Transparent OLEDs • Hacker News Board

crazygringo wrote: post #17

I'm excited for transparent OLED's simply so that laptops and monitors will be able to put the webcam behind the display, ~1/3 from the top. Then videoconferencing software can automatically move the image of the person you're talking to so their eyes are roughly centered on that point. And finally everyone gets to make direct eye contact again!

"And finally everyone gets to make direct eye contact again!"

And enjoy crappy contrast. For special purposes those transparent displays can be amazingly useful but as a generic monitor, thanks but no thanks.

Re: Transparent OLEDs

#64

Post by heftig » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 1:47 AM UTC

ACAVJW4H wrote: post #22

mortenjorck wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My first thought was "well of course they don't," but their concept renders do indeed have opaque black. I'm guessing these are just technically uninformed renders with no basis in actually-proposed applications, but it seems at least plausible that one could combine transparent OLED with a transparent LCD backing (sort of the inversion of a backlight) to create a variable-transparency screen.

Pardon my ignorance but wouldn't LCD need polarized light to perform the darkening? Maybe a transparent pixelated electrochromic display layer might work

The backlight of an LCD isn't itself polarized. A TN LCD display is made of two orthogonal polarization filters with the liquid crystals in between. In their relaxed (twisted) state, the crystals rotate the polarization of the light so that it can pass the second filter. When a voltage is applied, the crystals straighten and the second filter blocks the light.

Re: Transparent OLEDs

#65

Post by cthrufon3 » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 1:51 AM UTC

bhouston wrote: post #62

Henry Danger, a show on nickelodeon has featured transparent phones and tablets for years. Seems like they were right that this was the future: https://opera.news/ng/en/technology/6a64c11b10e73b1e7f76cd12... https://nickalive.blogspot.com/2015/11/sneak-peek-of-new-hen... http://nickalive.blogspot.com/2015/11/sneak-peek-of-new-henr...

Iron Man 2 had a transparent AR phone

Mockups for transparent iPhones were floating around pre-iOS 7

Re: Transparent OLEDs

#66

Post by kube-system » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 1:58 AM UTC

StavrosK wrote: post #52

crazygringo wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A basic transparent OLED screen doesn't, but is often slightly tinted, and (indoors) its pixels are bright enough that the transparent pixels are dark enough to appear black by comparison. The same way you can run a projector on a white wall during the day, and its "black" is just the normal wall color. But while I've never seen it, I don't see why you couldn't put a transparent OLED over an LCD screen like the one i…

What does putting it over an LCD achieve?

LCDs filter light, so using one, you'd be able to get black?

Re: Transparent OLEDs

#67

Post by StavrosK » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 2:00 AM UTC

kube-system wrote: post #66

StavrosK wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does putting it over an LCD achieve?

LCDs filter light, so using one, you'd be able to get black?

Couldn't you just put a piece of black plastic behind the transparent OLED to do the same?

Re: Transparent OLEDs

#68

Post by kube-system » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 2:01 AM UTC

StavrosK wrote: post #67

kube-system wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LCDs filter light, so using one, you'd be able to get black?

Couldn't you just put a piece of black plastic behind the transparent OLED to do the same?

Yes, but you've now created a non-transparent OLED display, which already exists.

Re: Transparent OLEDs

#69

Post by p1esk » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 2:04 AM UTC

nmstoker wrote: post #56

p1esk wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who doesn't always have "good" days with eye-contact Same here. In addition, I find when I'm forced to make eye contact for a prolonged time (> 2 min), my eyes get exhausted.

Could you have got the wrong idea about eye contact? People don't generally make sustained eye contact for multi minute periods. Even 10 seconds is generally viewed as a long time: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.160086

Definitely not talking about sustained 2 min eye contact. That would have been torture.

Re: Transparent OLEDs

#70

Post by StavrosK » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 2:05 AM UTC

kube-system wrote: post #68

StavrosK wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn't you just put a piece of black plastic behind the transparent OLED to do the same?

Yes, but you've now created a non-transparent OLED display, which already exists.

Oh, you mean a transparent LCD display, I see now.