If there was one piece of technology at CES 2017 that could take us into the future, it would be LG Display. And it's not an electric car, an underwater drone, or a fancy VR headset.
It's a television. And a transparent one at that!
Yes, you read that right – LG Display has built a TV that lets you see what’s behind it. Thanks to the nature of OLED technology (LG’s Forté), which has a much higher light transmittance than a regular LED/LCD panel, they were able to build a screen that looks like a window when it’s off, but can show images when it’s on. The TV, a prototype 55-inch screen, isn’t completely transparent though. The slight opacity means it’s not exactly like looking through glass when it’s closed, but it’s pretty close to it.
LG doesn't have much information about the display, although it did say that the panel has a full HD or 1080p resolution. The lack of 4K is not surprising given that it's a prototype and a higher resolution would limit its transmittance further, making it darker when turned off.
This isn't the first time LG Display has shown off a transparent panel. It introduced an 18-inch display in 2014. Now, at 55 inches, the technology seems to be perfected for living rooms.
As for its use, besides making your home look like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, transparent displays have several commercial applications: They're theoretically perfect as heads-up displays in cars and other vehicles, containers (like refrigerators or vending machines) that could have clear sides, without the need for a control panel, and storefronts.
