Planar intros transparent electroluminescent displays
By Darren Murph 
posted Sep 24th 2007 6:58AM
posted Sep 24th 2007 6:58AM
While Planar was all about snazzy projectors and enviable plasmas at CEDIA, the firm is branching out a bit with its latest displays. The transparent and segment electroluminescent (TASEL) displays join the firm's family of EL displays and offer up the "added benefits of transparency and the ability to be cut or shaped." The units can also be transparent or mirrored, boast a viewing angle of 179-degrees, and feature "instant on" response times of under one-millisecond. Currently, only samples of Planar's TASEL displays are available, but hopefully these things will be going commercial real soon.[Via LetsGoDigital]
If the pixel grid was capable of a decent amount of colors, these could be stacked up for a true 3D monitor.
Next generation HUD?
I want them to be only viewed from one side and incredibly small. So I can watch TV during my statics class hahaha. One can dream, oh one can dream!
Finally!
anybody else thinking...master chief helmet?
You know, it's kinda sad how some people think of things like that at first glance.
That would be so freakin sweet, lol
humorless people make me laugh.
@riggs
No. Just you and the fanboys.
I'm thinking more the wall in Minority Report, if you couple this with multi-touch
but Halo is on the mind a lot lately. I mean, I actually got excited that the Chief is holding the assault rifle from the first game in all the promotional material.
These aren't especially new. I have an old japanese 'pachislo' machine with three transparent EL displays in it that is at least four or five years old. The machine is a 'Neo Magic Pulsar.' Also, many newer machines incorporate full color LCD's that are mostly transparent over the reel windows.
As far as stacking them up to produce a 3d effect... it really wouldn't work all that well I don't think. They are quoting the light transmission as 84% so after more than three or four layers you'd be staring at a black box -- and after a few more you'd probably not even be able to see the EL light from some of the bottom layers coming through...though maybe they just darken the medium to hide the traces? If so they could just do that around the outside instead of throughout the middle.
honestly though, this is really cool! i want the speedometer in my car to have that.
Not having to take your eyes off the road for the win!
Very, very cool.
wow, what a sweet protractor that is!!!
*Gasp* I might actually one day live in the future I dreamed of!
I think that dude's just holding a protractor.
Those have been clear since they came out!
Hasn't LCDs always been transparent?
LCDs dont produce light, they block it. these light up.
Ahhh.. I see now. Thanks for clearing it up.
It can be transparent, so its first commercial application will probably be something incredibly dangerous like "checking your email while driving", followed by the less deadly but oh so painfully "checking your email while shaving in the bathroom mirror."