Canon will now scale down its struggling alternative surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) flat panel TV technology since higher costs and lack of earning growth continue to plague the company.
The electronics company will continue research and development into SED, which is seen as a pricey alternative to LCD and plasma, though Canon said it must find ways to reduce the overall cost of production. The company is still unsure how to lower production costs, but the high-resolution screens could still one day find their way into schools and the enterprise.
SEDs provides fast, reliable color accuracy of a CRT, but with the thin design of LCD TVs used today. Toshiba abandoned the project and left Canon with all of the responsibility of developing SEDs -- which it has been unable to do at a reasonable production cost thus far.
Most consumers have likely never heard of SED technology, but Canon first showed interest in the new TV technology back in 1999. The Japanese company partnered with Toshiba, and both companies created a production effort six years ago as they planned to enter the flat-panel TV market -- since then, Sony, Samsung, Vizio, and other more established companies have pushed forward with LCDs.
Canon has found ways to sneak into new markets to generate revenue once every few years, but was unable to find its way into the SED market. After millions of dollars invested into the struggling program, Canon isn't quite ready to throw in the towel for good. Even if Canon isn't ready to let go of the program for good, I think it's only a matter of time before the entire program is closed.
Canon remains prevalent with digital cameras, printers and copiers, but couldn't find a proper way to enter the lucrative TV market.
I have a difficult time believing Canon is serious about still one day producing SED TVs now that LCD and OLED screens are on the market. Some manufacturers still produce plasma screens, but even that technology has become less popular as the industry prefers LCDs and OLEDs.
Furthermore, the benefits of SED have now been outclassed by LCD, with 1,000,000:1 ratio LCD TVs from Sony and others easily beating SED's expected 50,000:1 contrast ratio. If Canon wants to develop its SED business, it must shift gears and try to deal with the technological advances of cheaper, better known technologies.
