- California’s efforts to regulate the energy efficiency of its 35 million televisions (about one per California resident) continues to raise significant backlash from the electronics industry. Under the new proposal, new (sold after January 1, 2011) TVs under 58 inches would be required to use 30% less energy by 2011 and 50% less by 2013. The regulations are a direct response to the growing popularity of power-hungry, flat-screen LCD and Plasma TVs. Critics of the proposal highlight that advancements in technology have drastically improved the energy efficiency (or lack thereof) of old CRT tube televisions. The California Energy Commission estimates that the proposal will save the state $8.1 billion by 2021 and could vote on the proposal as early as tomorrow, November 4th. (via The Mercury News)
- Research firm InStat is predicting that a new version of HDTVs will hit the retail market in the next five to 10 years. Dubbed “Ultra” HD, the new technology will improve picture resolution anywhere from four to 16 times the resolution of current HDTVs. The new technology is in the experimental stages in Japan and also some movie theaters (locations not specified). (via TVPredictions.com)
- On a similar note, Samsung just released pictures of it’s 3mm thick, LED backlit, LCD HDTV. While the specs on the TV are still somewhat unknown, the model shown in Samsung’s pictures is 40-inches, 120Hz, and 5000:1 contrast ratio. (via Gizmodo)
- David Katzmaier, Senior Editor at CNET, recently reviewed all of the HDTVs on the market. Here are his top five, based on their design, features, and perfomance:
- Samsung UNB8500 series
- Panasonic TC-PV10 series
- Samsung PNB850/860 series
- Samsung UNB8000 series
- LG LH90 series
Do you agree or disagree with David’s review?
[...] I mentioned in a November 3rd news brief, the California Energy Commission planned to vote on a potential ban of power-hungry TVs. The vote [...]