Toshiba Exits SED TVs

Japanese electronics giant Toshiba on Friday said it was exiting the development of SED TV technology. The company revealed that it would let Canon, its longtime partner in developing the technology, buy out its share of the jointly-owned SED, Inc. company formed to deliver the new flat-panels to market. The decision was made only to help SED reach the market, Toshiba says; as Canon faces extended lawsuits in the US over the technology, the involvement of a second company in proceedings would only slow development down.

SED has already experienced numerous delays due in part to the high cost of the technology, which is said to combine the color accuracy and immediate response of conventional tube televisions with the much thinner and more accurate flat panels of LCDs and plasmas. Canon still expects to launch SED sets in Japan by the end of this year and plans a North American release in early 2008.

By Electronista Staff