Toshiba demos 55-inch SED with 100,000:1 contrast ratio
SED could hold the greatest promise in the world of HDTV, but when? Here at Engadget we get excited about SED because it holds the promise to release us from the compromises we are forced to face today -- we feel like we have to have that big TV hanging on the wall, but miss the great contrast ratios we have enjoyed for years on our CRTs. This week SED inc, the joint effort between Canon and Toshiba, demoed the first SED with a 100,000:1 contrast ratio at the FPD International 2006 in Pacifico Yokohama convention center; previous models we saw at CES were only 50000:1. There is still no solid release date and all indications point to 2008.



















Come on SED! 100,000:1! Wow!
Ths contrast ratio thing is getting ridiculous. I mean, how long ago were we amazed at 1000:1? Could someone even tell the difference between a contrast ratio of 100000:1 and 10000:1? Don't get to excited though, because I suspect next month we'll see 1,000,000:1. And next year, they'll need to start advertising contrast ratios in scientific notation. They won't have room for 1,000,000,000,000,000,000:1, so it will be 1*10^18:1
look at the screenshot... can you see the different?
Beautiful.... and so is the TV.
Numbers aside - if you haven't seen an SED set in person, you have no idea how much better it looks than current flat screens.
Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that it is amazing. But, my point isn't that the technology is too good and that it shouldn't continue improving, rather, the manufacturers are over touting these super-high contrast ratios. I can tell a difference between 500:1 and 1000:1, but the numbers lose their meaning when they get too big.
That's hot.
i must say im rather surprised by this article, from the picture it is clear that there is much more important news to be declared: finally the jessica alba clones are nearing completion, men everywhere rejoice
which one is what left side or right side ?
I wouldn't get too excited by the number "100,000" - there are lots of ways to fudge this. Even if the manufacturer doesn't do it intentionally (some set max brightness and measure the bright state, then re-calibrate the screen to dimmest and use that as the dark state), the room will mess up the measurement. Any light in the room (notice how it is demo'ed in a dark room) will contaminate the dark state and drop the contrast ratio. Even with no lights in the room, the TV will be a light source. It is hard to achieve the same contrast in your house as they can in the lab -- even a flat-black painted room will reflect some light back.
I really hope SED sells at a low price point like they said a year ago. If it's cheaper than LCD and Plasma I might be able to ditch my monstrously large CRT Direct-View HDTV.
2008 should be an interesting year for flat panels. Plasma and LCD will have to deal with competition from SED AND those laser TV's.
100,000:1 seems pointless unless the video source actually contains that much information. Since most media displayed on a HDTV like this is bound to be digital, it's already limited. Sure the black (0 red, 0 blue, 0 green) value is going to be darker on this tv than on a 1000:1 tv, but as other people mentioned, ambient light will reak havoc on contrast anyway...
"I wish my wife dressed up in a slutty pink dress..."
You think that dress is slutty???? What in the world?
So are they just showing an image on there else how is it showing two different brightnesses on one screen?
I'm sure the SED TV looks great but who has a plasma or LCD that really looks like the one on the left. It seems like everytime someone makes a direct comparison like this, they just blast the brightness on the other TV to make it look like amore dramatic difference. Actually, now that I'm looking at it, both images are shown on the same TV, what the hell kind of comparison is that.
SED has been delayed numerous times over the years. If they finally get it selling, perhaps then we can judge.
It is amazing and interesting. Appreciate if you could forward me the product tech. specs.
Best Regards,
K.U. Rai
ok so were not lcd fans
me & 2 friends of mine have been waiting for these bloody s.e.d monitors to hit the market to get new pc's, for cryin out loud , wheres the countdown at now.....
I got to get me a new TV with this technology when it finally hit the market. I have a rear projection CRT and will not replace it with anything until SED TV are available.