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Xiaomi aims for high art with world's first mass-produced transparent TV

By Paul Ridden
August 12, 2020
Xiaomi aims for high art with world's first mass-produced transparent TV
The 55-inch transparent OLED TV goes on sale in China from August 16
The 55-inch transparent OLED TV goes on sale in China from August 16
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Xiaomi says its transparent TV offers an "unprecedented visual experience"
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Xiaomi says its transparent TV offers an "unprecedented visual experience"
When it's powered off, it's just like a fancy window between you and whatever there is behind, though it can show digital art if desired
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When it's powered off, it's just like a fancy window between you and whatever there is behind, though it can show digital art if desired
The 55-inch transparent OLED TV goes on sale in China from August 16
3/5
The 55-inch transparent OLED TV goes on sale in China from August 16
The 10-bit panel can display over a billion colors, and boasts a 120-Hz refresh rate and 1-ms response time
4/5
The 10-bit panel can display over a billion colors, and boasts a 120-Hz refresh rate and 1-ms response time
The 5.7-mm-thick OLED panel slices into a rounded base
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The 5.7-mm-thick OLED panel slices into a rounded base
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China's Xiaomi has launched a new TV as part of the 10th anniversary celebration that also saw the announcement of the Mi 10 Ultra smartphone. The Mi TV Lux Transparent Edition brings sci-fi into the living room with an edge-to-edge self-luminous television that you can see through.

We've seen a few transparent televisions and screens from industry big hitters like Samsung, LG and Panasonic over the years, but Xiaomi says its Mi TV Lux Transparent Edition is the first to go into mass production.

The 55-inch OLED panel is just 5.7-mm thin and sits on a rounded base and, when the TV isn't powered on, the display looks like a window between you and whatever is behind it – though it can be set to show arty display images if desired. But Xiaomi is promising an "unprecedented visual experience" when it's switched on, with "extra rich blacks and unmatched brightness."

Indeed, the reported static contrast ratio is 150,000:1, with an "infinite dynamic contrast" waiting in the wings. The 10-bit panel can display over a billion colors, supports 93 percent of the DCI-P3 color spectrum, boasts a 120-Hz refresh rate and 120-Hz MEMC technology for smooth, clear moving images, and a 1-ms response time for low latency onscreen gaming.

The 10-bit panel can display over a billion colors, and boasts a 120-Hz refresh rate and 1-ms response time
The 10-bit panel can display over a billion colors, and boasts a 120-Hz refresh rate and 1-ms response time

AI Master Smart Engine and custom MediaTek processing brains make use of more than 20 optimization algorithms for image refinement, while AI Master for Audio auto adjusts the sound depending on the content being played, and there's Dolby Atmos support too.

The Mi TV Lux Transparent Edition goes on sale in China on August 16 (there's no mention of international availability as yet) for RMB 49,999 (about US$7,200).

Source: Xiaomi

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11 comments
Paul Ridden
Paul Ridden
While Paul is loath to reveal his age, he will admit to cutting his IT teeth on a TRS-80 (although he won't say which version). An obsessive fascination with computer technology blossomed from hobby into career before hopping over to France for 10 years, where he started work for New Atlas in 2009. Now back in his native Blighty, he serves as Managing Editor in Europe.

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11 comments
mediabeing
Why oh why weren't we show this TV in standard presentation mode? Mighty suspicious.
Username
Apart from a cool factor, I don't see an advantage.
DavidB
I wonder what algorithms, run on what processor and where, determine what parts of a broadcast image should be displayed and what parts should be transparent. On the information in the article alone, I assume this would require some very special video techniques.

Cool, sure, but also mostly useless, it would seem.
jettex
Definitely a cool factor username. With this technology there are more possibilities toward 3D without the glasses I would think. What if there were a couple or more screens lined up (certain distance apart perhaps) that could create this. Sei dong? (Who knows?) I say bring it on and down the road we will hear if this TV works as promised. $7,200 is out of my reach (wife you know) but there will be buyers here.
Signguy
A clear screen; why?
aksdad
Of course the "extra rich blacks" and "infinite dynamic contrast" are only available in a completely dark room. Black is the absence of light (and color). You display black on a convemtional OLED display by turning off the LEDs so what you see is the dark, nearly black background of the display.
Booleanboy
I suppose it's one way of making sure the cleaner doesn't 'forget' the pile of dust and dead flies accumulating behind the TV...
Mark Keller
Integrate this tech into vehicle windshields and you have an amazing heads up display for navigation that can be layered over the actual roads and buildings, during inclement weather and nighttime driving the screen could enhance the view,

Important traffic information, and vehicle/driver warnings, would be at eye level and be less distracting than having to take your eyes off the road to look at a smaller screen in the center of the dash and lower down. Side and rear mirror views could be displayed on the screen as well, if someone wanted to try that configuration.

Cost and durability are the limiting factors, but I can see this becoming a thing in 10 years (or less) as most of the bugs are worked out by then.
buzzclick
No matter how useless some people think this is, it's definitely cool. Like everything else, the price will drop in time. No mention of 4K or 8K, but I would set it up in front of a window.
Matt Fletcher
This is/will be huge & has been scene coming in movies like Minority Report and Avatar. Jettex, Mark Keller, & buzzclick are right on the money, it will be in cars, layered for 3d gaming, and windows. My prediction is this will be huge in the new way of working with virtual meetings. Imagine having just the figure of the speaker standing in front of you while you stare out into your garden. You could have multiple TVs hung around a table or desk with multiple people displayed, then flip a switch and the screens float to the ceiling out of the way.
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