The old adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ was made to be ignored by innovators, but in the case of the Xiaomi Mi TV Lux OLED Transparent television, the company probably should’ve heeded that advice.
The 55-inch set, which was announced as part of the company’s 10th year anniversary celebrations, will appear as a piece of glass when turned off. When powered on, it’ll create an experience that looks as if “pictures floating in the air.”
The company plans to charge 50,000 yuan (around £5,500) for the set, which will actually go on sale in China on August 16. It will have a 120Hz refresh rate, a 1ms response rate, 150000:1 static contrast ratio and 10-bit panel displays, and is powered by a MediaTek 9650 custom-made TV chip.
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However, the design ignores the fact that behind the telly is one of the most unattractive areas of most people’s houses, flooded with cables and ugly frames and dust and discarded DVD cases. Regardless, the company seems rather pleased with the technological challenges overcome in becoming the “world’s first mass producer of transparent OLED TVs”.
In a blog post, the company writes: “Mi TV Lux OLED Transparent Edition offers a perfect combination of cutting-edge display technology and exquisite industrial design. For Xiaomi, it is also a major exploration of future TV forms. When Mi TV LUX OLED Transparent Edition is turned off, it looks like a mere glass display. The pictures it displays seem to be floating in the air, merging the virtual and the real to bring an unprecedented visual experience.
“Unlike traditional TVs that come with a back panel, Mi TV LUX OLED Transparent Edition creatively embeds all the processing units in its base stand, preserving the compact shape of the screen and in the meantime brings about countless technical challenges.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
