Goin' bad, 'cause good is dumb.
(Credit: Wildstorm/Blizzard)Eric's finally going Horde. With Blizzard's recent announcement that it will allow faction changes in the World of Warcraft, Eric is seeing this as an opportunity to inject some excitement back into the game. Dong, of course, disagrees.
Then we awkwardly inject some technology into the episode with discussions about wireless router stress testing and GamutVision.
Finally, some dating advice for our loyal readers. Don't say we never did anything for you.
To subscribe to this podcast, visit us at our main page and click the podcast link on the right. Don't forget to leave us voice mail at 1-800-947-6399 or e-mail us at insidecnetlabs@cnet.com.
Listen now:
Download today's podcast
As useful as information found on the Internet can be, at times, it's also frustratingly myopic, resulting in moments when you have to take matters into your own hands.
Recently, my fiancee pleaded with me to start turning my PlayStation 3 off when it's not in use. Since the red standby light was on, she contended, the unit must be drawing significantly more power than if the unit was simply switched off via the power switch on the back.
Having just tested a couple dozen monitors as part of a CNET power consumption project, I felt I knew a bit about this and explained to her that the difference between standby and off was minuscule at best and that the savings for a whole year would be less than five bucks at the most.
That "1.5434" number represents the wattage average for the PS3 in standby. Pay no attention to the other numbers!
(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)She remained adamant, and since I couldn't prove my point outright at that moment--and didn't feel like an argument--I let her win and said I'd start switching it off.
Unfortunately for her, I sometimes see compromising as losing--and I hate to lose.
So the next day I pursued the matter, as standby was too important to me to just give up on. Having your PS3 in standby lets you turn it on from the controller. The laziness in me couldn't let this slide, so I told my fiancee I'd prove that when the PS3 is on standby it draws, at the most, only slightly more power than when it's off.
... Read more
WARNING: This was my first attempt at working the sound board, using the software, and editing the podcast, so be forgiving. We tried...
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
Listen now: Download today's podcast
 | Episode 29 |
Hello. I have a few recommendations and questions for you three...
>>> I think that you do a great job in the 1st place. <<<
I want to know, do you broadcast live on cnet.com, and if so when?
My buddies and I would love to tune in and listen!
It's either that, or read George Will's column in the Washington Post. (LOL! What a Nut!)
So I would really love to know that.
The other thing is that I think that you should get an AIM account or a digitalcity.cnet.com chatbox.
This way viewers can talk to each other in a c-box, or viewers can have suggestions via. I.M. or ask the opinion of one of you three. Or, they can make recommendations or ask questions like I am without the wait for the reply. Please consider my opinion. I am a long time listener of your podcast and enjoy it among all of my other podcasts. Please keep the new episodes coming!!!
Sincerely,
Nathan T.
(Credit:
CNET)
Correction 3-27-09: This article originally characterized California's proposed standard as "new legislation," when in fact it is a proposed regulation.
The state of California is considering adopting a regulation that will prevent sales of TVs that don't meet a relatively stringent energy efficiency requirement. Most TVs CNET has tested fail to meet the requirement today, although the standard as currently proposed won't go into effect until 2011.
According to its FAQ, the California Energy Commission plans to vote on the proposal this summer. The most recent draft of the proposal (PDF) puts forth the specific power-efficiency requirements, based on watts-per-square-inch of screen, in a tiered approach. Tier 1 would go into effect in 2011, while the stricter Tier 2 would hit in 2013. There's also an alternate, more lenient version of Tier 1 included in the proposal. Televisions that fail the requirement would be ineligible for sale in the state.
Digging into the proposal, we found that it's significantly more-aggressive than the current voluntary Energy Star 3.0 program, for which nearly every new HDTV qualifies. Among LCD TVs we tested in 2008, 19 out of 38, or exactly half, fail the requirement for 2011, while all but two fail for 2013. Among plasmas all but 3 out of 23 fail. Check out the chart below for specifics.
... Read more
Eco-friendly Sony HDTVs sense your presence
The eco-friendly KDL-VE5 series packs plenty of power-saving punch.
(Credit: Sony)As Americans become more conscious of TV power consumption, manufacturers are taking full advantage by offering more eco-friendly HDTVs. The KDL-VE5 series is Sony's power-sipping entrant for CES 2009, and includes the ability to turn off automatically when viewers leave the vicinity.
The three-size series includes the 52-inch KDL-52VE5, the 46-inch KDL-46VE5, and the 40-inch KDL-40VE5. As usual, ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
On Sale Now: $1,589.00 - $1,689.99
View the latest prices for Sony KDL-52VE5
On Sale Now: $1,199.99 - $1,699.99
View the latest prices for Sony KDL-46VE5
On Sale Now: $999.00 - $1,099.99
View the latest prices for Sony KDL-40VE5
(Credit:
CNET)
Q: I heard that TV calibration could reduce energy consumption and therefore reduce costs to operate. Do you have any evidence of that? --Scott, via e-mail
A: Yes it does and yes I do, but first it's worth mentioning that you don't necessarily need to pay hundreds of dollars for a professional calibration to get the savings.
What saves energy and operating costs, as well as increases product lifespan, is reducing light output. That's typically controlled by the contrast or "picture" control and, in an LCD TV, the backlight control. Since calibration usually involves reducing light output from the very bright default picture settings, it will generally result in cost savings. The picture is still plenty bright after calibration, especially for the kind of darkened home theater environment more conducive to watching movies, it's just not as blindingly bright as the default modes often used to compete with other TVs on the showroom floor.
... Read more
Sharp's LC-52D65U has solid energy-saving chops.
(Credit: CNET)It's been awhile since we reviewed a Sharp TV. The last big-screen model was the company's LC-52D64U from more than a year ago. At the time we liked most aspects of the TV's performance, but there was one big problem we noticed in that TV and in models we reviewed in previous years:
The bad: Uneven uniformity manifests as irregular bands across screen.
Judging from the new 52-inch LC-52D65U we reviewed, Sharp has finally beaten the bands. We noticed no untoward uniformity issues with our review sample, and its picture quality was all-around decent given its entry-level place in the big-screen LCD totem pole. This Energy Star 3.0-compliant set is also one of the most efficient we've tested, thanks in part to a new power saving mode.
Read the full review of the Sharp LC-52D65U.
... Read more
On November 1, Energy Star will officially launch its revised specification for TVs, version 3.0, which promises to significantly reduce power consumption. After that date, TVs must meet the new spec to carry the Energy Star logo.
It may come as a surprise that prior to the new spec, TVs were only tested in standby mode (plugged in but turned off) to comply with Energy Star. The TVs were never turned on for the test, and the only thing that qualified them for the logo, since 2005, was the ability to draw less than a watt when turned off.
Standby testing is important, of course--TVs, even in America, spend more than 80 percent of the time turned off--but by early this year the majority of TVs on the market have standby draws of less than a watt, which is insignificant considering how much power they draw when turned on.
Version 3.0 finally institutes standards for "power on" certification, and judging from the extensive list of supporting documents at Energy Star's official site, settling on a spec was a long and contentious battle. But now that the spec is in effect, TV power consumption in "power on" mode will lilkely fall across the board. The key, as usual, is in the details of the spec.
... Read more
Sharp's LC-D85U series of LCDs feature a 120Hz refresh rate and a variable backlight to help save energy.
(Credit: Sharp)Today at CEDIA, Sharp announced two new lines of flat-panel LCD HDTVs, one with a special energy-saver function and another with the company's first iteration of true 120Hz processing. Full details are available after the jump.... Read more
On Sale Now: $1,299.95 - $1,939.87
View the latest prices for Sharp Aquos LC-52D65U
On Sale Now: $949.99 - $1,199.93
View the latest prices for Sharp AQUOS LC-46D65U
On Sale Now: $849.99 - $1,199.99
View the latest prices for Sharp AQUOS LC-42D65U
On Sale Now: $1,499.00 - $2,499.99
View the latest prices for Sharp AQUOS LC-52D85U
On Sale Now: $1,149.00 - $1,999.99
View the latest prices for Sharp Aquos LC-46D85U
On Sale Now: $1,029.00 - $1,199.99
View the latest prices for Sharp AQUOS LC-42D85U
(Credit:
CNET)
Q: I am very interested in a TV's power performance, and would like to double check something I found on the site. I saw that on the specs page for the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U plasma, you guys had that the power consumption is 692 watts. Whereas on your 104 HDTVs' power consumption compared chart, the same television is listed as using only 191.22 watts, and is said to be a "good performer." Can you help me out and let me know which one is the correct one or why they are 400 watts different? -- Joe, via email
A:The short answer is pretty simple, Joe: the 692-watt spec cited on CNET, according to that TV's user manual, corresponds to the maximum power consumption, whereas the 191-watt result of our testing reflects a real-world usage scenario. The long answer is a bit more complex, especially for Panasonic plasmas.... Read more
