As if having to keep track of LCD, plasma, DLP, and OLED display types wasn't enough, Canon's now able to start selling screens using SED, or surface-conduction electron-emitter display technology. Legal wranglings have prevented the tech from making its way into HDTVs, with Canon and Applied Nanotech fighting over patent licensing. Applied Nanotech has now dropped its opposition, clearing the way for Canon to bring SED sets to market.

The SED technology is phosphor-based, working similarly to classic CRT screens. Instead of using a deep picture tube, making CRTs bulky and heavy, SED displays sandwich together a sheet of electron emitters against a phosphor-covered screen. This makes for a set as thick as an LCD, but with the refresh rate and contrast rating of a CRT. Canon and Toshiba demoed the technology two years ago, showing off a 55-inch 1080p screen with a 50,000:1 contrast ratio and 1-millisecond refresh time. Canon has put together a new production method for the sets in the years since, but says its not about to rush SED screens to stores, waiting until economic conditions are more favorable for the HDTV market.