Las Vegas, NV January 11, 2006 – The magic word these days is “flat”.  At least when referencing display screens it is.  There’s flat screen plasma, LCD and the “not-so-completely-flat” flat screen CRT…until now.  In recent years, CRT screens have evolved from a bulky unit with a convex screen to a bulky unit with a flat screen.  Canon and Toshiba have unveiled their latest joint project, the SED flat panel screen.  SED continues where CRT technology left off.  This truly flat panel screen displays images unequaled by plasma, LCD, LED, LcoS, DLP and it’s predecessor, the CRT.

SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display) originally began as a project researched by Canon in 1986 and was later joined by Toshiba for joint development targeted at commercializing the technology.  Toshiba’s CRT technology utilizes the collision of electrons with phosphorus to emit light and create images, just like conventional CRT displays.  Unlike conventional CRT displays, however, SEDs distribute the electron emissions equally across the display surface with Canon’s proprietary electron-emitting and micro-fabrication technology.  Prototypes of 37-inch SED displays have shown no pixilation, crisp images, exceptional contrast and gradation and no background blurring due to foreground movement.

55-inch SED displays will be released in Japan sometime in the first half of 2006.  No official announcements have been made about U.S. availability.

For more information about Canon, visit The Canon Website.  For more information about Toshiba, visit The Toshiba Website.

(BEL is a trademark of Brandywine Electronics, LTD. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.)