SED is MIA at CES, but LED, OLED shine brightly

Despite SED being a CES no-show, there was still plenty of new TV technology — ranging from innovative backlights to prototype displays — at the annual consumer electronics expo. 

LED, for example — short for Light-Emitting Diode — was in evidence at several booths. In addition to the potential to boost contrast and increase color saturation, solid-state LEDs have a much longer life (20,000 hours) than conventional bulbs, which typically last about 5,000 hours. Also, the use of red, green and blue LEDs obviates the need for a color wheel in DLP sets, which can cause color streaks known as the rainbow effect. 

Samsung, which was one of the first companies to use LEDs (in a rear-projection DLP set), showed three new Slim DLP sets with PhlatLight LED backlights (including the 87-series model pictured above). NuVision, which also offered an LED-lit microdisplay model last year, showed a new line of Deep Black LED TVs 52 inches and larger. Other LED backers included Sony, which had both an 82-inch prototype LCD TV with LED backlighting, plus a $33,000 LED-backlit 70-inch KDL-70XBR3 Bravia model it will actually sell, and JVC, which uses LEDs as backlights in both a 37-inch LCD TV and an LCoS rear-projection set. LED was also in evidence at Proton's booth (32- and 42-inch LCD models), while Philips said it would be using LEDs to power its Ambilight technology (but not its TVs). 

Another promising type of backlight, using lasers, wasn't quite as prevalent, but was part of demonstration at a few companies' booths. Sony, for example, showed a 52-inch SXRD rear-projection TV with a laser light engine, and Mitsubishi said it would sell a rear-projection model with a laser backlight later this year. The company has previously shown laser-lit front projectors.

Taking a different tack was Panasonic, which unveiled a new type of lamp technology called LIFI, which will be rolled out in its LCZ- and LCX-series rear-projection LCD TVs, in 50-, 56- and 61-inch screen sizes. In addition to near-LED life expectancies, LIFI — essentially a tweaked version of the High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps used in some luxury cars — boasts very short start-up times compared to conventional bulbs and lamps, and it can be implemented at a lower cost than LED.

As for SED, the technology — which promises CRT-level color and black levels from a panel as flat as an LCD — was a no-show, no doubt due to the dissolution of the joint venture between Canon and Toshiba, its primary backers. Just a week ago, Canon agreed to buy out Toshiba's share of their joint venture, leaving manufacturing in question (as Toshiba was expected to handle mass TV production). It was unclear at CES what Canon's plans were for SED rollout, which was originally slated for 2008, although some reports have said that it's possible some sets could ship in Japan at the end of this year. Canon will likely manufacturer SED-based TVs in small volumes until it finds — or builds — a mass-production factory if the technology seems commercially viable.

The other promising display technology, OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) had a better showing at CES, especially in Sony's booth where a beautiful 27-inch TV prototype was on display — and it was thin enough to send most LCD TVs scurrying off to Jenny Craig. There was also an 11-inch model and dozens of smaller displays at the Sony booth. LG also had a few 2.2-inch OLEDs on display at its booth, and both Sony and Samsung recently announced they would soon begin mass production of smaller-sized OLEDs, which are used in cell phones, digital cameras and other handheld devices. The engineering challenge is making them bigger and longer lasting for use in larger products, such as TVs.

— James K. Willcox

—Marc Perton