Transparent display technology "competes for beauty"
Although transparent display has received more attention due to OLED, it is not only OLED that can achieve transparent display. LCD, LED, Micro LED, etc. can all achieve a certain degree of transparent display. At present, LCD and LED transparent display products have been widely used in the commercial display field, and the degree of industrialization is much higher than that of OLED transparent display.
Liu Huilian, chief analyst of Omdia, said in an interview with a reporter from "China Electronics News" that LCD adopts special liquid crystal materials and abandons CF and polarizers, which can also greatly increase light transmittance and achieve transparent display. At present, this technology is mostly used in commodity display cabinet screens, refrigerated cabinet screens, fish tank screens, unmanned vending machine screens, etc., and the price is high.
LED transparent screen is currently the most widely used transparent display product on the market. It has the characteristics of ultra-wide viewing angle, ultra-light and ultra-thin, high perspective rate (up to 80%-95%), and low price. LED transparent display products can be divided into PCB hollow LED screens, LED ice screens, LED crystal film screens, etc., and have been widely used in window beautification, giant interior decoration, and large-screen displays. Among them, the LED crystal film screen is favored by the industry due to its flexibility and foldability.
It is reported that the crystal film screen adopts LED lamp bead bare crystal ball planting technology, the lamp board uses transparent crystal film film, the surface is etched with a transparent mesh circuit, and the surface of the components is applied with vacuum sealing technology, which can be bent, cut, and can be directly attached On the glass curtain wall, the original structure of the building is not damaged. The screen is invisible when not playing, and does not affect indoor lighting.
So, which transparent display technology is the perfect partner for commercial display?
In Liu Huilian's view, from the perspective of light transmittance, LED direct-emitting transparent screens have the highest light transmittance, followed by OLED products, which have a light transmittance of about 40%. Since LCD is passively emitting light, it needs a backlight in any case, so the so-called transparency of LCD is not really transparent, but only through technical means to increase the light transmittance. From a cost perspective, OLED currently has the highest cost, followed by LCD. However, because the cost of LED direct-emitting transparent screens is related to many factors, including dot pitch, cabinets, lamp beads, PCB boards, power supplies, etc., the cost of high-PPI LED products may exceed LCD or even OLED.
Technical difficulties need to be broken through
When it comes to why more and more transparent display products are used in commercial scenarios, some experts believe that shopping malls, hotels and other places are more seeking space and aesthetics, and transparent display products can undoubtedly meet the above needs at the same time.
Liu Huilian believes that the market is increasingly pursuing standardized and modular building material-based displays. In the future, commercial display products may become an indispensable part of building modules just like glass. However, at this stage, there are still many difficulties in various transparent display technologies that need to be broken, and the adaptability to commercial scenarios needs to be further improved.
The balance between transparency and resolution is the biggest difficulty faced by transparent OLED panels. If the screen resolution is increased, the light transmittance will also decrease.
In an interview with a reporter from "China Electronics News," Chen Hui, General Manager of Ovi Revo, pointed out: "How to simultaneously improve resolution and transparency at the technical level is the key to the popularization of transparent OLED products."
Ma Beibei pointed out that as an active light-emitting technology, OLED does not require a backlight system and has a higher aperture ratio. It is suitable for making transparent screens with high light transmittance. However, in the process of making the whole machine, a high degree of cooperation with other systems and components is required.
Like OLED transparent display products, LED transparent display also has technical problems.
Liu Tun, a senior analyst at CCID Consulting, told the reporter of China Electronics News that due to the large LED lamp beads in the commercial field, the resolution of LED transparent display products is low, which affects the image presentation effect. However, this type of display screen is generally placed in a shopping mall or a place with a large space, and the resolution requirements are not high. However, LEDs still have a long way to go to meet the requirements of fine commercial display. In Liu Tun's view, from the perspective of technical principles, Micro LEDs can also be made into transparent display products. If technical breakthroughs are achieved in the future, the resolution and display effect of transparent display products can be further improved.