After the Smoke Clears, There?s SED

New video display technology developed by Canon and Toshiba at CES

By JD Mars

Image courtesy of Canon

There?s a new sheriff in town ? in Las Vegas, that is, at CES.  He was there for a visit, and he was just the prototype.  We won?t see him again in these parts til late 2006, early 2007.

His name is SED, and he?s a new display technology jointly developed by Canon and Toshiba.  When he does come back to stay, he?ll be the law when it comes to video displays.  He?s that bold, that vivid, with video-response performance that is unequalled by plasma, LED, LCD, LCoS, DLP, or even CRT ? that?s right, even CRT ? because SED technology picks up in a large screen format where CRT left off.

What?s that you say? CRT? But CRT is big and bulky, and if it existed in a 55? form factor its depth would extend from the wall to the middle of my living room.

Come with me as I recreate the CES journey that changed my viewing experience forever ? or at least until the next significant development. I can?t, however, imagine display technology getting much better than this.

Skip Back in Time, to CES
Prior to the CES show, I received an insider tip regarding SED technology. I sought out the Canon exhibit to verify this, and found a somewhat secretive section of their booth ? no big fanfare, just a sign mentioning SED technology, and a line of people (who must also have heard insider tips prior to the show) waiting to shuffle in to a dark enclosed space to see a short demo.

Image courtesy of Canon

We shuffled into the SED theater to max capacity. There were three SED displays, each 37?, which was the size that Canon had developed as a prototype. We came, we saw, we shuffled out. Everything is different now. The display was indeed that crisp, with no pixilation, excellent contrast and gradation, with none of the background blurring that occurs when there?s foreground movement on the screen. It was remarkable. 

Afterwards, I returned to the plasma screens I had revered, and immediately saw the difference I had not imagined could exist. I had walked through the show gazing at the gamut of displays, impressed by the best of them. Now, I must wait til 2007, for SED. Canon claims that the price point will be comparable to plasma, which is currently still the highest priced option in the marketplace. If nothing else ? if we still can?t afford a plasma-like price tag ? we might just enjoy a drop in price in all existing technologies.

Image courtesy of Canon

The Science
SED stands for ?Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display.? Canon began SED research in 1986, and in 1999 began joint development with Toshiba aimed at commercializing an SED product. Based on a new type of low-power, flat-panel display technology, SED merges Canon's proprietary electron-emission and micro-fabrication technologies with Toshiba's CRT technology and mass-production techniques for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and semiconductors.

As stated by Canon: Like conventional CRTs, SEDs utilize the collision of electrons with a phosphor-coated screen to emit light. Electron emitters, which correspond to an electron gun in a CRT, are distributed in an amount equal to the number of pixels on the display.

What to Do
A 55? SED display will be released in Japan some time in early- to mid-2006. Planning a trip to Japan? If not, you?ll just have to wait. A Christmas gift idea for 2006? We can only hope. Fortunately, this is something worth waiting for.

JD Mars is a well-known pro-audio industry writer, and the owner of the technical and marketing communications firm, The Word Wizards (www.thewordwizards.com).  He is also a home theater design and installation consultant via his company, Sierra Home.