Sony Corp. has introduced a new technology for television that uses 55 million LEDs to create a sharp and clear image that, according to Sony is far superior to traditional LCD displays.

Sony introduced the revolutionary new television at the company's press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show. The prototype Crystal LED TV is Sony's big gamble to push its flagging television sales. With other television manufacturers like Samsung and LG focusing on big-screen OLED displays, Sony is betting on its own Crystal LED technology will trump other displays.

"Your eyes will pop, your mouths will water, and you'll tell your friends: I have seen the future-and it's a Sony," Harold Stringer, Sony CEO said at the trade show.

The Crystal LED display works by using a layer of tiny light emitting diodes to produce the image. Think of the huge JumboTrons found at stadiums and advertisements but with the light bulbs shrunk to fit into a television set. The benefit is that the Crystal LED display like the competing OLED technology doesn't need a backlight like LCD displays. Sony has mounted the six million microscopic lights on the display itself. This technique results in greater light efficiency and a higher contrast of images in both light and dark viewing conditions. The Crystal LED screen also produces a wider color gamut because of the way the system uses the red, green and blue lights to create color. The new screen also has wider viewing angles compared to LCD and plasma displays.

Sony could also produce thinner television sets with the Crystal LED display and because each pixel can be turned off when it's not needed the display can respond faster than LCD displays.

For now the Crystal LED display is just a prototype and there's no guarantee when the product will hit the market. Company officials said Sony is working on developing the displays and pushing them into the market in the next few years. If that happens Sony's Crystal LED display could be in direct competition with Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics both of which are pushing OLED or organic light-emitting diode screens. Sony has produced an 11-inch OLED television in 2007 but was unable to make bigger sizes due to production costs. Samsung and LG have both announced plans to release 55-inch OLED television sets in 2012.