TV Set Doubles as a Mirror

Bill Kendrick writes "New Scientist reports there's a new wide-screen LCD from Philips which becomes a mirror when you turn it off. Now I just need that holographic fireplace..." Sorry - a dupe from June

Believe me

[SYFer]

It's a mirror even when its on.

Re:Believe me

[Anonymous Coward]

If only my life could be that interesting...

Re:Believe me

[Breakfast Pants]

My life is so uninteresting that the screen burn in would ruin my TV.

Re:Believe me

[SphericalCrusher]

That would be OBNOXIOUS!

If I want to watch my Star Wars, I want to do so without seeing me and my girlfriend in the screen...

Re:Believe me

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, some things are just way more scary than Java the Hut.

Re:Believe me

[Jeremi]

Yes, some things are just way more scary than Java the Hut.

Like what? C# the Hut?

Re:Believe me

[aled]

That character from Episode 1.0 is scary, you know, .jar .jar /bin

does not compute

[Anonymous Coward]

Star Wars...girlfriend? what?

Re:Believe me

[NanoGator]

"If I want to watch my Star Wars, I want to do so without seeing me and my girlfriend in the screen..."

No it's a mirror TV, not picture in picture. Oh, and I want my copy of Tomb Raider back.

Re:Believe me

[Michael Woodhams]

I believe you.

When I read the summary, I thought "Is this anything more clever than just a semi-reflective coat on a flat TV screen?" The answer is "no".

This means:
a) With one of these, all those annoying reflections you get off your TV screen already get hugely worse.
b) You could get much the same effect much cheaper by putting a standard sheet of semi-reflective glass in front of your standard TV.

Re:Believe me

[SYFer]

I meant it in the metaphorical sense.

I agree with you though that the reflections can indeed be annoying.

We've got a Bleeder!

[Cordath]

Actually, when you read the article it sounds like a better idea than you make it out to be... People can watch TV in the morning while brushing their teeth or shaving! What a great idea! Now I can watch the news and slice half my face of at the same time! Just imagine how much longer it's going to take your SO to finish up in the bathroom now!

"Are you almost done dear?"
"Shh. It's Oprah. I never floss during Oprah!"

Joking aside, I can see these being heartily adopted by the hotel industry. Now they can offer you PPV pornos while you're on the toilet! Just imagine the potential for comdom adds in public washrooms...

Re:Believe me

[niker]

A picture's worth a thousand words: clicky [philips.com]

Beneath the woman's neck on the screen you'll find a couple of massive reflections from the ceiling interfering with the picture.

Being a "promotional" picture, the actual experience with this screen is probably worse than that illustrated.

Re:Believe me

[Michael Woodhams]

Yes. The description of how it works is sufficient to justify my comments.

The ordinary-TV-behind-mirror-glass won't be quite as good, but I can't say how much worse without real evidence.

Re:Believe me

[Slur]

Just remember, it's a funhouse mirror!

Wow

[roystgnr]

Sorting by score first put your post at the top, and I was just starting to appreciate your cutting expression of the extent to which even the worst of today's television programming is a reflection of the sort of industry which creates it and the sort of society which demands it...

And then I realized you just meant the screen would have a lot of glare. Man, that's disappointing.

Re:Wow

[moonbender]

Actually, no, he didn't [slashdot.org]: "I meant it in the metaphorical sense."

Any TV can be a "mirror"

[tinrobot]

Just plug any TV into a camera placed directly above the screen, then flop the image left to right.

Instant mirror. No reflections.

Plus, you can switch it off when you're feeling extra ugly.

great

[webperf]

now I need to comb my hair before I watch tv ;(

Re:great

[Decaffeinated Jedi]

You'd better comb your hair. What they're not telling you is that it's a two-way mirror. Philips is watching us, man. ;)

Re:great

[MikeXpop]

In Soviet Russia, television watches YOU!

Russia?

[H4x0r Jim Duggan]

Don't worry, USA has that feature too [motherjones.com].

Re:great

[The Munger]

Philips is watching us, man.

Some people think you're right. Does anyone remember this incident [209.157.64.200]? If I remember correctly he believed that the black bands displayed when watching widescreen movies in 4:3 aspect ratio were being used to send hidden messages.

yeah

[g-to-the-o-to-the-g]

Now i can check my hair between commercials. Thanks philips!

Re:yeah

[mobby_6kl]

>between commercials

You only turn on your TV to watch commercials? ;)

Re:yeah

[screwballicus]

The production values of modern commercials have sort of outmoded the other stuff they show between them. Watching the other stuff is kind of nostalgic. But it just isn't impressive enough to be bothered with.

Who won the Superbowl this year?

I think it was Budweiser and Pepsi.

Ohh this is sexy

[Organized Konfusion]

I'd love on in my bathroom, I wonder if I can have alpha transparency and watch TV while I'm shaving. Or hook it up to the TV-Out on my PC and read slashdot while I'm in the bath!!

Re:Ohh this is sexy

[Richard Allen]

The article says you can have PIP to use it as a mirror and still watch TV. Also, they are working on a waterproof one for the bathroom.

Re:Ohh this is sexy

[Hentai]

"Hail Skroob!"

"I told you never to call me on this wall!"

Re:Ohh this is sexy

[aled]

Yeah, until you try watching Freddy Kruger while shaving...

How about

[77Punker]

a TV that displays pictures of handsome people and claims it's a mirror to make me feel good inside?

A messedge board also...

[RoadkillBunny]

I use my TV also as a message board. When I go somewhere and want people to know where I am, I just write a message on a paper, turn the TV on, put the paper on it, and turn the TV off. It sticks on for some reason, does anyone know why?

Re:A messedge board also...

[77Punker]

Static electricity and something ummm...something about positive negative attracting.

static electricity

[Nf1nk]

most TV screens hold a decent amount of staic electricity (positive charge if I remeber right) and sicne you are grounded to the earth which holds a slight negitive charge the peice of paper also has this negitive charge. opposite charges attract, thus the paper sticks.

Re:A messedge board also...

[silentbozo]

The electrons hitting the phosphors on the back of your screen cause the image to appear. They also tend to generate a large static imbalance (ie, anode/cathode, +/-). While the screen is charged with these excess electrons, lighter objects are attracted, just as you'd get with the rubbing your hair with balloon trick. Someone who understands more physics than I do can probably do a better job of explaining exactly what is happening.

Re:A messedge board also...

[jo_ham]

Further to the answers already here, static electricity is indeed why the paper sticks.

The reason that your screen charges up is because at the back of your set there's a bloody great electron gun (three if you have a colour TV) firing countless electrons at the back of the screen, which are deflected with a magnetic field in a neat pattern that creates the image.

Electrons are negatively charged and over time they cause a charge to build up on the screen.

As an offtopic point, the electrons hit the phosphors on the screen, or pass very close to them which causes them to glow, which is how a TV works. The electrons already present in the phosphor atoms change energy states, which releases light of a characteristic colour (either red, green or blue in the case of a TV).

Re:A messedge board also...

[jo_ham]

I believe that it is the coil that surrounds the tube. If it's not secured properly to the tube itself, parts of the coil can oscillate, which causes the sound.

I guess "they don't make them like they used to" is true.

CRT whine

[freeweed]

To some of us, ALL TVs produce this. It's known as "CRT whine".

I've always been especially sensitive to it; it was always fun in elementary school when the teacher would spend 15 minutes trying to get the TV/VCR to work, everything seemed fine, yet no picture on the TV. I'd eventually pipe up "the TV isn't plugged in." Worked for TVs without power-on lights the best, of course, because other than the picture they have no indication of whether or not the TV is actually powered up. The teachers eventually learned to trust me on this one. I can hear CRT whine in other rooms, down the hall, you name it. I can tell blindfolded, and yes, friends and I have tested this, whether or not a TV or monitor is turned on. It freaks some people out, but a surprising number of people can hear it if it's pointed out to them.

And yes, I'm one of those people who uses LCD monitors exclusively, unless I have no choice. It's simply too irritating otherwise. Cube farms are a real treat - eventually you learn to tune it out, but it's always there in the background.

When a TV/monitor is on its last legs, it gets REALLY bad, although at that point everyone can hear it. It's fun to tell my friends when their monitor is on the fritz, I can usually pick it up months before the tube dies. I've also noticed, as have you, that newer tubes are even noisier. I notice this particularly on some models; RCA proscans are some of the worst. No idea why, other than to say welcome to my own personal hell :) When TV shopping I've actually gone to the trouble to ask if I can check out a TV in a manager's office (or some other quiet room), because it's simply too loud for me to hear if a particular set is going to bug me or not.

Oh, and walking past the wall-o-televisions at Best Buy is about as close to torture as I've experienced. :)

Re:CRT whine

[frozen_kangaroo]

It is the coil that surrounds the tube as this is often driven with a signal of frequency 15.734 kHz (US) and 15.634 kHz (UK). This is the "Horizontal Scan Frequency". ( got this information information from here [high-techproductions.com])

This is right on the edge of human limits, some can hear it, some cannot. When I was a kid, I used to be able to sense that a TV was on, and couldn't understand how I could do it. Don't seem to be able to do it these days though.

Increasing this scan frequency by upping your refresh rate

Re:A messedge board also...

[NanoGator]

"It sticks on for some reason, does anyone know why?"

Does it happen when there isn't a porn DVD in the player?

I can just see it...

[MrPower]

After years searching, the slashdotter brings their first girlfriend home only to have her scream, "I'm leaving you PERVERT!"

"But it's my TV, honest..."

Re:Whoops... That was supposed to say...

[moonbender]

Could've been a sort of Freudian slip - one could imagine that your original message only states the sad truth. ;)

Great..

[Anonymous Coward]

So now your SO will not only be able to talk a movie to death, she'll also be tempted to turn the TV off to check her hair/teeth/whatever.

Mirror Site

[nucal]

Mirror posted here [optics.org].

Re:Mirror Site

[kfg]

I believe this is the first posting of a proper mirror site that I would like to moderate as Funny.

KFG

Re:Mirror Site

[LostCluster]

Actually, the mirror is posted here [optics.org].

I mean, the mirror showing a picture is posted here [optics.org].

Maybe I should say it's a picture of the mirror showing showing a picture here [optics.org].

Whatever, just click here [optics.org] and see for yourself...

Re:Mirror Site

[nartz]

Double Entendre is a great technique for speeches, like the ones you see presidents giving on the television, or the ones you practice in front of the mirror.

More TV... Just what we need..

[Rip Van Winkle]

Great... Just great... TVs in more rooms of the house.

How many TVs do we actually need in the house? It isn't enough that we get 100+ channels of absolute garbage but we have to display it in every single room in the house. Just in case I miss 1 minute of re-runs of re-runs of MASH.

You have to wonder what effect all this TV watching has on the children's attention span.

Re:More TV... Just what we need..

[Azadre]

You'd be surprised at how it has improved my attentio... Hey this thing is a TV AND a mirror... cool.

Re:More TV... Just what we need..

[microbox]

I look forward to the day when you can say...

"Computer... what is the effect of watching TV on children's attention span?"

and Majel Barrett anwers.

Seriously though, it would be nice to have a techno house with an all knowing computer that will answer all your questions. This technology could be part of the future house.

There's precious little choice in the 100+ TV channels, but that's because of the way it's delivered. If organizations made TV programming, and it was databased and made available on

Re:More TV... Just what we need..

[moltar77]

You have to wonder what effect all this TV watching has on the children's attention span.

And what about computers? I can launch firefox (or whatever browser you choose) and go to anything I want anytime. No need to RTFA, I can just read the comments. I can google anything I want and have it in front of me in seconds. How is this any better for attention span than a TV?

Video vs. Words

[gad_zuki!]

>How is this any better for attention span than a TV?

Because you have to sit down and read for x amount of time to get any meaningful information. As opposed to watching a four minute block of video and sound that changes camera angles every 4-8 seconds then 5 minutes of commercials, etc.

When the internet becomes another television channel is when you can compare the two, but right now its still text-based and thus requires some patience and reading comprehension.

Arguably, the internet is shifting us back towards a literate society as compared to an "entertain me" visual society that television tends to produce. Its hard to see the forest for the trees, but considering this is my third-year as a Tivo owner and fourth year broadband subscriber its easy to see how nasty TV is and how much of a saving grace the internet can be.

Neil Postman wrote a great book on the downsides of television-based politics called Amusing Ourselves to Death. [amazon.com] Its worth checking out for those interested in media criticism.

Re:More TV... Just what we need..

[.com b4 .storm]

I grew up in a household that made heavy use of TV in pretty much every room of the house. It didn't affect my atten

sure why not

[Nf1nk]

I suppose a large mirror on the wall is more attractive than the curent blank black surface that my TV is showing me right now. I just can't help but think that this tv would have nasty glare issues and at the same time wouldn't be that great of a mirror

Mirror, Mirror

[Redwing]

An duplicate story (from last June).

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/12/2226 20 1

Perhaps if the editors paused for reflection...

Re:Mirror, Mirror

[Rip Van Winkle]

They Can't.... The editor hasn't bought his Philips Mirror TV yet!

Re:Mirror, Mirror

[GNUALMAFUERTE]

shhhhhhhhhhhh,
1) it's not a duplicate story, it's a mirror.
2) Cut&Past the high rated comments. Free Karma!!!

Kids, don't try it at home.

Reflection is a problem!

[microbox]

When the screen is switched on, anyone standing in front of it sees only the picture. With the television switched off, the surface behaves like an ordinary mirror.

What about annoying background light reflecting off your screen while watching TV. Many enjoy watching TV in the dark because even the piece of glass on ordinary TVs is too reflective, and you can see a lightbulb on Darth Vader

Re:Reflection is a problem!

[Molt]

That lightbulb was just CG'ed on in the Special Edition, you know. Damn that Lucas.

Ewwww

[rffmna]

You watch the tv, look at all the hot chicks and muscle-guys, and you find a fat ugly guy lying on the couch, when you turn the tv off..

Re:Ewwww

[newhoggy]

You watch the tv, look at all the hot chicks and muscle-guys, and you find a fat ugly guy lying on the couch, when you turn the tv off..

What are you trying to imply here mister?

Here's your holographic fireplace

[adzoox]

I just got one of these for my condo, it's pretty neat -

www.dimplex.com

They claim to have a patent on the holographic fireplace. I don't see why something like this couldn't be made.

I also though of the recent "geek retro future" version of monster house [discovery.com] where they made a a giant fireplace with stainless stell remote controlled opening doors and mounted a Plasma screen above it. Tres cool.

Re:Here's your holographic fireplace

[Hooya]

"condo" in nepali means ass. and not the four legged kind. so you got one for your condo? just checking. :)

Article Text

[Anonymous Coward]

TV set which doubles up as a mirror

09:45 29 February 04

Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition. Subscribe and get 4 free issues.

A TV set that becomes a mirror at the flick of a switch will go on sale in the UK in March.

The 2500 MiraVision system from Philips of the Netherlands is made up of a 58-centimetre wide-screen LCD that is covered with a thin semi-reflective sheet, mounted in a picture frame.

When the screen is switched on, anyone standing in front of it sees only the picture. With the television switched off, the surface behaves like an ordinary mirror.

MiraVision can even be both things at once. Anyone wanting to watch TV while brushing their hair or fixing their make-up can switch to "picture in mirror" mode, which displays a small image in the corner of the frame.

The screen can also be wired to a PC and used as an outsize monitor. Philips hopes eventually to make a waterproof version for use in bathrooms.

~dank

The sun will be angry

[no1here]

Philips just stole the very function of the sun to turn televisions into mirrors, and even when the TV is on. I wonder if she can bring a lawsuit against Philips if they have patented the invention. Though, how would the sun show prior art? Anyone have some documentation of the first time they saw themselves in the glare coming off the television?

Redundant feature

[Silon]

Doesn't a regular TV do that if you wipe the dust off the screen regularly?

To be put down and avoided

[SlowMovingTarget]

Doesn't TV add ten pounds to your appearance?

I don't need an even stronger reason to never turn the TV off.

Re:To be put down and avoided

[Smidge204]

Actually, if it was a regular CRT and not a flat panel display, the convex mirror WOULD make you look fatter!

=Smidge=

Prior art

[isomeme]

Romper Room had this in the 1960s!

Solution for video game geeks everywhere!

[jasonfncsu]

Disheveled hair be gone! Green teeth be gone! Now introducing a new product: THE SINK TV(tm). Brush your teeth, comb your hair, and frag all at the same time! (idea is copyright 2004 JasonFncsu)

Bad Luck

[contradyction]

Whoa, a TV an a mirror in one... that would really mess up your Feng Shui!

odd

[Digitus1337]

That's actually very odd. LCDs are used in many fields (namely medical and surveying) because they do not glare as much as CRT screens do. This seems kind of counter-intuitive. Hopefully there is a secondary off mode of some kind.

WooHoo

[Anonymous Coward]

So if you mount it above your bed you and your life partner could either watch a porno, or be the porno.

Re:WooHoo

[Jeremi]

So if you mount it above your bed you and your life partner could either watch a porno, or be the porno.

Does it have a half-reflective mode, for foursomes? (okay, threesomes, for Slashdotters ;^))

Useful is not fun.

[nmoog]

Seems like an idea that, like and internet refrigerator before it, exists purely because it can. Which is why this is pretty cool.

Here it is from the philips site [philips.com] - with a massive jpg [philips.com] too.

7 years bad luck

[Atmchicago]

It used to be said that a broken mirror would take 7 years to replace due to cost. Looks like the good old days are back :)

Scary...

[stateofmind]

My luck I would be enjoying a porno, then turn off the tv. And in the reflection see my girlfriend standing behind me.

Josh

How does it show black?

[Timbotronic]

If black is truly black and distinct from reflective that would be very cool. Not sure how they'd do it though - I suspect black would be reflective making Film Noir almost impossible to view on sunny days!

I've got one of those!

[Anonymous Coward]

The only show on is about this fat bald guy who stares at the camera. All he does all day is masturbate and eat corn chips. Really weird show.

I'd rather Have...

[reallocate]

...a pocket mirror that's also a TV.

Yawn

[djupedal]

This came out a year ago...and a two years before that I found my Palm could do the same thing.... You people are so behind the curve :)

It's no good

[aled]

OTOH a mirror that doubles as TV, THAT would be something.

Oh, this is wonderful

[St. Vitus]

Now I don't even need to turn on the TV to watch the world's most boring reality series...

holding out

[mabu]

I'm holding out for the combo television/garbage-disposal, at which point I expect to come home and find the entire unit gone.

yikes

[RaymondRuptime]

Really gives new meaning to the phrase "idiot box"...

1984

[pz]

We're one step closer now.

Re:This is one of those things that make you think

[MrRTFM]

well - because they can I suppose.

It isnt a bad idea to use the TV as *something* when its turned off, but I'd have thought a mirror would be at the wrong height (you dont want to sit down to look in the mirror).

I'd personally prefer a high res screen saver

Re:This is one of those things that make you think

[gl4ss]

well I don't suppose anyone would use it like that, rather using the mirror likeness to add to the feeling of space in the room it's in.

in small hotel rooms & etc it might make all the difference..

Re:This is one of those things that make you think

[vontrotsky]

I like this. Don't think of it as something to replace a mirror, but at something to replace the tv. During the vast majority of the time, when the tv is off, you have a (hopefully) shiny mirror instead of an ugly piece of electronics on the wall.

Jeff

Re:This is one of those things that make you think

[Knetzar]

It's a sin to call a piece of electronics ugly on /.

You should know better then that.

Re:This is one of those things that make you think

[Honkytonkwomen]

....unless it runs Windows

Re:This is one of those things that make you think

[dorlthed]

Why not? I think this is a great idea . . . people are going want this because when you turn it off, it actually becomes a part of the room's decor. Instead of just taking up space on the wall, it looks good and enhances the room, such that you wouldn't even know a TV was there.

I'm sure it's not that important to an average Joe, but think about the people who can afford these screens. They're probably willing to spend some money on the appearance of their home. And when it does become affordable, I think people will like having a wall mirror more than they will a giant black rectangle. Personally, I'm kind of excited. It seems very sci-fi and futuristic: a giant mirror suddenly displays an image. Very cool.

Re:This is one of those things that make you think

[no longer myself]

...it looks good and enhances the room...

I suppose that depends on who's looking at it... Litterally! :-D

Re:This is one of those things that make you think

[CowboyNick]

Because it will enhance the decor of the room when off. Also, mirrors tend to make a room look bigger and brighter.

Hints from Helouis

[nycsubway]

why? because current TVs dont act very well as mirrors. They're reflective when they are off, especially the shiny ones. But when you want a mirror, and you're in a pinch for money, go for a large window at night, or a shiny metal pot or pan, those are far better than a tube TV thats turned off.

Re:Oh, great.

[Anonymous Coward]

He's just saving up for the big post of the night which will be when LOTR wins the Oscar for Best Picture ...

WHO MODDED THIS INFORMATIVE?

[LostCluster]

Mod it up as funny if you like, but it sure is not informative. RTFA, mods...

Poker.

[GNUALMAFUERTE]

hahahahahah, slashdot you kill me ..
Anyone else is going to mod my post?
I have recevied: Offtopic, Funny, Informative, and now, Overrated!!!!!!

Ok, anyone willing to give me an Insightfull?

Re:Picture in Picture?

[danila]

Absolutely. And with a little tweaking it should be possible to open Slashdot story in the main window, while RTFAing in the small one. Then may be people will stop asking questions which were clearly answered in the article.

Re:Picture in Picture?

[psoriac]

How did this get modded to insightful? The entire article is only 8 sentences long, and this specific feature is 2 of them - 25% of the entire article is devoted to this one topic!