No SED? Don't worry here comes the FED!

End of October, the manager of the IT Peripherals division of Sony Europe, Mark Lufkin, made a very sad announcement: Sony would progressively leave the LCD monitor market. Today, Sony's computer displays are almost nowhere to be found.

So can you image how we felt when we heard the following press release of Sony Japan: they are back with a new technology for flat monitors named FED. If it rings a bell and sounds like SED, don't worry it is absolutely normal: the two technologies are apparently extremely close. The only difference is that FED will be only intended to computer monitors at first. The first prototype of the kind is a 19.2'' monitor with a resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels (4/3).The monitor brightness is 400 cd/m² and its contrast ratio 20 000:1 !

Like SED, the functioning principle of FED is closer to the CRT than LCD monitors but with the thinness of the latter. Hundreds of thousands of micro guns (in shape of cones instead of nano-slits for SED) emit electrons that will hit phosphorus and produce light and colors.

The improvements announced are multiple and really exciting:

zero afterglow, or as much as the CRT (the picture unveiled shows a similar screening to the CRT, screening that helps getting rid of the retinal persistence that is problematic for LCD monitors)

much nicer images with a record contrast ratio and extreme deep black,

exceptional brightness uniformity

low power consumption.

The first monitors are scheduled to be released in 2009 – at best according to the manufacturer. Sony won't probably start the production with 19.2'' monitors like the one presented today at the Japanese Display 2007 show, but rather with 24 or 26''; full HD (1920x1080) displays. This technology will also probably enter their TVs later.

One last detail for those of you who fear that this technology might never be released: Sony said that their R&D department was working on it since 1999. This is one more reason to hope that the manufacture will not drop the technology at the last moment...

PS: as regard to the document published with the graphic, we are just like you and haven't understand everything that was written in it.