. To put this in perspective, I always found that as nice as my VW10HT picture was, it still was not a match for my old, but still trusty, Pioneer Elite Pro-75 Rear Projection Monitor (45" 4:3 unit). Running A/B tests comparing the Sony with the Pioneer it was obvious that the blacks were blacker and the colors were more vibrant on the Pioneer. However, when comparing the Runco to the Pioneer the advantage has shifted. I now can state that the picture on the CL-710 matches the color and black level of the Pioneer - even allowing for the fact that the Runco is producing a 110" diagonal picture compared to the more concentrated image on the Pioneer. Where the Sony made up for what it lacked in picture quality by sheer size when compared to the Pioneer, the Runco doesn't need to take a back seat to the Pioneer in any aspect (no pun intended.)

Another thing that impresses me about the CL-710 is the performance of its internal scaler. As previously mentioned, I also received a Runco PFP-7 (Pixel For Pixel) external scaler that is a technological marvel itself. It has received many awards since its release in 2001 and can be used to improve the picture in a wide variety of displays. (See the link above for full specifications and other information regarding the PFP-7.) Once I had installed the CL-710 I decided to add the PFP-7 to the signal path of the incoming interlaced signal, using the pass-through mode for the HDTV input. While the performance of the PFP-7 was admirable and more flexible than the scaler in the CL-710, I was hard pressed to notice any significant improvement in film images. True, if you have some weird aspect ratio display device (the CL-710 is a 1280 x 720 native device so it is relatively mainstream), or if your room geometry forces an installation that requires some image offset and/or keystone adjustments (my screen installation conforms to the one suggested in the Runco manual) then the PFP-7 provides a level of control that is unmatched. However the specifications of the CL-710 are such that most unusual circumstances are avoided and the electronics contained within do an excellent job of scaling everything.

Speaking of which, the preferred method of viewing DVD players is with interlaced, not progressive signals fed into the CL-710. While there is provision for progressive input via the RGB input, this is best used for items such as HDTV signals which are already in progressive mode. These signals are passed right through the CL-710 with no further processing (as they are also handled through the PFP-7). Using interlaced signals provides some benefits (and a surprise or two) as follows:

• By using interlaced signals you will be using the deinterlacing circuitry of the CL-710 which, in my A/B testing appears to be superior to the deinterlacing circuitry of most DVD players.
   
• Apparently such circuitry within the CL-710 compares quite favorably to that in the PFP-7 (which is excellent) as long as you don't need the flexibility of unusual installations and multiple output resolutions. In other words, the CL-710 circuitry is designed to meet all the needs of the CL-710 whereas the PFP-7 is a universal processor that improves the look of a wide variety of monitors and configurations.
   
• The ViViX PFP-7 processor is, I'm told, based on the Faroudja-designed FLI2200, which makes the "Chroma Bug" and "Chroma Unsampling Error" (CUE) a non-issue. After looking closely at some of the suspect titles (see the article in the link in this paragraph) on my screen with both the native CL-710 circuitry and the PFP-7 in the loop I suspect that both scalers have similar roots. At least the Chroma Bug stops at the gate of the CL-710! While the bug is a problem with MPEG decoding (and not something that is linked directly to the deinterlacing components) some deinterlacers, like the Faroudja, hide the Chroma Bug, regardless of what DVD player you connect to it.
   
• Using an interlaced signal has a side effect I wasn't expecting. All of a sudden my Panasonic RP-91 lost its "auto detection" on anamorphic and non-anamorphic material. I discovered that the RP-91 only performs this function for progressive output and, since I'm not using progressive output, is not operative. However this is not a problem for a number of reasons. First of all, not all DVDs are flagged properly to activate the RP-91 circuitry. Secondly, using the Runco deinterlacer (either one) produces a much better picture than using the progressive RP-91 output. Finally, the remote control for the CL-710 allows for easy switching between Anamorphic, 4:3, Letterboxed, and Virtual Widescreen modes - and each change of mode is accompanied by information that flashes briefly on the screen in the lower right corner. I think the trade off is well worth it.

There is one convenience that is gained by using the CL-710 alone instead of the PFP-7/CL-710 combination. The CL-710 comes with PIP (Picture In Picture) and PBP (Picture By Picture) modes along with a lot of size and positioning options. However, you can only use one analog and one digital source fed into the projector for the two pictures. Since the PFP-7 converts everything to digital before connecting to the CL-710 (thus bypassing the CL-710 processing) you don't have any analog signals hooked up to the projector (unless you resort to some creative double wiring of preferred sources). Therefore, CL-710 PIP and PBP would not normally function in a PFP-7 + CL-710 installation. Incidentally, I find myself using an HDTV monitor in a small picture frame more often than I thought and this is apt to increase as more HDTV programming becomes available over the next couple of years - especially when I'm watching (listening) to concert DVDs. Something else to consider.

Then there is the question of GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out). The truer picture produced by the CL-710 (when compared to the VW10HT) not only shows good source material in all its glory but also accentuates any warts. Specifically, the Sony had a softer picture that hid some of the grain on my old LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS disc. Basically, if the source material is poor, the CL-710 will bring this out. But if the source is stellar, then the CL-710 will shine. Interestingly, although I tend not to watch Standard Definition TV on the big screen, I find that it is far more tolerable on the CL-710 than it was on the VW10HT. I suspect this has something to do with the way that the CL-710 processes the incoming video signal. And HDTV is, of course, superb.

I'm writing this about one month after receiving the Runco CL-710. I realize that I will learn more as I watch more but my experience so far, reviewing familiar material as well as new sources, has been very favorable. I do not see any evidence of a "rainbow effect" or other items sometimes mentioned by critics of single-chip DLP units. Perhaps this is a result of my own individual tolerance, or a result of some of the design improvements of the HD-2 chip and the multi-segmented color wheels. Maybe it is related to a combination of all of the above. If I come up with other significant findings I'll amend this text or add more to the OTHER COMMENTS section which follows (click to continue).