Philips has branded its new 42-inch, flat-panel LCD high resolution television “Eco TV,” to which my knee-jerk reaction was a bit of gagging.

Yes, it is more energy efficient than other ginormous televisions, using a minimum of only 75 watts, at least a third less than other ginormous televisions. But it's still a ginormous television...

But let’s be positive for a moment - if the wave of future in entertainment is ginormous televisions, then Philips new Eco TV is a step in the right direction.

The main way in which the television saves on energy use is by dimming the backlight, by as much as a factor of five, based upon what’s on the screen. There are also options to activate sensors that will dim the overall picture when in a dark room (it should be noted that dark rooms save further energy, by not using as much lighting). Options are the key word here – at any point the consumer can elect to turn these energy-saving features off if it interferes with picture quality.

And enviros will appreciate the fact that the company used less lead and mercury in the construction of the Eco TV. It even comes in a recycled box.

Source: CNN

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The main factor of how green a TV
written by weee , January 13, 2008

Is how long it's used. It's obviously better if a TV is used for 15 years than 5 but the manufacturers have vested interest in TVs becoming obsolete/unfashionable within a much shorter timespan.
I think the greenest houses tend to have the oldest TVs; unless the old one just broke down!

...
written by stands2reason , January 13, 2008

@weee Really, TV manufacturers are trying to make their products go obsolete to take my money?

Wow, the NTSC standard was adopted in 1941 and revised with the invention of color TV in 1953. Not until 1998 have HDTV's been on sale--and they have still yet to be widely adopted.

Even if you count black and white NTSC and color NTSC as two separate generations of TV technology, the Big Bad TV Companies have only managed to make obsolete two generations of TV technology in about...sixty years.

As a final note, technology becoming obsolete isn't part of a vast conspiracy to take your money. It's part of the real world. That's what technology is about.

Is it a vampire?
written by Tom Konrad , January 13, 2008

How much energy does it use in standby mode? That's often a much more important factor in terms of total energy consumption.

Doesn't suck too much blood
written by Heather M , January 13, 2008

According to the company, the Eco TV uses less than 0.15 watts during standby mode.

I'm waiting for OLEDs
written by Ron Mertens , January 13, 2008

OLEDs should be even more efficient, and simpler to make, and even weight less and take less space so it'll be easier to ship.

http://www.oled-info.com

Yes
written by odograph , January 14, 2008

I chuckle and wonder if you have to ask because you are female?

Yeah, us males and our big TVs ... it can get ridiculous especially when the sound system is quoted in the hundreds of watts.

But I'll give this one a clean call. 75W is less than the average room lighting in an American home. Snuggle up and enjoy the movie.

The Ladies Dig Big TVs too....
written by Heather M , January 20, 2008

Actually, I AM a fan of big honking HDTVs for watching my football and baseball on - I just usually do it at a bar with about a hundred other people - sort of like carpooling for TV watchers!

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