TVs get larger and brighter yearly, as lots of the units shown off at CES 2024 demonstrated. The shopper tech showcase was dominated by large, blinding screens meant to blast out as a lot gentle and coloration as potential.

The most intriguing of this 12 months’s new TVs, although, are those that render the tv itself nearly invisible.

Two corporations are main the cost. Samsung has debuted its clear MicroLED display screen, which makes a picture seem on what in any other case appears to be like like a transparent piece of glass. LG has additionally come out with its personal clear TV, although its system appears to be like extra like an empty fish tank than a correct tv set, with photos that appear to be very good holograms dancing round inside. LG’s set additionally has a black backdrop that rolls up behind the picture to offer it extra of the distinction of a typical TV.

Other latest designs supply much less of a wow issue, however nonetheless work to make the TV much less outstanding in your house. The Samsung Frame TV, first launched in 2017, has a matte-finish display screen that may be loaded with photos of nice artwork, making it appear to be a framed portray when not in use. This 12 months at CES, Hisense launched its personal model of this idea known as the CanvasTV. Manufacturers have additionally been toying with screens that roll up; LG made a splash with its extremely pricey rollable tv at CES in 2021. Projector know-how has gotten adequate for most individuals to think about a pleasant 4K projector a real TV alternative. And a well-designed projector—just like the LG CineBeam Qube or the Xgimi Horizon Max—matches right into a room higher than a giant glass fish tank ever might.

“It’s all in the effort to try to remove the black hole from the wall that we’ve all been used to forever,” says Paul Gagnon, a shopper electronics trade skilled and adviser at Circana who has centered on TVs for over 15 years.

The clear display screen know-how proven by Samsung and LG has been utilized in business areas for years, Gagnon says, however its excessive price and vitality necessities have stored it out of the patron market till now.

“I don’t think most TVs are going to end up looking like this,” Gagnon says. “The majority of consumers are just looking for an affordable, high-quality screen that lets them watch the shows that they want to watch.”