A nano-emissive display, also known as an NED, is a new type of nanotube technology that may one day revolutionize the way video and other electronic displays work. The first nano-emissive display was developed by Motorola and unveiled in 2005. Once it reaches the mass market, a nano-emissive display is expected to provide superior quality in a number of different ways to display technologies currently available.
The nano-emissive display is said to have a better quality, durability and economics than most traditional forms of display technology. Combining these three factors into one product is considered the triple crown of display technology and may offer the company that is able to mass produce a product a significant market advantage over other technologies. Its quality features include more accurate colors and a high quality brightness that allows for easy viewing, all while doing so with less energy consumption than plasma, LCDs, or traditional displays.
Some say that these televisions could last longer than 12 years under normal use, which is a fairly good lifespan for televisions with newer displays. Many do not keep televisions that long. Therefore, for most users a new television featuring a nano-emissive display, when available, will last as long as they would likely want it to.
A nano-emissive display takes the carbon nanotubes and grows them directly on the glass of the display system. According to Motorola, this enables the displays to be very energy efficient in the way they emit electrons, which causes the visible display by lighting up colored phosphers. Motorola’s use of carbon nanotubes showed a practical video use of the technology at a time when many openly wondered if it had such a use.
Though early predictions after Motorola’s unveiling of the technology in 2005 had the technology being massed produce for television use within a few years, that did not prove to be the case. However, the practical, or at least the economical benefits, have been harder to realize. As the technology improves, there are likely to be more options for products using a nano-emissive display.
However, since 2005 even more advancements have been made using other technologies such as organic light emitting diodes. These newer technologies may grab the attention of electronics companies and developers as this market is very competitive. Depending on the development of these other technologies, the nano-emissive display may be outdated, at least in some applications, before it even gets on the market.