Your next TV display may be transparent… if LG Display manages to make its Smart Bed 55-inch Transparent OLED display a common product in most homes.

LG Display will showcase a glimpse of the future with Transparent OLED at CES 2021. The company has applied its cutting-edge transparent OLED displays to objects and situations that people encounter on a daily basis, thereby presenting an upgraded lifestyle of the future. While some of the uses of transparent OLED are not related to the Media & Entertainment industry, the technology applied suggests how displays are evolving.

LG Display applied the world’s first transparent OLEDs for subway train windows in China, last August, and hope to expand its use to major subway stations in cooperation with railroad companies and subway train glass manufacturers. Transparent OLEDs are gaining interest not only from mobility customers in the areas of self-driving cars, airplanes, and subways, but also from sectors such as smart home and smart building industries. As OLEDs are self-emitting with no need of backlights, they are able to produce a maximized transparency rate.

AT CES 2021 LG Display will demonstrate how the company’s 55-inch Transparent OLED display can be applied to a subway train in a Metro Zone. While on board a virtual train carriage, passengers may look outside through the transparent display that has replaced a traditional window. Its high transparency enabled by OLED means passengers can still enjoy the passing scenery while viewing clear information such as subway line maps, weather information, and other news.

A 55-inch Transparent OLED display at home

According to global consulting firm Prescient & Strategic Intelligence, the transparent display market is expected to grow at an average rate of 46 percent annually and reach $4.93 billion by 2024.  “The application of transparent displays will become more diverse,” said Dr. Chang-ho Oh, Senior Vice President & Head of the TV Business Unit at LG Display. “LG Display aims to supply products to a wide range of industries in line with its vision as the leading display solution provider.”

One of LG Display’s most exciting and practical Transparent OLED products that will be on display at the company’s online showroom is a Smart Bed featuring a frame that can be moved to the foot of a bed of the user’s choice, that will be one of the highlights at the Smart Home Zone area. At the push of a button, the Smart Bed’s 55-inch Transparent OLED display rises from its frame to show information or TV contents in various screen ratios without compromising its clear image quality that does not rely on backlights.

With immersive Cinematic Sound OLED (CSO) embedded in the frame, there is also no need to clutter bedroom space with external speakers. In addition, the Smart Bed display’s movable frame can easily be taken to various locations in a house to serve the diverse needs of users.

Better transparency than LCD

LG Display is also offering a game-changer to its customers at CES 2021 in a Restaurant Zone, where a sushi bar can utilize a 55-inch Transparent OLED display to deliver information with clear image quality while benefiting from high transparency to maintain a connection between people on both sides of the screen. As guests wait for their order, they can watch a movie or TV program, while at the same time viewing the chef preparing their food on the other side of the display. This innovative product naturally stands out more in the contactless era as it can not only act as a partition but also serve up some fun.

“Transparent OLED is a technology that maximizes the advantages of OLED and can be used in various places in our daily lives, from stores, shopping malls, and architectural interiors to autonomous vehicles, subway trains, and aircraft,” said Jong-sun Park, Senior Vice President & Head of the Commercial Business Unit at LG Display. He added, “It will grow into a next-generation display that can change the existing display paradigm.”

The company’s Transparent OLED realizes 40% transparency, providing clear image quality while being crystal clear like glass compared to the existing transparent LCD with only 10% transparency. With its superior transparency, Transparent OLED can be used in various fields such as smart homes, smart buildings, and mobility, including autonomous vehicles, aircraft, and subways. LG Display, the only transparent OLED manufacturer in the world, says the company is seeing growing demand for Transparent OLED from these industries.