Some are hoping that the SED displays will take over from the CRT and give us the contrast we need to accurately adjust video signals. I don’t think you can do that from an LCD with the possible exception of the new Sony monitor I saw at the NAB this year.

In all the mobile units I work in for ESPN and ABC, we always have CRT monitors in Video Control while all the other monitors in the newer trucks are LCD or Plasma.

Canon explains the technology, “Like conventional CRT televisions, the SED utilizes the collision of electrons with a phosphor-coated screen to emit light. Electron emitters, which correspond to an electron gun in a CRT television, are distributed in an amount equal to the number of pixels on the display. In addition to high brightness and high definition, the SED delivers exceptional overall image quality — fast video-response performance, high contrast, high gradation levels — and low power consumption.”

SED as compared to CRT

Toshiba said it will be forced to once again postpone the ramp up of SED (surface-conduction electron-emitter display) TV sets, a project which has been plagued by delays and was originally targeted for retail shipments by the holiday selling season this fall. The major problems are believed to be mostly legal in nature, not technical.

Oh, and that new Sony monitor, the TriMaster BVM-L230 at 22.5 inches, uses LED backlights and looks as good as a CRT. At a price of $25,000.

TriMaster BVM-L230