Toshiba challenges plasma and
LCD with SED panel
Toshiba Canon SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display)
The product: It's not officially a product yet, meaning Toshiba didn't announce final pricing or availability, but on paper, SED, codeveloped with camera maker Canon, looks promising. A flat-panel display technology, SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display) uses phosphors activated by an electron emitter, just like standard CRT tube televisions. Supposedly, the result is tube-level picture quality in a flat form factor. Details were sketchy, but the first model should be 50 inches in size and have full 1,920x1,080 resolution.

• SED technology
• 50-inch flat-panel HDTV
• 1,080 resolution

The prospects: First-generation 50-inch SED sets could go on sale as early as the end of 2006. Prices are sure to be very high at first, a bit higher than the biggest-screen LCDs (more than $10,000). The stakes are also high; if the technology catches on, it could well challenge LCD and plasma, which currently don't quite approach CRT-level image quality.

By David Katzmaier, senior editor, CNET Reviews