Toshiba manufacture SED panel with 100,000:1 contrast

[welwynnick]

Canon has been developing SED technology for 20 years, and with Toshiba, it's reported they have finally started trial production of 1920x1080 50" panels

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=525928

They are making 3000 a month, though we are hardly likely to see any of those. Full production is due to start next year in higher volumes - they expect to take a big chunk of the plasma market.

Why? Because they have high resolution, good brightness, low power consumption, very fast response, and prototypes have given dark room contrast values of over 8000:1. Good enough. But they have been developing the black response, and now declare a contrast ratio of 100,000:1. Count the zeros.

Are the days of plasma numbered?
On the basis of that, I'd have to say I hope so.

Nick

[gizlaroc]

Yeah, this is the technology that will knock plasma off the top spot, LCD hasn't got a chance, by the time LCD has caught up with plasma SED will have overtaken them both and be laughing in the rear view mirror! :)

[madshi]

There are 2 big problems:

(1) Plasma and LCD have lots of fabs and can produce cheaper every day. SED has to start from the beginning. There's not a single fab yet. They admit that first SED TVs will cost "Ferrari prices". They also admitted that they under estimated how fast Plasma und LCD will drop in price. Long term SED has the potential to get cheap, but they need time to get that far, and time is short in this business, as Plasma and LCD are lowering prices 30% *every single year*.

(2) There are lots of LCD manufacturers and lots of Plasma manufacturers, which all have lots of fabs each. They all produce lots of panels to satisfy the big big global market. How many fabs do Toshiba and Canon have to build to reach the market share they want? I guess they'll have a hard time to bring out SED all by themselves. Maybe they should really think about licensing their technology to other manufacturers, so that they can get enough production capacity.

That said, SED sounds mighty cool. And I really hope Toshiba and Canon will succeed with it. I just think they'll have to put up a really good fight. Especially price wise they'll have a hard time to compete with Plasma and LCD. I mean who will buy SED, if it's only a bit better than Plasma, but twice as expensive?

[neilmcl]

And what is a fab exactly?

[Sprout Crumble]

Fabrication plant. Basicaly the factory.