The transparent Smart TVs that were going to revolutionize everything (but they didn’t)

Tech companies are always looking for ways to innovate, surprise us, and make us spend more money. And one of the most surprising trends is that of transparent Smart TVs . They promised to be the revolution and some brands insist on them, but, for now, they are little more than a curiosity. We will tell you what models exist , if they are useful for something and why, most likely, they will never be massively adopted.

The transparent Smart TVs that were going to revolutionize everything

Thinner frames, thinner bodies, higher resolution… Innovation in televisions has focused on improving performance and making them more attractive in terms of design. But, apart from losing weight and strengthening, the jump has not been too much.

Most surprising by far is the trend for transparent televisions.

Samsung introduced a first model some time ago, to show that it is the spearhead of technology. However, apart from that attempt and a couple more, transparent televisions promised to revolutionize the market, but they remain an exotic fad that will not be massively adopted . We explain why.

How are transparent televisions

Samsung OLED transparente

Basically, as the name suggests. Instead of having a screen with a totally reflective and opaque material, the screen is semi-transparent.

Normally, this transparency is between 30% and 40% , so that, when it is off, you see what is behind the screen, at least in part, through a translucent glass.

The truth is that this visual effect is impressive, because it seems that you have a glass sculpture in your living room, instead of the typical black and horrible box that presides over everything. This allows a spectacular integration with the environment and decoration .

When it’s on, it behaves almost like a normal television. The resolutions are identical, can easily reach 4K, and have “good” viewing quality, but are still translucent . That is, the image does not make the screen turned on 100% opaque.

What models of transparent televisions exist

Currently, there are very few models and they are more a demonstration of what a brand can do, than an actual television attempt to market.

Samsung introduced its first transparent OLED display model in early 2016. The truth is that it seemed like something from the future and it was quite impressive, but 6 years later, little else is known about it. LG has also gone in parallel and has always used events such as CES in Las Vegas to show its crazy proposals with this technology. His most recent attempt will be seen precisely at CES 2022, with a new line of translucent screens.

Even Xiaomi dared with this, jumping into the pool and announcing, just over a year ago, the first transparent television for mass production and consumption. His Mi TV LUX is also quite spectacular, also with 120 Hz refreshment.

Even so, the question remains: is this what we hope will revolutionize the television market? Not at all , and we explain why.

Why Transparent TVs Are Not the Innovation We Are Waiting For

LG transparent television

Those of us who are science fiction fans have known transparent screens for a long time.

Both in portable format in the iPad style, and equipping the command bridge of spaceships or cyberpunk computers , they look great in the film. But why they are not going to triumph, or be the future of screens, it is clear as soon as you look at them well for two seconds.

They are a horror from a usability point of view . The experience, both in work and in leisure, is horrible in a short time.

If reflections can be a problem on today’s screens, imagine working with something transparent.

You see part of your face, what is on the screen, what is on the screen in front of you and also the face of your co-worker whom you cannot stand. All the time. Prepare the ibuprofen and glasses, the sight will be destroyed after fixing it for less than an hour and exhausting trying to distinguish what you need from all the visual noise.

And the colors? Impossible for any professional, because color reproduction will never be perfect . In fact, it will never be the least bit decent.

We are with the fact that reproducing pure blacks with opaque OLED screens is one of its biggest points in favor. Well, imagine a screen unable to reproduce any color well, due to the distortion of what is seen from behind, even a little.

I could go on, but transparent screens are not what we expect. Of course, such as advertising screens, marketing curiosity, stands for fairs, corporations in their offices for advertisements, etc., they can have a niche.

But as a screen for mass consumption for work or leisure? No. Unless you want to end up with a headache after watching a movie projected on a gotelé background.