While transparent TVs may seem like a cool but unnecessary technology, the industry is experts say they are something we could see more in public spaces soon.
“The main use case is going to be commercial for now,” said James McQuivey, an analyst at market research firm Forrester. “Environments such as shopping malls, art museums and luxury restaurants will want display technology that can be unobtrusive when not in the center of attention.”
Manufacturers say companies can use transparent TVs to creatively display information or menus; In fact, LG said it can act as a health barrier between employees and guests. And while a sports bar may have many TVs on a variety of channels, an upscale eatery might want displays that are more like moving art.
This can get out of step at a time when most people are at home during the global pandemic, but display manufacturers are spending many years developing technological innovations that often seem out of sync with market demand, McQuivey said.
“At some point in the distant future, transparent displays will be useful for a variety of applications, especially commercial displays and perhaps even in limited cases at home, especially as prices fall and technology improves,” he added.
It is not uncommon for companies to release technologies without a clear market. This is a way to gauge people’s initial response and interest, similar to the early days of OLED display technologies.
LG’s move into hiding a transparent TV in a bed for its promotional video shows how the technology was able to find a home away from public places, especially to save space by moving up and down the footboard. “Today, TVs are usually placed against the wall in the living room – now it can be placed as a room divider or against a large glass window, which only looks like glass when not in use,” said Khin Sandi Lynn, an analyst at ABI Research. “It’s a cool feature for modern smart homes when the price and quality meet consumer expectations.”