Entering the suite at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, we saw a row of TVs that at first glance were all similar to each other. Looking closer, the differences emerged between QNED and OLED, between the various product categories and the various prices. But only one could you even look through: we could see firsthand LG Signature OLED Twhich with a touch on the remote control transforms into a completely transparent TV.
LG Signature OLED T, we saw through the transparent TV
For those of us who love films and TV series as much as we love technology, entering the LG suite in Las Vegas is a bit like entering Collodi’s Toyland. After a few steps into the room on the sixtieth floor, we find the new ones OLED M4 and G4 di LG, with their perfect contrasts and brightness that has nothing to envy of other technologies. In addition to the new OLEDs from LGwe were also able to admire the top of the range of the line QNED and test what’s new WebOS 24we listened to the new soundbars from LG. But we were all waiting for the big surprise announced at the morning conference: the new LG Signature OLED T, the TV that becomes transparent.
Technology that can amaze
We’re not the only ones eager to see ‘s transparent OLED TV LG. With colleagues in the elevator we only talked about that, and TV has already won cinque Innovation Awards al CES 2024, including the Best Innovation award. So upon entering the suite we immediately looked for it among the lit displays. But LG had prepared the surprise well, which it rightly left last in our short tour.
LG began the demonstration with the “sheet” raised: Signature OLED T looked like another TV like the others, only inserted into a metal piece of furniture instead of hanging on the wall or on a classic stand. Compared to the G4 and M4 models, the brand’s new top-of-the-range OLED models, the brightness was not very high. But the contrast was very good, the colors vivid even in the brightly lit room. Not the best TV in the room, but a good product, on the level of LG’s OLEDs from a few years ago.
But the magic happens with a tap on the remote control. The “sheet” begins to descend, rolling up again in the base of the television. Showing that the perfect blacks of the images were not part of the screen, which instead is transparent. In ten secondsthe classic OLED had become a transparent display: they could see the vase placed behind the screen as if through a window.
A new way of thinking about TV in space
LG and other companies have already presented transparent solutions in the past. Usually, designed above all to impress journalists and customers at trade fairs, or to act as a furnishing element in commercial activities such as shops or restaurants. Instead of separating spaces with a screen, the transparent displays generated continuity: you could see them from both sides. But by adding the unrollable “sheet”, LG has given it a more decisive direction: if from transparent you can watch images from anywhere, when a normal OLED TV returns, films and series can only be seen from one side.
This way, you can use the LG Signature OLED T as a simple television. But you can furnish the wall behind it for when it becomes transparent, or place it in front of a window and continue to see the world outside whenever you want.
Versatility of functions
When you make your TV transparent, you can use it in several ways. It can be a sort of digital showcase capable of showing works of art, videos and photos, creating atmosphere thanks to the function Always-On-Display (AOD). Or you can use it to show a starry sky, a tropical aquarium or an outdoor weather indicator with three-dimensional effects designed by LG (which with an open API will also encourage other programmers to create special effects for this TV).
Also, the function T-Bar allows you to display useful information at the bottom of the screen while the rest remains transparent. News, weather updates or the titles of songs currently playing can be displayed discreetly but effectively. Speaking of songs: LG has created some videos with transparent backgrounds that give the illusion that the singers are in the room with you: a particularly effective solution.
Also because the installation will be discreet, wireless. Thanks to Zero Connect Box and modular design, the TV can be placed anywhere: you connect Blu-Ray players, consoles and any other device to the Zero Connect Box, which will then send the signal wirelessly to the TV.
LG Signature OLED T: a “trade show trick” or a product to buy?
Transparent displays often end up being interesting to talk about for us who visit trade fairs, but not very useful for those who love watching films and TV series – they often don’t even make it onto the market. However, LG has assured us that this TV will be purchasable. We don’t know the price yet (although we imagine it will be important): the Korean company has yet to decide when and how to sell it. But after launching the particular StanByMe displays with great success, he seems to believe that this product will find its market.
The reason for this confidence is that it allows you to take advantage of OLED technology and the new processor α (Alpha) 11 con Artificial intelligence: it’s a full-fledged LG TV. With the possibility of becoming transparent. It won’t be a product for everyone (and for all budgets), but perhaps it will launch a trend that will attract interest. For now, we can’t know if transparent displays will ever succeed. But LG seems to believe that it can become more than a trade show product, and the conditions are there.
What do you think about it? Would you like to have a TV like this at home? Let us know in the comments.
