Toshiba unveils REGZA XV500 -but whatever happened to SED?

Toshiba’s got a big hand in the world’s manufacturing pie these days, with products ranging from notebooks to telephone systems. The new range of LCD’s signal a welcome return to form for the embattled company, who just recently lost their battle for DVD format supremacy against Sony's Blu-Ray.

The XV500 LCD series combines a full HD tuner, HDMI connectivity, a thin bezel styled LCD panel and comes in three distinct sizes; 37” ($2699), 42” ($3199) and 46” ($3699), putting them in line with the costs of other manufacturers.

Although, Toshiba is making a big deal that the new series has full HD plus integrated tuners, this really isn't quite so unique - the LG 42PG60UD offers the same feature.

But for all the claims thrown about by various TV manufacturers, it seems Toshiba’s new XV500 range gets a couple of things right:

- The ability to avoid motion blur with fast motion video known as Clear Frame, which doubles the frame rate to 100 frames per second, or 100Hz. That’s one of the biggest drawbacks with most LCD’s – anything faster than a panning or tracking shot at turtle speed and you’re in big trouble.

- An Ambient Light Sensor technology also allows the 500 series to respond to room light conditions, which means you won’t have to adjust the brightness for best picture quality – the TV will do it automatically for you. A sensor within the unit detects the room conditions and makes the appropriate changes.

All this has us wondering what might have been if Toshiba's SED plans had gotten off the ground.

Toshiba stopped making Plasmas all together in 2004, concentrating their hopes on SED technology, perhaps the next big thing in TV's.

SED TVs (surface-conduction electron-emitter display)are said to boast better blacks and colours, use a thinner form factor and consumes less power than LCDs, giving glowing green credentials to a segment blamed for contributing to significant global warming worries (chiefly in the plasma ranges).

Whilst Toshiba seems to have handed over the SED reigns to Canon , we wonder whether it could have been the magic bullet in the TV space.