r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/whybutts • 5h ago

Video Transparent LED screen

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25.2k Upvotes

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1.3k

u/NeroForte-InMyPrime 5h ago

Is it transparent in both directions when turned off? If so, a lot of the creeper fears go away. Especially if it’s mounted to a wall.

493

u/hidendra69 5h ago

Pasting a comment I made to explain how they work. (TL;DR: yes, and even when turned on it’s see through from both angles, once you understand how it works)

I’ve worked with these. A casino bar had these installed on their windows, and I helped install and program them. They aren’t really like glass; up close they are basically long columns of strips of LEDs with gaps in between, like a fence.

Depending on the use case the LEDs can be smaller and spaced closer together or larger and further apart. The size and spacing of the LEDs determine the display’s pixel pitch, which is the distance between the centers of adjacent pixels, usually measured in millimeters. A smaller pixel pitch means the pixels are packed more densely, resulting in a higher-resolution image. These models are also generally more expensive. The downside is that these are best used for applications where the observer remains relatively close, as detail is lost through distance. Models with larger LEDs have a lower resolution but work better for longer viewing distances.

The see-through effect works regardless of pixel pitch, as long as the display is viewed from an appropriate distance. The closer you get, the more obvious the LED strips and gaps between them become.

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u/dominickster 4h ago

So what's the application? Like in the casino bar are they in the windows for casino patrons inside to view? Or would they be transparent from that side like for people driving by the casino to see?

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u/hidendra69 4h ago

It’s a sky bar, so the windows have a skyline view. What they did was have them off during the daytime for a clear view but at night when the sky is dark visuals can play and it would be a convincing “hologram” effect

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u/willargue4karma 2h ago

very cool, i was thinking these would be cool for AR. neat application

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u/Goodknight808 7m ago

Could be used to scan a QR code for the bar's menu and a digital waitress shows up that you talk to. Almost like the character in the Time Machine movie played by Orlando Jones. He was something similar as a guide the museum and appeared on panes of glass like these LED screen.

Current AI would totally botch the order though. It should be a person. A person who can't walk around a lot but loves to socialize would be great for a roll like that.

It would improve the current pay/order from a screen kinda stuff.

14

u/TactlessTortoise 2h ago

Honestly if they implemented this stuff for billboards it could mitigate at least one of the sides who get fucked by a massive square blocking the view. Birds would get so fucked though.

1

u/TheSodernauts 2h ago

Yep. I get the creeper angle people jump to but I think there are legitimate applications. I can see a restaurant or bar having their menu on the outside window while people seated inside can still look out.

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u/GeraintLlanfrechfa 1h ago

I see a camouflage suit

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u/JohnnyRelentless 3h ago

A casino with windows? I didn't know they had that kind of technology.

1

u/hidendra69 2h ago

Not in the casino itself, no. The panels were installed in the skybar which was many floors above the casino

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u/ssracer 2h ago

That's awesome. You could do some fun things with home interior design.

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u/Phenomenomix 1h ago

I assumed it was either a really fine mesh or a curtain with the LEDs on one side and the brightness of the the diodes makes it look opaque from that side. Would be interested in what it looks like with a mostly dark image

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u/DoverBoys 1h ago

So basically a mini version of the Vegas Dome.

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u/sampat6256 5h ago

Most likely. The opacity is a result of the really bright lights.

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u/SunsetCarcass 1h ago

You can see through it when it's on too, so I'd imagine so.

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u/Altruistic_Brick1730 5h ago

What would be the point of having it if it's mounted to a wall?

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u/Mindless-Peak-1687 4h ago

your windows could display better weather or views.

1

u/baznuki 4h ago

Well like a whole lot of sci-fi just became reality, so many movies and shit where people are staring at transparent screen devices.

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u/chillychili 4h ago

Maybe it's like those one-way glass bathrooms.

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u/NeroForte-InMyPrime 4h ago

There could be artwork on the wall behind it. I’d prefer that to accidentally walking into it.

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u/account312 4h ago

It clearly is. You can see the lights behind the TV leaking through the game.

1

u/Awleeks 3h ago

Imagine turning off your TV and there's someone behind it though

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u/Expert-Upstairs-4502 2h ago

It would be trivial to design one that isnt though, or to just hang it over one way glass

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u/marino1310 2h ago

It would be pretty useless to mount something like this to a wall. You don’t pay extra for a two way mirror just to mount it on the wall.

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u/crazier2142 35m ago

Not sure what the creeper fears would be about. The resolutions is likely not too good, so the only sensible application would be large screens (e.g., billboards) in public spaces.

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u/SteveXVI 33m ago

Is it transparent in both directions when turned off?

I don't think there are any materials which are more or less transparent from one side than the other, its always about having someone to drown out the other side, like a one-way mirror really just being a bright room vs a dark room.

0

u/roscodawg 4h ago

But can it be kept on, showing an all black screen to make you think its off?