According to Toshiba the Surface-conduction Electron-emitter (SED) Display combines the slim, flat panel lines of LCD and plasma with the superior performance characteristics of a CRT. The SED, created through joint work between Toshiba and Canon, is touted as offering high brightness, contrast and color graduation as well as fast video response and low power consumption.

At this years Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Toshibas display included an SED theater with 36 inch on display to saw the display were impressed with these new screens which combine the best of CRT technology performance with the sleek dimensions of LCD and Plasma.

According to Canon’s description of the new technology, the advantages of SED over other display technologies include:

• Vivid color images surpassing the quality of other display technologies
• Exceptional overall image quality
• Fast video response performance
• High contrast
• High graduation levels
• Low power consumption - two-thirds that of PDPs as well as bettering CRTs and LCDs.

Some performance figures which back up these claims are:

• Response time : inferior to 1 ms
• Contrast ratio : 100,000:1 (brightness is of 400 cd/m²)
• Viewing angles : complete, 180° in each directions.

Canon attribute the exceptional image quality achieved to the self-emitting (phosphor-coated) screen. The SED was created through the combination of Canon’s proprietary electron-emission and micro fabrication technologies with Toshiba’s CRT technology and mass-production technologies for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and semiconductors.

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 a 1:1 direct proportion to the number of pixels on the display.

On March 8, 2006 Toshiba Corporation and Canon Inc. announced that they expected to start the first stage of mass production of SED panels in July 2007 and launch SED TVs in the 4Q of calendar year 2007. The companies stated their intention to resist commoditization and to establish SED TV as the technology of choice for high-definition, high-image-quality television viewing.