Canon's contender was a surface-conduction electron-emitter display or SED for short.  It debuted at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show to much interest.  The sets looked fantastic.  Since they weren't backlit, they were able to produce some of the deepest blacks ever seen in a television.

But as of today, Canon has announced that the dream is over.  Though Canon was able to produce some impressive displays, they couldn't bring costs down to the point where SEDs could be considered for professional use, let alone home use.