A system, comprising: a device (104A, 104C) having front and back sides (106, 108), the device comprising, between the front and back sides (106, 108): a display having front and back surfaces, wherein the front surface of the display forms the front side of the device (104A, 104C); a spatial light deflector juxtaposed against the back surface of the display, the spatial light deflector comprising a steerable array of light deflecting elements; and a wedge device juxtaposed against the spatial light deflector, the wedge device comprising a prismatic sheet, a transparent wedge, and a camera positioned at a wide end of the transparent wedge; and, a window-simulation controller configured to receive information about a remote user in front of a remote display, the information comprising a location of the remote user relative to the remote display and a direction that the remote user is looking, the window-simulation controller configured to simulate that the remote user is at the location behind the display and looking in the direction at the display, the window-simulation controller configured to identify a region of light that would pass through the display and be visible to the simulated remote user and cause the spatial light deflector to steer the region of light into the wedge device and onto the transparent wedge at a critical angle so that the light rays are reflected down the transparent wedge to the camera and to cause the camera to capture an image of the region of light from the wedge device, the window-simulation controller further configured to cause the image to be sent to the remote display. a device (104A, 104C) having front and back sides (106, 108), the device comprising, between the front and back sides (106, 108): a display having front and back surfaces, wherein the front surface of the display forms the front side of the device (104A, 104C); a spatial light deflector juxtaposed against the back surface of the display, the spatial light deflector comprising a steerable array of light deflecting elements; and a wedge device juxtaposed against the spatial light deflector, the wedge device comprising a prismatic sheet, a transparent wedge, and a camera positioned at a wide end of the transparent wedge; and, a display having front and back surfaces, wherein the front surface of the display forms the front side of the device (104A, 104C); a spatial light deflector juxtaposed against the back surface of the display, the spatial light deflector comprising a steerable array of light deflecting elements; and a wedge device juxtaposed against the spatial light deflector, the wedge device comprising a prismatic sheet, a transparent wedge, and a camera positioned at a wide end of the transparent wedge; and, a window-simulation controller configured to receive information about a remote user in front of a remote display, the information comprising a location of the remote user relative to the remote display and a direction that the remote user is looking, the window-simulation controller configured to simulate that the remote user is at the location behind the display and looking in the direction at the display, the window-simulation controller configured to identify a region of light that would pass through the display and be visible to the simulated remote user and cause the spatial light deflector to steer the region of light into the wedge device and onto the transparent wedge at a critical angle so that the light rays are reflected down the transparent wedge to the camera and to cause the camera to capture an image of the region of light from the wedge device, the window-simulation controller further configured to cause the image to be sent to the remote display. receive information about a remote user in front of a remote display, the information comprising a location of the remote user relative to the remote display and a direction that the remote user is looking, the window-simulation controller configured to simulate that the remote user is at the location behind the display and looking in the direction at the display, the window-simulation controller configured to identify a region of light that would pass through the display and be visible to the simulated remote user and cause the spatial light deflector to steer the region of light into the wedge device and onto the transparent wedge at a critical angle so that the light rays are reflected down the transparent wedge to the camera and to cause the camera to capture an image of the region of light from the wedge device, the window-simulation controller further configured to cause the image to be sent to the remote display.