Samsung Introduces Completely Solar-Powered, Transparent TV | Hacker News Reader

Samsung Introduces Completely Solar-Powered, Transparent TV

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96 pointsmromano29 comments

Before a bunch of people comment on how useless this is or why would you want that, think about the next time you are walking through a mall. See how many TVs and LCDs you see. Now imagine all those powered by the ambient light in the mall instead of conventional sources. That's why this is going to be cool and useful, not for your living room.

I'm not sure which of two things you mean [EDIT: perhaps both], but neither of them seems to make sense.

1. "All those LCDs and TVs won't need to be backlit; they'll just use whatever light there was behind them." By definition, if you do that then they can't be brighter than whatever was behind them; and unless what's behind them is nice and uniform, you won't be able to see them clearly. This just isn't going to look good enough for the purposes most of those displays are there for.

2. "We'll power the LCDs and TVs photoelectrically, using the ambient light." Then you'll need a large area of photovoltaic cells to power them, somewhere that was well-illuminated but black. You could save more electricity by painting that area white instead and reducing the lighting slightly.

That looks great if they can make it into windows panes - the outside of the glass is the solar panel and the inside can play video. Make it transparent on whim. Make it opaque to block out the sun.

Make funny shadows. Show weather forecast. Fill it with black and put a moon there during the day.

You could have such a sweet GPS interface in your car with this in the windshield.

Pending any safety issues being resolved.

I would just hope that I don't get a virus that turns my windshield black.

nah, viruses would be novel. They'd throw random images of people running across the road in front of you, instead

Some pictures/video here:

http://inventorspot.com/articles/samsungs_latest_transparent...

A camera in the back and some video tools could make for some really awesome desktops. Seeing a virtual Godzilla stomp around the city would be so cool. Bonzi Buddy 2020.

Great example of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should".

It's an interesting technology, but besides making CNNs coverage of elections more X-treme, who is going to use this?

I, for one, would superimpose some blue skies and nice fluffy clouds upon rainy afternoons... And big, silvery dirigibles. Always liked those.

Notice the background is very clean - most real windows will show you buildings and trees. If, however, that could be combined with "privacy glass", specially if you could make the glass less transparent on a pixel-by-pixel way, then I would consider changing all my windows.

A bar can now pave every square inch of surface with tvs - the ceiling, the tables, the floor. Another great example of what Can be done.

It's just a stunt at this point, yes, but it's very pretty.

It seems to me like most people commenting here see this as transparent TV instead of seeing it as futuristic window that displays stuff !

I'd like to have this kind of stuff on certain windows, and not as a replacement for a TV, that big piece of furniture that sits in a living room.

It's a bit like "surfaces" by Microsoft. It's not really about turning computers into tables, but it's about turning tables into amazing futuristic furniture (that are extra useful).

Anyone know if LG's has solar-poweredness? This mentions nothing along those lines: http://justinireland.com/lg-transparent-lcd/ via http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2266954

I love the future. Hopefully this won't go the way of the OLED and be way too expensive for practical use. I know it's only a matter of time, but I want this now! There are so many interest problems that a technology like this one could be applied in solving.

Another story on it, since this one isn't working for me: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/03/samsung-unveils-see-...

Looks like it's not actively backlit? Way cooler than it has any right to be, at least in the daytime. Brightness is automatically directly proportional to the light coming from behind! Wonder what they have planned for night.

Maybe you could have thin LED strips on the sides to side-light it?

Obviously incredibly cool, but at the same time, how often do you want to see what is behind your monitor? Other than storefront windows and cars I would think it would be distracting to have everything be transparent.

But it is very, very cool.

If its cheaper, that would drive adoption lots of places that don't have tv. E.g. Africa, dorm rooms, shower stalls...

The only thing behind my monitors is blank white walls, so it's no problem for me.

Yup. This is what I want at my desk.

Now I just need to find a great window with a view :)

How long before some guy is caught watching porn on the window.. ?

Seriously though, there really isn't much privacy if all of your screen watching is clearly visible to anyone walking by on the street.

Seeing how they marketed LED TV, it might be possible they put a camera at the back of it, and mixed the images. Here is the transparent TV :)

I'd love this. I would put them in my kitchen (white walls, well lit) and run the power cable out to my deck. Handy.

Clever, take a lcd panel, remove the backlighting and put semi-transparent solar panels one or both sides.

Why would you see behind your TV while watching a movie ?

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