You could be watching a transparent OLED TV by 2023

LG transparent OLED
(Image credit: LG)

LG Display has proposed the launch of a transparent OLED TV for consumers to its parent company, LG Electronics, according to a report in TheElec.

The flat panel manufacturer has apparently put forward plans for a new TV with a 55-inch transparent OLED screen intended for the home entertainment market. If approved, the reports suggest that product development will begin later this year, with the potential for release in 2023. 

Transparent OLED screen technology has been around for several years, doing the rounds as prototypes at trade shows, enlivening subway train windows in Beijing and Shenzhen, and even making its way into homes - Xiaomi's Mi TV Lux Transparent Edition became the world’s first mass-production transparent TV last year. 

Xiaomi Transparent OLED

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

LG already produces transparent OLED signage and has been gradually refining the technology to overcome visibility issues in bright environments. Last year the company collaborated with smart glass specialist Gauzy on a transparent OLED, which was unveiled at the International Motor Show in Munich, Germany. The transparent OLED screen features a laminated surface with Gauzy’s Suspended Particle Device tech, which LG says makes it suitable for shifting light conditions and brighter environments such as public transport.

When SPD is switched on, the screen promises crisp visual content while allowing the viewer to see what is behind the display. The technology works by dimming the transparent OLED panel to any desired opacity based on the amount of sunlight it detects. In theory, it can block up to 99 per cent of the light that hits the display, ensuring high contrast, day or night. 

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Mary is a staff writer at What Hi-Fi? and has over a decade of experience working as a sound engineer mixing live events, music and theatre. Her mixing credits include productions at The National Theatre and in the West End, as well as original musicals composed by Mark Knopfler, Tori Amos, Guy Chambers, Howard Goodall and Dan Gillespie Sells.