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LG Wants To Put Transparent OLEDs in Restaurants and Subways (mashable.com) 111

Posted by msmash from the shape-of-things-to-come dept.
LG's got a transparent OLED display, and if you're wondering how such a device could be useful, the company has a few ideas to share. From a report: Ahead of the upcoming CES 2021 show, LG shared a few ideas on how its transparent OLED products could fit into real-world situations. One idea is having a transparent OLED at a restaurant, where the display would pop up from the bar, between the customer and the waiter, allowing the customer to see the menu and order while still being able to see the waiter.

LG also designed a Smart Bed with a frame from which a transparent OLED TV can rise up, and retract to when not needed. The frame, which also features a set of speakers, can freely be moved around the house. Another example is having a 55-inch transparent OLED display at a subway train, where it replaces a traditional window. The customers could enjoy the scenery while viewing the weather forecast, the news, and information on subway lines.
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LG Wants To Put Transparent OLEDs in Restaurants and Subways More

LG Wants To Put Transparent OLEDs in Restaurants and Subways

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  • Ads (Score:5, Insightful)

    by NateFromMich ( 6359610 ) on Friday January 01, 2021 @05:12PM (#60885586)
    It will be used for ads.

    • Yes. Which, honestly, at least doesn't seem stupid like the other uses. A menu you can read through (there's a reason menus aren't printed on transparency plastic)! A TV that raises and lowers from a bedframe (done already with opaque TVs)! A way to cover windows with a weather forecast (useful for whole seconds while blocking a view for hours, who would want to just look at their phone)!

      • Athenian subway stations have elegant transparent signage. This tech would enable variable elements to be added, such as "Next train in 2 minutes."

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by fred911 ( 83970 )

        Come one now. What has /. come to that no one has even mentioned probably the second biggest income generator following Ads? The major driving force behind bandwidth availability and advancement of graphics, Porn.

        Covid Era, socially distanced, non-contact strip-show menu and tipping devices.

        Clicking rain...

        • Come one now. What has /. come to that no one has even mentioned probably the second biggest income generator following Ads? The major driving force behind bandwidth availability and advancement of graphics, Porn.

          Covid Era, socially distanced, non-contact strip-show menu and tipping devices.

          Clicking rain...

          "Transparent porn?"
          "Aye, that's the ticket laddie."

    • For some reason my first thought was those see-through phones/terminals on that TV show "The Expanse".

    • At http://museum.wa.gov.au/ [wa.gov.au] they have at least one that I noticed, it was pretty cool, no bezel at all, just a sheet of glass that displayed a picture on one side, and a mirror image picture on the other, supported from below. If you looked closely you could see the very thin tracery of wires powering the pixels.

      To be clear, I'm not sure if it was an LG, but it was (O?)LED and at least 40" and just sitting there at a museum display - I seemed to be the only one who (at that time) noticed it, I could & d

    • You cannot run much on these display.

      They are lacking the colour black. I've already asked this further down below, but get down-modded for being a racist!

      You cannot render black people or anything else with a natural darkness on these display. All it would do is to show black people having missing heads and you'd only see their clothing.

      I get that Sci-Fi likes to advocate for transparent displays, like you see in The Expanse or Star Trek, but who you cannot really use them for much other than numbers, grap

  • How does anybody with ADD survive having one of those cars with a giant touchscreen on the dashboard where you have to take your eyes off the road to interact with it?

    At least with my conventional vehicles I can just feel for the unique knobs and keep my focus on oncoming traffic.

    • Windshields can already use a projector bouncing off the glass. I'm pretty sure I've seen that as a mod, if not in production.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

        This is not a great idea for a heads up display. Proper projection HUDs use optics to make the display focus at infinity.

        • That makes sense as a goal. How does the display focus at infinity actually work?

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by lxnt ( 98232 )

            Are you fucking serious? The tech is here since 1940s, you can buy chinese low-aspect HUDs for under $50 right now.

            • Oh, you mean the projector focuses at infinity? I thought you meant it was specially designed that the HUD always appeared to be on the horizon for your eye to focus on. Or am I misunderstanding?

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

                The kinda rude GP is correct that it's pretty old tech. The HUD itself is just a piece of glass or plastic with the display projected onto it at a high angle so it acts like a mirror for the display but is transparent to the outside view. Following the optical path for the display, you're just looking through a lens system. You can adjust those lenses to put the virtual image at whatever distance you want. It's just like a pair of reading glasses make a page of a book effectively further away, as far as the

                • Sure, all that is pretty standard. What the (now G)GP was saying is that you can focus at infinity. Which seems strange. I can see lenses that set the focus to 400 m, but not infinity.

                  • Re: (Score:2)

                    by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

                    I'm not sure I'm understanding your point. You can make a lens system focus at or even beyond infinity easily enough. Most camera lenses will focus beyond infinity with no problem. For practical purposes though, the hyperfocal distance of the human eye in low light is ~ 10 m, so a HUD that's focused anywhere beyond that will be just as good as one that's actually focused at infinity.

                    • Ah, I'm ignorant of "hyperfocial distance" as a concept. I'm sitting there trying to figure out how a finite set of lenses work to set something infinitely far away. I thought it was using a weird system of lenses that transformed a projected frustum of light to an actual set of parallel rays (to those reading who didn't follow, essentially a 3-D trapezoid to a rectangular prism), which seemed technologically nifty and I was confused as to how that worked

                      . So the HUD just sets the focus at 10m, which is

                    • Re: (Score:2)

                      by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

                      I'm sure you looked it up, but the hyperfocal distance is the nearest thing you can have in focus while at the same time having things at infinity in focus. So it depends on the depth of field, which depends on the aperture, which is why you'd want to use a value for low light, with your pupil dilated. You'd probably want your HUD focused at something closer than infinity so that you'd get the maximum usable depth of field. Googling found some suggestions that at least some automobile HUDs are mostly focuse

                    • Thanks. I'm going to read that when I get a chance - hopefully later tonight.

        • It's true; the ones from the 80s, if you're sitting in the back seat you have to refocus your eyes to see the HUD display. Only in the front seats is it at the correct focal range.

      • True, but in order to do so, the light must be polarised to bounce off the screen. The direction of the polarisation unfortunately has to match the polarisation of light that has reflected strongly off shiny flat surfaces, the result is that polarised sunglasses will stop your HUD working.

        Using OLED built into the windscreen would be a much better solution.

      • Windshields can already use a projector bouncing off the glass. I'm pretty sure I've seen that as a mod, if not in production.

        The first one I saw was in the late 80s. The parents of one of the rich kids in my class had a car with a speedometer HUD. It was like a spaceship to us poor kids.

        Glancing at wikipedia, the first was GM in 88. The other in the 80s was a Pontiac. So it was probably a mod, because their car was something fancier.

    • You're saying you like to feel around for a knob?

      • Some knobs are easier to find than others.

    • I say the same thing about touch screens.

      How the hell do you type with those while not looking at the ... "keyboard"?
      No I mean *without* auto-correct fixing up usually more than half of what you typed on a phone that actually fits your pocket.

      Because I can't type with condescending "features" constantly "correcting" my actions into crap because it assumes I'm a total moron. So I turn all of that crap off, and can see the complete disgrace that it actually is.

      And with an actual keyboard, I needed none of tha

      • Because I can't type with condescending "features" constantly "correcting" my actions into crap because it assumes I'm a total moron. So I turn all of that crap off, and can see the complete disgrace that it actually is.

        If you have an Android phone, try installing the Hacker's Keyboard. It's highly configurable, and it has an auto-suggest feature. It never corrects what you're typing, but it provides quite good lists of suggested words based on the first few letters you type. Just touch one of those suggested words and what you started typing is automatically completed. The only thing it's missing is a Delete key; I'd like to get my hands around the throat of whatever Apple moron decided that Ctrl + Backspace is an accepta

        • "If you have an Android phone, try installing the Hacker's Keyboard. It's highly configurable, and it has an auto-suggest feature."

          Like Samsung Galazy S5 and earlier (dunno about later!) phones? They suggest, they do not 'correct' unless you accept their suggestion.

          And their auto-complete has surprised/impressed more than a few of my iphone using friends - I've shown them that often I can reply to a text using a tiny amount of keystrokes by accepting the Samsung's very relevant suggestions.

        • You can turn off auto-correction in the google keyboard, and get only the suggestions.

          Another keyboard which is good is AnySoftKeyboard, I like the ssh layout. You can have suggestions without auto corrections on it as well, and it shows more than three suggestions (as many as there's space for actually.) It also has a swipe to type mode but it's not great, in that it doesn't seem to understand that some words are spectacularly unlikely to be what I wanted.

    • How does anybody with ADD survive having one of those cars with a giant touchscreen on the dashboard where you have to take your eyes off the road to interact with it?

      At least with my conventional vehicles I can just feel for the unique knobs and keep my focus on oncoming traffic.

      Hmmm, so the obvious solution is to mold the knobs into the windshield and light them up with see thru LEDs. And in retrospect, everyone could really benefit if there was an automatic adderal dispenser in every street legal vehicle.

  • "The customers could enjoy the scenery while viewing the commercials, the ads, and information on amazing offers."

    Now looks good.

  • Ads, Ads, More Ads! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Arzaboa ( 2804779 ) on Friday January 01, 2021 @05:21PM (#60885612)

    When I'm looking out the window, the last thing I want to see is a talking head. I can see the weather because its a window!

    All these guys want to do is make more ad space. If they had their way they'd put banners across every mountain range. They'd put bulliten boards down every single road available. They'd make your back windshield an OLED screen to advertise to the person behind you.

    With these types of forces in the world, I'm going to be forced to buy smart glasses that do nothing but block every ad placed in front of me.

    --
    Definitely, I am not advocating an arms race. - Grace Poe

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by pz ( 113803 )

      With these types of forces in the world, I'm going to be forced to buy smart glasses that do nothing but block every ad placed in front of me.

      Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses!

    • When I'm looking out the window, the last thing I want to see is a talking head. I can see the weather because it's a window!

      To be fair, all you can see is the weather for where you and the train are *now* not where you're going and/or later forecasts, etc...

      • To be fair, red sky in the morning, sailor's warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight.

        What else would anyone possibly need?

        --
        When in evening, ye say, it will be fair weather: For the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather today; for the sky is red and lowering. - Jesus

    • Re:Ads, Ads, More Ads! (Score:5, Funny)

      by ljw1004 ( 764174 ) on Friday January 01, 2021 @06:58PM (#60885806)

      When I'm looking out the window, the last thing I want to see is a talking head. I can see the weather because its a window! All these guys want to do is make more ad space. If they had their way they'd put banners across every mountain range. They'd put bulletin boards down every single road available.

      I think that I shall never see
      a billboard lovely as a tree.
      Perhaps, unless the billboards fall,
      I'll never see a tree at all.

      -- Ogden Nash

    • All these guys want to do is make more ad space. If they had their way they'd put banners across every mountain range. They'd put bulliten boards down every single road available. They'd make your back windshield an OLED screen to advertise to the person behind you.

      Good News! I’ve not only found you a free pair of prosthetic eyes, but they will even pay anything your overpriced insurance doesn’t! You don’t have to be blind anymo.... HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?!?!!

    • Re:Ads, Ads, More Ads! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by jenningsthecat ( 1525947 ) on Saturday January 02, 2021 @01:43AM (#60886602)

      With these types of forces in the world, I'm going to be forced to buy smart glasses that do nothing but block every ad placed in front of me.

      Buy? What decade are you living in? Unless you build it and program it yourself you don't actually own a tech device any more, you merely subscribe to it. Nobody is going to sell you such glasses unless they're tied to a cloud-based service with a monthly fee and 'tiers' of ad-blocking. To avoid ads for which the advertisers pay the most money, you will have to pay more - and to avoid ALL ads will cost a bundle. That is, until the service is withdrawn altogether; then 'your' expensive hardware becomes junk.

    • They will get vandalized out of existence within 24 hours...

    • This will mean that everyone that works at GM will see FORD ads in their vehicle, and FORD will see HYUNDAI ads in theirs. We'll see how long the extreme position lasts.

  • Great Way to Eliminate Restaurant Selection (Score:5, Insightful)

    by theshowmecanuck ( 703852 ) on Friday January 01, 2021 @05:23PM (#60885614) Journal
    I will stay away from any restaurant or venue that puts these things up. Vote with your wallet. It is more effective that emojis or online rants.

  • A solution in search of a problem (Score:3)

    by Rick Zeman ( 15628 ) on Friday January 01, 2021 @05:29PM (#60885622)

    "One idea is having a transparent OLED at a restaurant, where the display would pop up from the bar, between the customer and the waiter, allowing the customer to see the menu and order while still being able to see the waiter. "

    If it's not Hooters...who cares?

  • With Cyberpunk 2077 dominating popular culture these days (for better or for worse), it certainly looks like we're on track to that world. For better or for worse.

    • I mean, the entire game is a commentary on why that world can end up in the âfor worseâ(TM) category. Iâ(TM)m sure this tech could be used in reasonable ways though. Someone upthread suggested HUDs, which seems like a pretty good use case to me.

  • I've been in bars where there has been a beer cooler with a glass door and a transparent LCD over the top showing ads for Heineken or whatever even though you can see through it.

    Presumably these advertising & marketing geniuses envisage a world where practically every single pane of glass in public transport or elsewhere has this shit baked into it so they can run ads on something that only existed so people could see through it.

    • Presumably these advertising & marketing geniuses envisage a world where practically every single pane of glass in public transport or elsewhere has this shit baked into it so they can run ads on something that only existed so people could see through it.

      Using it on public transport is kind of a benefit, except for the distraction factor. It will make the vehicles harder to see into, and then the riders will feel less like they are on display.

  • These transparent OLEDs remind me of the hand-held communication tablets in The Expanse (and elsewhere). Sure they look cool, but I'm not sure why one would actually want them like that as it would allow everyone to see what's on your screen.

    • Identifying what is in view? Guiding? Translating? Heads up displays of course, including in glasses, goggles or helmets.

    • I argue it would allow nobody to actually see what:s on the screen. Not even the holder.
      Same as 90s webpages with high contrast background imagery.

      It will certainly break easier! Or scratch quickly, alternatively. Exactly what you want on a rattling battleship in active combat! ;)

    • Actually, if they were on the surface but were able to transmit to a narrow beam angle then you could just target the user.

    • but I'm not sure why one would actually want them like that as it would allow everyone to see what's on your screen.

      https://www.thefreedictionary.... [thefreedictionary.com]

      Just like, I personally do not wear clothes that advertise my opinions about things, but some people do. Some people would want others with similar interests to notice that they have similar interests with a stranger, and start a conversation. The exact reason I wouldn't want people to see my screen! LOL

      They're the majority, too.

  • Just what every restaurant and subway in the world will need lot's of.

  • That only exist to look flashy, not to be actually good or useful.

    Like touch screens, thin phones, the floating windows and desktop UIs, wireless bike computers, watertight sundials, 4WD tricycles [with no brakes], and cloud-enabled smart washing machines with 12 forward and 3 reverse gears.
    (YOU tell me at what point I started making up nonsense! Cause wirless bike computers DO exist! Gapping all of 60 centimeters, at the cost of one additional battery, jamability, and losing auto-on/off. [spongebob_rainbow

  • This will finally allow us to test one of the oldest questions in advertising: Will customers still buy from an ad if they can see right through it?
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • OLEDs have a burn-in problem. It's not usually a show-stopper for consumer screens viewing films and TV but it's going to be bad for timetables and menus. I've seen plenty of old CRTs at train stations that are burned-in so bad that the most static content can be read with the display powered off. Maybe they can find ways to vary the content format to work around OLED burn-in but that's going to be a non-trivial, case-by-case proposition.

  • Semi-related.... About a year ago, there was at least two sellers on Aliexpress offering transparent computer monitors--just a frame that you could put stuff behind, and that displayed a translucent image.
    They may have been storefronts for the same company. I don't recall the names.
    I found them accidentally while looking for something else.

    The main use that they showed in their storefront images was,,,, -umm,,, trade show booth displays.
    Both sellers seemed at odds to show any reason that an ordinary
  • I never knew that ordering from a menu on the wall behind the bar was a problem that needed solving. Or that the subway needed a display on the window rather than around it. Transparent displays are cool, but I still can't think of a use.
  • Put one in the subways. Specifically in front of the train tracks and then display a walk way leading people into the tracks. Darwinism rules!

  • Next you'll tell me that car companies want so sell cars and McDonalds wants to sell hamburgers.

  • But when I use a screen, I actually want to be able to read it with being distracted by what's behind it.

    The only exception here might be head's navigation maps, etc. Or maybe tasteful framing...

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