See-through white boards on cop shows - what's with that?

[GladioliBuckets]

Can anyone explain the scientific benefits behind a see-through board?
And why is the lighting always so crap? The Waking The Dead office would surely contravene Health & Safety regs and the CIS team never turn on the lights before entering a crimescene.
This has all been bugging me for some years but am at a loose end tonight and felt the need to rant.

I remember seeing them after the film minority Report with Tom Cruise came ouot. Until then, I'd never seen anything like them and then suddenly, they were being used everywhere.
From what I see, there is no benefit of a see through white board apart from to annoy everyone coz they can't see the writing properly!

DH is a detective
he has never laid eyes on a see-through board

he says they have an old pin-board he seized from a house 3 months ago as an exhibit

I thought it was because the didn't have a proper white board and had to use a window.

AFAI am concerned it is nothing more than for TV.

Bloody annoying too.

They have them in the Bill too but at least they have overhead lights in their offices.
And surely they need cleaning more often with all the grease and fingerprints? Or would that make them easier to read?

Painstaking fingertip searches and observation by torchlight and the neon from outside the window. Whoops, just knelt on a vital clue and smeared a key blood spatter pattern.