Again, one of those things they should have told us last year! Plasma tv.

[The Backlash Cometh]

Plasma screen TVs sap energy supplies
By Jonathan Thompson
Published: 13 August 2006
<snip>

If just half of British homes were to buy one of the flat-screen sets, two more nuclear power stations would be needed to meet the extra energy demand - with all the environmental problems that would bring.

The new sets use up to four times as much electricity as the old-style cathode-ray tube TVs, which is where the problem lies. Even so, the sets sold fast during this summer's football World Cup, with one reportedly being sold every 15 seconds.

Dr Joseph Reger, chief technology officer at Munich-based Fujitsu Siemens Computers, said: "If all the TVs were on at the same time, you would need something that produces 2.5 gigawatts. That can be done today with around two nuclear power stations."

Once all the other elements of the "digital home", such as DVD players, set top boxes and ever-more powerful computers are factored in, there is a serious long-term energy issue to be addressed.

<snip>


http://www.rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.independent.co.uk%2Fworld%2Fscience_technology%2Farticle1218933.ece

[wakeme2008]

1. I did not know who much electric they used until now

Shiiittt.. Will look at the Wattage now.

[Mr_Spock]

2. I wonder how LCD's compare?

power-wise

[skids]

3. Good, but modern CRTs are surprisingly efficient.

Right at this point, it would not be worth it in materials/environmental cost to change out a newer CRT for an LCD, unless you were replacing an entire system with a laptop (there is more savings to be found by using the well-engineered low-power CPU and chips in a laptop, than there is in the monitor, because desktop systems are engineered with nearly no regard for power consumption.)

[Mr_Spock]

10. Makes my laptop seem green

This thing will charge the battery & operate the laptop with a 65W power supply.

[skids]

12. For the most part, laptops are green...

...and for those people who aren't performance nuts and find a 1GHz CPU is all they need, they should be looking at replacing their desktop with a used laptop. 1GHz is about the CPU speed at which it starts making sense in payback on electricity bills (about 2-4 years, maybe less if you are used to working with even lower speeds) if you buy in the $400 to $600 range at current market values and tend to have your PC on most of the day.

[NoPasaran]

5. LCDs use less

Comparing Viewsonic 19" computer monitors, the spec sheet for the LCD quotes 35 Watts, while the same size in a jug uses 100.

[msongs]

4. no wonder the planet earth is gonna get rid of humans soon :-)

as we are the most destructive life form ever, thanks to intelligent design I guess.

Maybe all those plasma tv watchers could ride peddle bikes and generate electricy while they zone out in front of their big screens.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/2007politicalcalendars.htm

[democracyindanger]

6. It'd be hard

to hold my beer as I do so.

[omega minimo]

8. Haven't you ever heard of a

beer hat? :shrug:

[Kurovski]

19. Lol!(nt)

[NNN0LHI]

7. You’ll take my plasma TV when you pry it from my cold dead fingers! n/t

[DireStrike]

9. If we don't come up with energy solutions soon...

That just might happen.

The list of people and concerns that "I hope to god is wrong, but seems right" seems to be growing.

[wakeme2008]

17. NNN0LHI but did you know before hand they used a lot of

juice.

[NNN0LHI]

18. I did

I figured something 2 or 3 times bigger than any TV I owned before I got this one was likely to use more juice. But these aren't the type of gizmos one watches CNN or MSNBC on. Or I wouldn't leave it on for the dogs while it was storming outside while I am gone like I might leave on a small 19 inch or something. They have a limited lifespan (the screens are rated at about 7 years with a normal use of about 8 hours a day or so) so I would imagine most people use them sparingly. I use mine just to watch HDTV or DVDs. And not very often. I haven't even turned it on in about a week. Been doing other stuff. And I am not a big TV watcher to begin with. They do throw off a lot of heat though. They have a built in cooling fan for that. The extra heat feels good in the winter. Its a 50 inch so I don't need my glasses to watch it. I figured I had better get a High Definition set while my wifes and my eyes were still good enough to appreciate the damn thing. I am glad I did.

Don

[wakeme2008]

20. Sounds like a good use of your set

But the ppl that leave one on 24/7 to watch BS would see both electric bill problems and screen problems over time.

Myself, 90% of the time my TV is on I am watching a rental movie... :)

[johnaries]

11. I never liked the picture on a plasma screen, anyway, It's all hype

as far as I'm concerned. Images just aren't as "distinct".

Something I've discovered looking at various TV's on showroom floors. Of course, the pictures on the less expensive ones don't look as good as the more expensive. BUT, if you grab the remote and check the picture settings, you'll find they have been changed. If you set them back to factory defaults, you'll find the picture is just as good as the more expensive models. With a little tweaking, you may find in some cases the picture is actually superior. Hmm, is it possible that the salespeople distort the pictures on purpose?

Please find a copy of the '80's movie Ruthless People and watch the scene where Judge Reinholt takes the kid into the "Big Room" in the stereo shop. A friend of mine who worked for a nationwide Electronics chain said they used to show that scene in sales meetings.

You should also watch the earlier scene where he sxplains that the most popular brands of stereos are actually inferior but they overcharge and then give a kickback to the stores for pushing them.

Never buy an electronics product based on brand name recognition.

[LostinVA]

13. They often DO do it on purpose -- for the "squib"

ie a special commission from the company for selling a specific brand/model. Ben Cheever talks about it in one of his books, and I've had former Best Buy and Circuit City employees tell me the same thing.

[hootinholler]

15. I buy considering name recognition

But not in the way you imply. I prefer Klipsch speakers because they have an engineering dedication to fidelity in sound reproduction.

I prefer Toshiba laptops because in my experience talking with corporate support people who support many brands, they are somewhat more rugged and require fewer support calls.

In addition I watch the sales for big items and try to buy last year's tech. I need to add power consumption to my list of things to check also.

-Hoot

[1monster]

14. How do the LCD flat screen televisions compare? My husband just bought

one, and if it uses that much more than the regular TV, it is not going to be used quite as often as he wanted it to be....

[Ezlivin]

16. How to help: Each new purchase should use less energy

than the item it is replacing.

Each time one of my aging appliances has failed I've replaced it with the highest Energy Star rated appliance I could find. I'm replacing my CRT projection television with a DLP next year; bigger screen but less power. Over the past two years my overall energy usage has dropped. Soon I'll have to replace my old HVAC system and I hope to afford a geothermal system.

I'd like to continue investing in energy conservation until one day in the not-too-distant future my electric bill will be near $0.00.

[KharmaTrain]

21. So Tubes Are More Energy Efficient? Up Is Down??

Let's try a simple Chemistry 101 experiment. Take an old TV set...the older the better and turn it on. Listen to that surge when it pops on and then how long it takes to warm up. Or even a later set...feel that surge when the picture first comes on...that big gulp of good old AC. Then let it run for about 15 minutes...feel the tube...and check out how hot its gotten...or if you're a real narciscist, why not go inside and find the discharge capasitor and give that a touch. OK, that's cathode ray...the technology that was prevelent for the past 50 years...energy hogs, yet millions of homes have not one but several of those old monsters and we're not extinct yet.

Now...a LCD or Plasma or any pixel-based monitor doesn't work on AC, it's DC and low amounts of it. It's a far more efficient system. Just because your computer or set gets smarter or faster, doesn't mean it uses more power...if anything, it consumes less.

Also, television stations require less power to operate in the digital world. Transmitters for digital TV stations operate at 10-20% of the power of old analog transmitters and cover the same distance with a superior picture. The savings alone of retiring hundreds of energy-hog TV transmitters with more energy efficient ones would far outweigh any "additional consumption".

Guess somebody got a bad deal on a plasma TV...