Designing flat-screen TVs that devour less power

As I continue to enjoy the high-definition glory of my gorgeous (and not too big) flat-screen TV, I still wonder how much power it consumes compared to the old tube TV it replaced.

Though its sometimes said that a flat-screen TV uses as much juice as a refrigerator, that stat refers to the jumbo wall models that people install in McMansions -- and that's the problem. As we replace our old TVs, we're buying bigger models.

Now Greentech Media reports that a number of TV manufacturers are addressing this issue by designing new generations of TVs that consume less power. Some examples:

• Sony has shown a 42-inch LCD TV from 2005 that consumes 131 watts next to a 2008 set of the same size that consumes just 57 watts in the same operating mode.
• Sharp is working on experimental solar-powered TVs. One 26-inch model consumes only 40 watts of power, which is pretty impressive.
• Panasonic is aiming to cut the power consumption of its plasma TVs by two-thirds by 2010 or 2011 by reducing the number of components and by trying to direct more of the light coming from the light source to the screen itself. A Panasonic rep explains that doubling the luminance cuts the electricity required by half. Tripling it cuts power consumption by two-thirds.

But perhaps all this innovation is to be short-lived. No sooner we all have our new TVs than the next great technology, OLED, will be on store shelves. Super-slim and super-thrifty in power use, this ultra-bright technology will change everything yet again. Stand by.

Don Willmott's blog posts are provided by LifeWire, a part of The New York Times Company.