CES 2013: HiSense Unveils Transparent 3D TV, Though We’re Not Sure What It’s For

HiSense has taken over Microsoft’s space at CES 2013, but there’s more than enough at their booth this year to keep you occupied and entertained. Among their wares was a transparent 3D TV, which combines real objects with 3D imaging.

The transparent 3D TV is truly a marvel, even if it doesn’t have any practical application whatsoever. Behind the 40-inch transparent 3D TV at the bottom is a real-life model of some kind (at CES 2013, it was some kind of neighborhood display) while a 3D image plays on the screen in front. It’s a really really really cool effect, but we cannot stress this point enough: There is no practical use for it.

You do need glasses for it, which is part of the TV’s overall drawback. Put them on, and the image is crystal-clear, HD, and gorgeous. But what can you use it for? You can’t watch movies or TV with it, unless Blu-rays are going to start coming packaged with miniature, interchangeable scenery. Sounds more like a chore than anything else.

You can’t really use it for advertising (which is probably what it was designed to do) because people don’t just walk around with 3D glasses in their pockets.

We’re not the only ones bemoaning the lack of application for such cool tech. Gizmodo is at CES 2013, and they had a similar conclusion to ours about the HiSense transparent 3D TV.

“The only trouble is…there’s no real use for this that’s fun. Like, how would you incorporate this into a movie or gaming? Set up stuff behind your own TV? This is just a neat trick that could help certain stores sell products displayed in the front windows. Oh well, cheers to the spectacle!”

HiSense spokespersons at CES said that the transparent 3D tech could be used for museums and other attractions to make fetching displays. Pretty limited market. Maybe it’s just one of those cool ideas they wanted to show that isn’t meant to have any real purpose (it certainly is the only one of its kind at CES).

If they could somehow combine the 3D tech with Dolby’s glasses-free 3D TV design, then they might have something that’s at least useful for advertising purposes. They stressed that the display model was only a prototype, so maybe they’re still working on the practical application part. Still, the transparent 3D tech was awesome. We just hope it ends up being useful.