The most sought-after TVs dazzle with their picture quality. A new TV just hitting the market has another dazzling feature: a picture you can see right through.
Unveiled earlier this year at the CES show in Las Vegas, the LG’s Signature OLED TÂ ($59,999) offers a futuristic glimpse straight out of movies such as “Minority Report,” where 3D images and video hovered on invisible screens.
The 77-inch display delivers all the best attributes of televisions made using OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) technology including cutting-edge 4K video with vibrant colors and striking contrast. But this new display can also be transparent.
Think of it as a see-through pane of glass that transforms into “a stunning high-resolution display,” said Joseph Akhtarzad, founder and co-owner of Los Angeles area-based Video & Audio Center, which on Wednesday night became the first retailer to begin selling the displays. “It blends into any home environment.”
The 10-inch-deep display screen remains transparent when you don’t want to watch programming. That makes it easier to place in the home.
“Where you want to put a TV in a house is almost always dictated by where is there a wall where you have enough space,” Andrew Sivori, vice president of LG Electronics’ home entertainment division, told USA TODAY. “Transparent OLED … gives you the opportunity to place the TV wherever you want and not have to compromise the aesthetics of the room or your views or anything else about your lifestyle.”
Of course, the pricey new OLED TV will affect your pocketbook. Well-heeled shoppers may need to see it to believe it.
“Until customers see it in person, they can’t even wrap their head around the fact that it can do something like that with the words ‘clear’ and ‘TV’ in the same sentence,” Sivori said.
‘You can see right through’ new LG transparent OLED TV
Video & Audio Center sold at least three of the displays Wednesday night. One of the buyers: actor and comedian Jon Lovitz. He was among the several hundred invited to the unveiling event and came prepared to be wowed.
“They were showing digital art on it. It’s 3D and looks like an aquarium and unlike a TV, you can see right through to what’s behind the television. Then it’s just like a regular LG OLED TV. The picture is beautiful,” he told USA TODAY. “I have a place where there are windows everywhere. I could stick it in front of a window and it won’t block the view.”
Another feature he liked: No cables connected to the display. That’s because the OLED T comes with a Zero Connect Box that wireless transmits 4K video and streaming apps from up to 30 feet away.
For now, the OLED T is available at Video & Audio Center, Best Buy and on LG.com.
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
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