Canon cleared to resume work on SED TV (now that the world doesn't care)

We're hard pressed to think of a display-related story that has lingered on longer than SED (well over four years at last count), and believe it or not, this still isn't apt to be the last you hear of it. If you'll recall, Canon recently declared victory after winning a lawsuit against Applied Nanotech that was previously holding it back from making progress, and now Applied Nanotech has waved the final white flag by giving up its right to appeal. Comically enough, it may actually be too late for Canon to even salvage the win, with president Tsuneji Uchida noting that "at times like this, new display products are not introduced much because people would laugh at them." Shh... nobody tell him the world's been laughing at SED for years.

[Via OLED-Display]

[Hackettman @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:42PM]

Wow fail...... I dont see the impact it would have ever made beside power consumption and not even worth it when compared to OLED tech on the horizon.

[EatingPie @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:02PM]

In the immortal words of Luke Skywalker....

"I care!"

-Pie

[Geir E @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:10PM]

Fail?? SED is the size of LCD combined with the quality of CRT. That's win win win to me. And with two competing technologies both better than the current will only drive prices down and quality up.

[Shinigami @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:27PM]

"Prices down quality up" is true only when the prices are low to begin with and quality isn't bad either. In our conditions, I'm afraid, it will have the opposite effect, making SED and OLED technologies "uber premium" with each TV costing more than a car.

The only "prices down quality up" situation I can imagine is having 5 or more companies competing for the market. This didn't happen with LCD too soon, so I don't expect this to happen to SED or OLED any time soon either. If there aren't cheaper alternatives and people buy those products, quality doesn't change, prices don't fall.

But lets hope for the best! :)

[BananaBoat @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:50PM]

I'd be very surprised if Canon dared to release any SED TV's with the state of the economy right now, and the rock bottom prices of flat panels.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:47PM]

I can't see any other tech that will overtake OLED now. Epic Fail. Not At least until next gen tvs.

[Hackettman @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:53PM]

Yeah maybe this will be a good cheapo tv that can handle the resolutions..... Im not that good at resolutions compared from this to lcd or plasma...... I dont think anyone would care to know except canon....... Maybe this whole longing for a win is for smaller screens instead of nicer ones..... Like maybe a canon external SED for the XLR2.....

[Bob-o @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:31PM]

> I can't see any other tech that will overtake OLED now. Epic Fail. Not At least until next gen tvs.

IMOD! Well, once it scales up, and overcomes manufacturing issues, and. . .

http://www.qualcomm.com/qmt/

[bob sakamano @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:49PM]

boom! bazooka joe

[Deputy Doffoos @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:51PM]

"Now that the world doesn't care"
.

Speak for yourself Engadget!
Many of us still wait for that year 2025 launch!

[Johan S @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:52PM]

Umm, if OLED displays don't properly solve the blue lifespan/uneven fading issue (the blues age at a different rate than other colors) problem SED can still win.

Don't count SED out yet.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:57PM]

They have. Its on here somewhere about a week ago.

[Hackettman @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:57PM]

Yeah but its much more likely that efforts to increase OLED usage would outweight sed unless I got the idea of the tech wrong.......

[kjb434 @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:03PM]

Exactly!

OLED is not the panacea many of its backers claim to be. It's very similar to early LCD's and plasma's right now. The picture will fade and will have problems from an immature technology.

SED is rooted in the basic principle of old CRT's (which still technically produce the best color).

SED's is the miniaturization of the CRT technology to produce thin flat panel displays (this is a gross simplification, but still true).

People need to stop drinking the OLED is the best next thing kool-aid and start looking at reality.

[Hackettman @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:09PM]

I dont know that sounds alittle backwards to me........ Ill do some research on my own but OLED tech seems to be a nice tech on the horizon. SED maybe from what it sounds like a tech for professionals for an editing monitor or on set for a lightweight monitor that can be run on a simple genny......

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:18PM]

http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/24/south-korean-scientists-claim-development-of-true-blue-for-ol/

[Hurin @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:52PM]

I really, really wish Engadget would stop referring back to a story they initially misinterpreted and misreported (and have failed to correct or acknowledge such ever since despite multiple emails and comments left in several SED-related stories). Every time SED is ever mentioned here, engadget refers back to a story where they erroneously reported that Canon had abandoned its efforts to lower production costs of SED. Yet the story Engadget cites as a source actually says the exact opposite. It's actually pretty frustrating to see this snarkiness and purported "laughing at SED" when much of the gloom-and-doom attitude towards SED here is a direct result of Engadget's erroneous reporting.

Engadget story initially reporting the "abandonment":
http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/25/sed-televisions-delayed-again-possibly-forever/

3rd-party story upon which this is based:
http://www.reuters.com/article/technology-media-telco-SP/idUST621220070525

What that story actually says:

"Canon cited a prolonged patent lawsuit with Nano-Proprietary Inc. NNPP.OB as a reason for the delay. It is also delaying the launch to develop the technology to cut production costs, a step necessary to compete with LCD and plasma TVs, the company said."

They aren't abandoning the efforts to lower costs. . . they've *refocused* on them. I think a few words got skipped in a hurried reading and the opposite of the actual meaning has been conveyed ever since.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:59PM]

Its practicaly dead. Get over it.

[Hurin @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:10PM]

Wow. Constructive.

Anyways. . . just for clarification of my point. Here's the language from that article with a few "helpful additional words" in brackets to make its meaning even more clear:
http://www.reuters.com/article/technology-media-telco-SP/idUST621220070525

"Canon cited a prolonged patent lawsuit with Nano-Proprietary Inc. NNPP.OB as a reason for the delay. It is also delaying the launch [because it first wants] to develop the technology to cut production costs, a step necessary to compete with LCD and plasma TVs, the company said."

Here's how Engadget misreported it:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/25/sed-televisions-delayed-again-possibly-forever/

"Wait, it gets worse. Not only has the litigation delayed the launch of Toshiba's 55-incher with 100,000:1 contrast, Canon also announced that they've stopped work on the technologies required to bring production costs down to that of LCDs and plasmas."

Clearly, the article Engadget cites is actually stating that Canon is refocusing on lowering costs instead of launching the product. Yet Engadget reports the exact opposite and states flatly that they've "stopped work" on bringing "production costs down." That's just flat-out backwards.

If I seem a little uptight or bitter about this. . . it's because ever since, in several subsequent articles on engadget, any time SED has been mentioned, the person posting it has referred back to this erroneous report of Canon abandoning its efforts to lower costs. And each time I have either posted a polite comment or used the feedback forum to (again, politely) alert them to this ongoing error. Perhaps I give Engadget too much credit for influencing things, but if SED is indeed dead, misinformation like that disseminated by Engadget at *every* opportunity sure didn't help much.

But regardless, I will "get over it". . . though I still hold out hope for SED. And if not SED, then FED. Which had some good news just a few days ago.

Best Regards,

H

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:17PM]

I do know that there is a few roadmaps leading me to believe a few large companys (including sony) are releasing Fed TVs next year. Thats why I believe SEDs are dead considering there pacticaly the same tech with slight changes to the the way pictures are produced. Toshiba were the only Large company to be named to produce the SED tvs and then gave up.

[Distahs @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:12PM]

But SED will have fare better frame rates like CRT's.

[Evan @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:17PM]

The real reason the world doesn't care is because it has become abundantly clear that consumers don't care about color quality. Mass numbers of people pushed and shoved their way through Black Friday crowds to buy flat panel LCD televisions with inferior color quality than the CRTs they are replacing. People are DOWNGRADING to less contrast and color gamut in order to upgrade the size. The only thing that seems to matter to consumers is how big and flat their television is, not how good it looks.

[glenn s @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:03PM]

Not so much. People are replacing old CRTs with faded phosphors and crappy old standard def 4x3 resolution for newer TVs with high def 16x9 resolution. As always, the masses opt for the cheapest TV they can get for any given size, and the more discerning buyers opt for higher quality TVs. A new cheap or mid-range flat panel may not look as good a brand new high def big screen CRT (if you can even find one), but it is still going to look a whole let better than their OLD CRT.

caveat: standard def TV looks really crappy on bad HDTVs with poor upscale technology. So what? SDTV is going the way of the Dodo.

[Wwhat @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:15PM]

CRT's, especially large ones, just take a ton of space and weigh a ton, you need several people to lug them around, to not like that aspect is not the same as 'wanting the thinnest display possible' but more wanting some semblance of manageability.
And then what you can get in the shop is limited while there are no SED/OLED/Etcetera displays yet for a price a consumer can afford.
Plus CRT's have their issues too, and once they show a defect it's hell to get them in and out to repair.

[kal326 @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:29PM]

I opted for 50" DLP after purchasing a 30" 1080i CRT HDTV. I still have the CRT set in my basement as a backup tv with my old receiver and such, I would move it up to my master bedroom, but as you mention the SOB is heavy. My DLP is just over a year and a half old, but at the time it was less then half the price of a 50" 1080p LCD or Plasma. Its a Samsung Slim DLP so its about twice the thickness of the panels of the day. I went with the best picture I could get for the price in both cases. When I bought the CRT, its was $450 and that was in 2005. When I replace my 50" I'll probably get a DLP projector or another DLP rear projection if they are still made. Its still a better bang for your buck then a plasma or LCD TV, OLED isn't even close for now.

[Gremmy @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:41PM]

Evan - those Black Friday shoppers wouldn't know a good picture if it burned their eyes out. True AV fans would never buy that crap. I need a TV for the bedroom but I wouldn't buy one of those POS's to save my life. My Samsung 650 series LCD cost me more than 3 times what any of those shoppers would ever pay.
I think Canon would do fine if they marketed those sets in the $2500-$5000 range. I'd pay it.

[erik @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:25PM]

I think OLED does have the best cards to compete against LCD technology. Plasma is dead.
So many companies set there focus to OLED. Here are 3 reasons why OLED is the NR1!

1.That statement might sound crazy when you consider the price of the Sony XEL-1, but OLED TVs are much easier - and therefore cheaper - to make than their LCD TV equivalents. That because OLEDs can be made from polymers that glow when light is passed through them - eliminating the need for fluorescent tube backlights and other components.

2. OLED TVs can be super-slim

Getting rid of fluorescent tube backlights enables OLED TVs to skinnier that any TVs we've seen before - the XEL-1, for example, is just 3mm thin. Samsung, Sony and others showed off their super-slim prototype as IFA 2008 last August. We're expecting to see more real world examples of sets you can actually buy at CES 2009.

3. OLED TV promises better quality pictures

Because individual pixels in an OLED TV array only light when a current is passed through them, they have much a higher contrast ratio than either of their LCD TV or plasma rivals - black is really black. OLED TVs are also remarkable for their wide viewing angles and complete lack of motion blur or journey - picture quality problems that continue to bedevil its rivals - and also promise greater colour accuracy.

All about OLED Television here:
http://www.oled-display.net/oled-television

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:34PM]

At least next time mention the site you got it from.
http://www.techradar.com/news/television/hdtv/7-reasons-why-oled-is-the-future-of-tv-490243

[andy582 @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:26PM]

I dream of SED. I am a patient nerd.

HDTVs still don't have the black levels/color range/contrast ratios of CRT tubes - SED seemed like it could offer a CRT-caliber HD image for large but slim sets. Don't count them out, they could find a niche.

[Wwhat @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:18PM]

I don't count them out either, on the merit of technology, but when you see how the development gets delayed and delayed you start to abandon hope and go for laughs if nothing else is available.

[Christian @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:02PM]

Me too, ever since I saw them in action at the Toshiba booth of CES (2004 was it? It's been so long, I fogot) I loved the color range and the shades of black on these TVs and they were only demo-ing 720p at that time. Hopefully Canon will make great tvs just like they're great with their SLR cameras.

[Loban @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:54PM]

Anything new in the market that will dethrown LCD as the sales king is good in my book. If OLED or SED become the next big craze for the common consumer, at least they will deserve it. Plasma has been superior to LCD for years and still is, but if it dies, at least there's hope it will be replaced by something that will rightfully take the crown from LCD. I will cry the day Plasma ceases to be produced, I refused to sink so low as to buy LCD. Bring on OLED or SED, HURRY!!!

[Charles @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:51PM]

Why does everyone keep purporting the color range of CRTs? A lot of HDTVs today have a much wider color gamut. Laser? The most ever.

[gt350 @ Dec 2nd 2008 11:47PM]

Having seen SED demoed it truly is a great display, even with the gains of other technologies I still think its best. But people now luv I PODS for sound so does a better picture matter? I hope its made so some of us do want better, and I think it matters.

[superhobo @ Dec 3rd 2008 2:35AM]

I care too :|

[tekdroid @ Dec 3rd 2008 8:51PM]

Proper colours please. SED, I'll be waiting.

[Pytheus @ Dec 4th 2008 12:19AM]

I've been waiting on this! SED or FED, doesn't matter. CRT is still the best picture, remember computer monitors have high resolution and offers way higher contrast then LCD displays. Only advantage LCDs have over CRT is space. SED will bring the best of both worlds together. I don't yet trust OLED tech and its currently overpriced. If they release SED at a price that is competitive with LCD then they have a very good shot. Just seeing one next to a LCD with the same price, people would be crazy not to buy it over an LCD.

[kingu @ Dec 4th 2008 1:36AM]

New display product? Funny joke! HAHAHAHA

[Rob @ Dec 9th 2008 1:49PM]

I'm still morning the loss of my 24" Sony widescreen CRT. :-(

With LCD you can have horrible lag + good viewing angles (MVA, PVA, IPS), or very low lag time + horrible viewing angles (TN). LCD's very nature is compromise. Professional video houses still use CRTs for final production work. My 40" Sony CRT makes my LCD look like a Smurf's idea of cartoonish joke.

I want SED, and the sooner the better. I'll take OLED over LCD, but SED is the real deal. SED will undo this ridiculous 1-step-up/2-steps-back LCD nightmare. True CRT quality with LCD thinness and power consumption. Sign me up, baby!

[MR.Hunter @ Feb 23rd 2009 9:38AM]

nice for share :D
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