Toshiba and Canon indicated this week they still expect to start shipment of SED panels (55W) by the third quarter of 2007, despite some setbacks in production. SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display) couples LCD with CRT technologies to create large screen sets that, like super models of a different sort, are both skinny and provide impressive images.
The 55W series, which will probably ship first in Japan, is one of a trio of sizes in development (it's in the mid-size range of the three). Beyond the 55W, additional models are expected to roll out sometime later, and no sooner than 2008. Canon and Toshiba say all models being considered for the marketplace will feature 1080p, according to published reports.
Canon and Toshiba teamed up on SED more than six years ago, but product introductions have been delayed on numerous occasions, including the latest setback in early 2006. Canon says serious mass assembly of SED units is scheduled to get underway by early 2008, prior to the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Suggested price points for the SED units have not yet been disclosed.
