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EPA updates ENERGY STAR specification for digital TVs, CEA applauds
We've no idea if Panasonic's sudden urge to decrease the power consumption of its plasmas has anything to do with this, but nevertheless, the Environmental Protection Agency has announced an updated ENERGY STAR specification for digital televisions that will hopefully "lead to further reductions in the amount of energy consumed by DTVs." The new standard will reportedly grant the coveted ENERGY STAR label only to "the top 25- to 30-percent most energy efficient TV models," and furthermore, it will (for the first time) "take into account active mode or 'On' mode power consumption in addition to standby mode energy use." Needless to say, the CEA found a moment to applaud the new spec, and as far as we can tell, it's being instituted immediately.[Via Widescreen Review]
Marvell chip claims to make PCs more energy efficient
Mark this down as a little out there, but a new Marvell chip claims to improve the efficiency of desktop and laptop power supplies by determining and then optimizing the amount of energy each particular application needs. Named a "power factor correction controller," the chip enables computers to comply with new Energy Star guidelines that require computers to use at least 80 percent of the energy supplied to power them. It's not the only chip out there that claims to improve efficiency using this method, although Marvell has already started producing the chips with the aim of hitting full volume production in Q1 2008, and seeing them in PCs thereafter.
D-Link hops on bandwagon, introduces "Green Ethernet" technology
We're all for utilizing power-saving technologies to make our everyday computing a bit less taxing on Mother Earth, but the latest initiative from D-Link just reeks of gimmick. The firm is claiming to have introduced the "industry's first Green Ethernet technology" with a new series of environmentally-friendly Gigabit switches, which reportedly "decrease energy costs by reducing power consumption without sacrificing operational performance and functionality." Apparently, these intelligent devices "recognize when a port is active or inactive and adjusts its power accordingly," and they can also "analyze the cable's length" and only send out the necessary amount of juice. Granted, every little bit counts, but we wouldn't let the guilt trip convince you to go replace all of your networking gear or anything.
Aussies to crack down on power hungry HDTVs
Some HDTVs use more power than others, but they all have the ENERGY STAR sticker right? Unfortunately this sticker doesn't tell you much, and our friends down under intend to change that. They want to make sure consumers know how much power that HDTV they're buying will use. This makes perfect sense to us, we already have such ratings on many of our appliances, but what doesn't make sense is that they are also considering banning HDTVs that use what they consider too much power. The real problem is that they want to do this by 2011 and some of our favorite TVs will have a hard time shaving off the watts in time. As much as we love HD, we think this is a pretty good idea; educate the consumers, while at the same time pressure the manufacturers to develop more efficient products. Just so long as we can still buy our 60-inch plasmas TVs if we want to.
NuVo unveils Essentia E6G whole home audio system
NuVo Technologies is sure proud of its new Essentia E6G whole home audio system, but rather than waxing rhapsodic about its lengthy list of features, it chose to boast about its newfound Energy Star rating. Aside from the being an apparent power sipper, the E6G also touts Philips Class D digital audio amplification (40-watts per zone), an RS-232 bidirectional control interface, 1U rack height, a newfangled control pad, OLED display and support for six sources and an equal number of zones. Of course, we sure hope you save a few dollars on that energy bill if you plan on picking this up, 'cause you'll be shelling out $2,299 up front before ever plugging it in.
