Ah, transparent TVs. They pop up at CES every year – and look kind of ridiculous every year. We've seen examples from brands including Xiaomi in recent years, but it's always hard to get past the question of how they could prove practically useful for much other than signage. But 2024 could be the year to change that.
Once again, transparent displays are back at CES, but this time we're seeing offering from the likes of big guns such as Samsung and LG. And for the first time ever, I'm wondering if see-through glass displays are about to hit the mainstream. Is it time to start making a (see-through) space in our roundup of the best TVs?
LG's newly announced Signature claims to be the world's first transparent OLED TV, a 77-inch beast featuring 4K resolution and wireless transmission for both video and audio. Impressive demos show what appear to be holographic objects, in one case transforming the screen into a transparent fish tank. As for how LG's offering could work as a TV, 'black screen mode' darkens the display, removing the issue with previous 'transparent' TVs that darker colours simply disappear. But perhaps the most fascinating thing about the LG Signature is that the company
Meanwhile, Samsung has unveiled its own transparent micro LED display, which it claims offers "a clear, unobstructed picture for various use cases in both homes and business environments.” But Samsung's offering doesn't look set to enter consumers' homes any time soon – the company has offered no release window nor pricing intel.
But one thing's clear (sorry) – transparent display tech is only getting more impressive. Those on the ground at CES have been blown away by the brightness and clarity of both LG and Samsung's offerings, with our sister site Tom's Guide calling LG's a showstopper.
Samsung debuts the world's first transparent MicroLED screen at CES 2024 pic.twitter.com/AtEOJ9gEQtJanuary 8, 2024
LG's transparent OLED TV is totally mind-boggling, and it might’ve just won CES 2024 https://t.co/SdfSg8f1ibJanuary 8, 2024
Time will tell whether transparent TVs are set to become a living room mainstay, but with the likes of Apple Vision Pro on the horizon, tech that augments the physical and digital worlds is clearly about to become a lot more ubiquitous.
