Transparent LCD Displays

Version imprimable

By Neil O'Sullivan
 
Samsung's new Transparent LCD Displays are set to transform the digital signage world.
 
Samsung Electronics has just released an exciting new display technology which has the potential to revolutionise digital signage. The company has announced that it has begun mass production of Transparent LCD Displays.
 

 
Other companies have been experimenting with transparent display technology but Samsung is the first to get theirs to mass production. Unsurprisingly, the company has been guarding the technology behind the display jealously, and as yet only a limited amount of information has been released.
 
The 22” version is about to go into mass production, and a 46” model has also been developed. Both operate using ambient light, without the need for backlights. The displays can operate during the day, and even at night, using only minimal ambient light. This is made possible through the use of a specially developed diffuser plate and a transparent wave guide that adopts light from LED light sources. The fact that ambient light, such as sunlight, is the primary light source means that the displays consume considerably less energy than older technologies. The company states that the displays use 90% less electrical power than conventional LCD panels.
 
The 22” panels will be available in both black & white and colour versions. Both types have a contrast ratio of 500:1 with WSXGA+(1680*1050) resolution. The monochrome version has a transparency rate of 20% and the colour version 15%. This compares with only 5% transparency rate for conventional LCD panels which use backlight units.
 
This high transparency rate enables a person to look right through the panel like glass. This gives it the potential to be used in some very exciting digital signage applications. Retailers could deploy the technology in their shop windows as an advertising tool. Passers-by will still be able to see the retailer’s products through the glass, and this will mean that digital advertising campaigns can be integrated with traditional physical window displays to create a truly dynamic and engaging advertising platform.
 

 
It will be up to the deployers of the displays to think of innovative ways to exploit the technology, but a fewa pplications instantly come to mind. For instance, if the displays are used as outdoor advertising, they could exploit their setting to a far greater extent than traditional screens. They could be placed in front of famous landmarks, and engaging on-screen presentations could seem to interact with the real-life sights which are still visible through the screen. This could take on-street augmented reality to a new level.
 
Interactivity is something no digital signage provider can afford to ignore, and Samsung has also been able to integrate touch technology into its displays. This will make the displays attractive to corporations and schools, as they can be used as an interactive communication device.
 
The panels incorporate the High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) and the Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, to make them simple to deploy. The 22” version is also portable, and can operate by battery without the need to be always connected to a power supply.
 
The production of the 22” display is only the first step in transparent display technology. In time, displays in other shapes and sizes will no doubt be developed, integrating all the technologies that are becoming standard in digital signage: multitouch capacity, augmented reality and mobile interactivity. But while other companies may eventually follow, Samsung is determined to lead the pack.
 
Younghwan Park, a senior vice president of Samsung Electronics LCD Business, commented: “Transparent displays will have a wide range of use in all industry areas as an efficient tool for delivering information and communication. With the world’s first mass production of the transparent LCD panel, Samsung Electronics plans to lead the global transparent LCD market by developing various applications.”
 
Samsung’s Transparent LCD Displys were one of the highlights of DIGITAL SIGNAGE EXPO 2011.