CES is always home to some of the most interesting tech concepts around, and for several years transparent screen tech has been one such concept.
Transparent displays aren’t new, but they have been typically shown as concept ideas rather than actual products you could buy – LG is changing that at CES 2024, announcing a transparent television you’ll be able to buy.
I had a chance to get an early look at the LG Signature OLED T ahead of the CES 2024 show floor opening and it certainly makes a strong first impression that is visually very impressive. But I still can’t see this being much more than a gimmick in the long run.
LG claims this is the first wireless transparent OLED TV and it combines both a 4K OLED display with wireless audio and video transmission tech for a very sleek overall package. However, it is worth noting that the product shown in the images are not considered final, and LG reps told Trusted Reviews that the design has not yet been completely finalised. For instance, the final product might not ship with the shelf accompaniments you can see above and below.
One of the standout features of the Signature T is a contrast film that can be raised and lowered to change the TV from looking like a traditional OLED to one that showcases the transparent effect. I saw this demoed ahead of the Signature T’s debut and the effect is certainly eye-catching.
As the contrast film rolled down, the transparency effect made certain content look a lot more immersive and there were times I was shocked by just how strong the depth effect created was. It doesn’t really come across that well in images or video, and this is something that needs to be seen in person.
One of the demos, for example, showed singer Anne-Marie performing. As the contrast film rolled down, the black background disappeared and she sat against the wall the TV backed onto. Here, the transparency effect shone. These kinds of technologies always look good in very rigid demos though, and I am not fully convinced whether it will turn out to be more than a gimmick for anyone more than someone who wants a TV that stands out more than the rest of the best TV market.
“An incredible feat of consumer-driven innovation, LG Signature OLED T offers brand-new screen experiences plus the picture quality and performance of our award-winning OLED technology,” said Park Hyoung-sei, president of the LG Home Entertainment Company in a press release announcing the TV. “LG’s transparent OLED gives customers greater freedom to curate their living spaces, completely redefining what’s possible and pointing the way to an exciting future for the television industry.”
LG reps said during the briefing that the Signature T can display artwork and various always-on elements like sports scores and news when the TV isn’t being used and the WebOS software has been tweaked, moving most of the content further down the screen so you can easily see the wall behind it.
At the time of writing, LG hasn’t announced pricing nor any release details for the Signature T. Considering the tech at play here, it’s certainly not going to come cheap.
