Although transparent TVs seem like a cool but unnecessary technology, the industry is experts say this is something we could soon see more in public space.
“The most important use case will be commercial for now,” said James McQuivey, an analyst at market research firm Forrester. “Environments like shopping malls, art museums and high-end restaurants want technology that can be inconspicuous if it will not be the center of attention.”
According to manufacturers, businesses can use transparent TVs to display information or menus in a creative way. LG even said that it could be a health partition between workers and guests. And while a sports bar may have a lot of TVs on different channels, a luxury eatery might want exhibits that look more like moving art.
It might feel out of place at a time when most people are at home during the global pandemic, but exhibition manufacturers spend many years developing technological innovations that often do not match market demand, McQuivey said.
“At some point in the distant future, transparent exhibits will be useful for a variety of applications, especially commercial exhibits and perhaps even in limited cases in the home, especially as price points fall and technology improves,” he added.
It is not uncommon for businesses to release technologies without a clear market for them. It’s a way of determining the initial reaction and interest of people, similar to the early days of OLED display technologies.
LG’s move to hide a transparent TV in a bed for its advertising video shows how technology can find a home outside of public spaces, especially to save space by rising and falling from the footboard . “TVs today are usually placed against the wall in the living room – now they can be placed like a room divider or against a large glass window, which will look just like glass when not in use,” said Khin Sandi Lynn. an analyst at ABI Research. “It is an excellent feature for modern smart homes if the price and quality meet the expectations of consumers.”