Semi Transparent LCD Screens

A Semi Transparent LCD Screen Blacklit By Ambient Light

Active Inc., a Tokyo-based optical component manufacturer, is working on a transparent liquid crystal optical film as a replacement for backlit LCDs. A see-through composite LCD display works just like traditional liquid crystal displays which are transparent until you run a current through them, at which point all the crystals in the liquid align and become opaque. I guess the difference here is that the screen is backlit by ambient light, which is a neat idea with questionable consumer practicality, but its stain-glass effect is impressive. Transparent TVs have always been a vision portrayed in the best scifi and futuristic movies such as Minority Report.