Toshiba's SED TV drops out of CES

Toshiba's long awaited SED TV will not be appearing at the Consumer Electronics Show after all.

SED TV, which stands for surface conduction electron emission display, will provide a better picture than LCD or plasma TVs, say Toshiba and its partner Canon. Toshiba also claims that they have managed to cut the manufacturing costs so that the TVs won't cost much more than similarly sized LCDs or plasmas.

Toshiba was going to show off a 55-inch SED TV at CES in January, but then sent a note out on Friday saying they won't be doing that after all. A Toshiba spokeswoman declined to explain the reason for the cancellation but a note sent to people with appointments to see the SED TV at CES said it wasn't due to technical issues. The cancellation may be the result of an ongoing lawsuit over SED between Nano Proprietary and Canon, said a source close to Nano Proprietary.

The two companies have shown off various SED prototypes at CES, Ceatec, a large Japanese trade show, and other conferences. This picture comes from Ceatec in October. The company showed off the 55-inch TV, which is similar to the one that will hit shelves, for the first time in October at Ceatec. At most of these shows, the SED exhibit attracts large crowds.

The TVs have been stung by a series of delays. Toshiba and Canon started working together on SED in 1999 and said that the first TVs would hit retail shelves in 2005. In October, Toshiba pushed out the release again, and said the first SED TVs, a 55-inch TV, would come out in late 2007.