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Since the late 1920′s, television has become a more and more common part of our lives. Currently there are  TV sets in use on our planet. From a large cathode ray unit to the slick mounted internet friendly flat screen, the television has undergone some pretty fantastic upgrades. This, of course, prompts the next question, what’s the next big television upgrade?

First let’s do a quick stroll through TV history. In 1928, the first hand-cranked TV prototype was brought to select markets. By the 1940′s and 1950′s, interest in TV had grown significantly, ushering in many new technological updates. The initial cranked unit was replaced as broadcast technology and cathode ray TV’s became easier to manufacture and sell. Those updates would be the foundation of TV technology for quite a long time to follow, until the late 1990′s when the flat screens started to emerge. Now, here we are, nearly three decades later and still with similar devices. Well, the folks at Panasonic have some news that is shaking up the TV technology world.

At a recent Consumer Electronics Show in Japan, the world was introduced to the brand new Panasonic television, though many did not even see it initially. Why? Because when this TV is not on, it looks and acts just like a glass panelin your living room cabinet. This glass is tinted just enough to be able to hold the images that are displayed when activated but still can serve as a glass panel for when you’re done watching Stranger Things or whatever you’re into.

But wait, there’s more. This television is also a smart device, able to connect to tablets and phones, access the web, build playlists, make photo slide shows, and get weather updates too. The goal here is to integrate many existing technologies into it allowing for this pane of glass to become a hub of information and productivity in the household.

Not only does this slick new design look futuristic, it also works in an equally impressive way. The image is actually projected from the wooden back of the cabinet shelf and captured on the glass. The pane of glass that holds the image totally works as a TV screen and as a sliding door to gain access to your possessions in the cabinet. As of now this television’s quality is the same as current HD 1080p formats, but the goal is to get it up to 4K before releasing it to the public. The expected time frame to do this is about two to three years from now.

While this is a major step forward in TV technology, this could also be the start of a whole new way of using smart tables, tablets, smart phones, and other devices that have a screen. One technological advance can easily impact many other industries, so who knows what amazing things could be headed our way if this see-through TV catches on.

For now, more testing and development are needed before this product can be sent out into the marketplace. However, once these TV’s become a part of the global retail dialogue, we’ll see even more changes made to this household mainstay. Not only does technology build upon itself, it also integrates other technologies along the way. Regardless, this is a huge milestone for TV technology and is already being considered…clearly brilliant!

Side note: keep in mind technology ebbs and flows with changing needs and the changing availability of resources. For example think about how the weaving loom would eventually go on to lead to the computer. Perhaps there’s a greater outcome for this new TV, one that we may not know about just yet. Regardless, leave it the clever men and women in the science world to bring remarkable changes to our lives! Here’s our take on that technological evolution below, enjoy!