Samsung 46-Inch Transparent LCD Formally Launched

If 2011 was the year when 3D panels picked up steam, 2012 may just be the one that sees transparent panels, like the one Samsung has announced, actually become a true part of the market.

It was not too long ago that Samsung revealed a new transparent liquid crystal display panel, one that was a sort of successor to a 22-inch version unleashed some time before.

The 22-inch display has been received well by customers, so the company hopes to repeat the success with the new, 46-inch one.

The first step has already been taken: the item won a 2012 CES Innovations Award.

Certainly, the resolution (1,366 x 768 pixels, HD) is not quite what some may have hoped for from something so large.

Then again, making a screen transparent is a difficult trial on its own, so the native resolution is more than decent.

Speaking of the specifications, Samsung's transparent LCD has a 70 percent coverage of the color gamut and a contrast ratio of 4,500:1.

Finally, the newcomer does not have the shape of a monitor or TV (landscape), but something closer to a portrait orientation.

The one demonstrated at CES was, after all, filling the role of a refrigerator door, of sorts.

“Transparent panels, an exciting application of next-generation display technology, have unlimited potential to change our viewing habits over the next several years,” says Younghwan Park, senior vice president of LCD marketing, Device Solutions, Samsung Electronics.

“As a strong supporter of the transparent display market, Samsung plans to develop this technology into a new growth engine for our LCD business.”

Samsung expects the newcomer to be used for commercial freezer doors, platform doors of subway stations, retail display solutions, product showcases, etc.

Information windows, e-boards, electronic signage and medical equipment, not to mention mobile devices, should also get transparent screens eventually.

Alas, no actual price was specified, but that is unsurprising, given the targeted customer base.