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Australia May Restrict Plasma and LCD TVs

By Tim Conneally, BetaNews

October 11, 2007, 2:47 PM

An Australian government-commissioned report recently said that Plasma and LCD TV's consume more power than traditional CRT displays and thus strict regulations must be placed upon them.

The study and subsequent report came in answer to the government's Equipment Energy Efficiency Committee fact sheet that said these types of televisions are contributing to skyrocketing energy consumption in the country. It is speculated that they could overtake refrigerators, air conditioning units and washing machines as the major contributors to household greenhouse gasses.

The report says that energy rating levels similar to those placed on other appliances will be needed. But under the system, slated to be in place next year, only 4 out of 20 of current plasma TVs they tested meet energy requirements. Most LCDs of comparable size only pass with the worst possible rating.

A proposed tightening of the system, which would take place by April 2011, would make it even harder to achieve that barely-passing grade. This means that not a single current model Plasma TV would be acceptable in Australia, effectively forbidding Plasma screens entirely.

Some industry figures think the 166-page report, compiled by consulting group Digital CEnergy, is unrealistic.

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By pforbes

edited Oct 14, 2007 - 6:24 PM

I wonder where is the border between science and political-industrial conveniences. BTW I remember that this "global warming" was known by us all just after the middle-east oil crisis which gave birth to OPEC. Wasn't it a weird coincidence?

Score: 0

By SolApathy

posted Oct 13, 2007 - 1:24 PM

Well I am just going to sit here and take the blame for global warming. I have 5 LCD TV's, an SUV, and a 72 Olds 442. I set my A/C to kick on when it goes above 70 & My Desktop PC consumes enough power to heat a small house.

It's all my fault.... But guess what? I'm going to buy another LCD TV tomorrow just for my bathroom so I can consume more power.

Score: 0

By DZNetworks

posted Oct 14, 2007 - 2:33 AM

Just think how much power an Xbox 360 consumes? And the heat! My God the Heat!

Score: 0

By khetos

posted Oct 13, 2007 - 12:58 PM

Just an FYI for all you griping about power, did you know in canada, we are being asked all the time, to save and conserve power...

and then the hydro company, turns around, and charges us, if we dont use the power..
THATS RIGHT being CHARGED if you dont use the power... like wtf?

soo basically, the hydro company, buys/makes the power, and needs to use what they buy/make, if you as a whole, dont use it all, or use too much, you pay the premium...

soo why should i cut down the power i use? i have to pay for it weather or not my pc is on at home..

the money still comes out of our pockets..

Score: 0

By marrix

edited Oct 13, 2007 - 9:36 AM

For those that take serious interest in what technology may be available shortly with regard video rendition and power consumption, when I heard of this the initial release date was to be Oct'07. Have no idea what has occurred to delay the release, competing technologies (read vested interests) perhaps?
Anyway here's a couple of links that may give food for thought.
BTW: this was developed in Australia.
http://arasor.net/consumer/consumer.asp
http://www.novalux.com/

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Oct 13, 2007 - 10:53 AM

You didn't mention OLED.

It's called progress. Happens all the time. :)

Score: 0

By Registered

edited Oct 12, 2007 - 6:44 PM

I'm quite shocked how modern LCD/Plasma TV's could use more power, considering the GREEN problems the world is well aware,

it seems so strange how 6 years in development and they didn't consider about power usage,

i would of thought power usage would of been top of there list,

it's also nice to see Australia making a stance,

consumers can manipulate sales, but governments can stop them, it's things like this that will eventually make companies increase efficiency,

one of the hardest things for designers is maintaining a high degree of efficiency,

and although designers and innovators can do this, it can take time, and that's one thing these people don't have, why, easy... MONEY!!!

get the product out, as long as it works good, and sells then that's all matters,

after all research needs to be paid, but companies don't really want that.

Score: 0

By meb

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 12:28 PM

Actually what is being introduced which this whole article misses is that it's suggesting an Energy Star rating. (1-5 stars).

This then allows consumers to select based on energy efficiency the TV they choose. Most consumers will elect for more efficient appliances (It's worked here on dishwashers, fridges, washing machines and dryers, and air-conditioners to name a few appliances).

Historically markets with lower rating devices are favoured by consumers (same size, less wattage = more sales). So the sales number effectively determine the market.

Plasmas in their current forms would be superceded with more energy efficient models in future years.. and it gives manufacturers guides to the marks they need to hit.

Realistically... who's to say that Plasmas will be the 'big thing' they are now in 2011? I suspect around that time that OLED will be favoured by most or something else that jumps up.

4 years in the electronics/entertainment industry is a long time.

The industry 'figures'... strange how many are current Plasma manufacturers.

For the record... I own a Plasma. ;-)

Score: 0

By Hollywood__

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 9:47 PM

The new Runco 103" needs dedicated 220V. I would say plasmas are less efficient than CRT or LCD. I think LCD's use the least power.

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 9:02 PM

Here's a thunk:

How about I pay for the electricity I want and the rest of ya'll go live in little huts made out of leaves and mud if ya want.

Build more infrastructure, charge the top users a premium to pay for it. Regulating the market is BS.

Score: 0

By marrix

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 11:30 AM

PC,
What the problem we have here in OZ, now try to get your head around this, a tad of perception is required here my friend. The largest Alumina Smelter in this whole godd***ed world is based near a place called Portland (do a Google mate). The godd***ed stupid Gov't gave this operation a commercial rate of electrical power about 10% of commercial retail market, which on currennt national grid works out to about >6% of that the household pays.
Mate, if you would like links to query my assertions, I'll be more than happy to provide them.
And, Whilst I'm on this rant, this place when it was first populated was known as Australia Felix, the operative term here is "Felix", verdant, wet & lush.
Indeed, for 150 years known as the garden of OZ, yet we are now struggling for water. But, can still find enough power to make sure the various elements are there for export, however were it not for those same elements I'd not be making these observations.
As an aside imafurby needs some work, 'an I'm in that sorta mood.
Cheers, mate!
And, seeing I'm in such good humour at the moment keep the flames coming!!

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 12:11 PM

"Australia Felix" was verdant in 1836.

Are you actually trying to assert that the Alcoa plant is responsible for altering that?

BTW: Felix=happy, not verdant. Just an fyi. Google it, mate :)

Score: 0

By marrix

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 8:19 PM

PC,
I am the eldest great, great grandson of the family that settled "Australia Felix" as described by Major Mitchell, please do not attempt to disparage my local knowledge.
The point I was trying to make about the Portland plant, is the encouragement the govt gave to Alcoa, all users' of electricity who are on the national power grid are subsiding the extravagant use of power by this plant.

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Oct 13, 2007 - 10:52 AM

So the government is bailing out Alcoa with it's citizens money?

Yeah. That sucks.

I am the eldest great, great grandson of the family that settled "Australia Felix" as described by Major Mitchell, please do not attempt to disparage my local knowledge.

I am the only great, great grandson of the family that fled Germany to come make shoes in America. Big Whoop. This is the internet. I'll disparage anything I damn please. :) Get used to it. Have a nice day.

Score: 0

By imafurby

edited Oct 12, 2007 - 11:56 AM

Mate, I'm not quite sure what your position is, apart from that Downunder was called "Australia Felix" or whatever, which btw was an inaccurate description by Limeys who didn't know what they were looking at. Australia is largely DESERT, unless you haven't noticed.

Australians like the English, are largely believers of Al Gore's fabulous, peace prize winning, global warming gospel, and thus this idiotic ban on LCD and Plasma TV's. There is no such thing as anthropogenic global warming, and you should know how bloody stupid this position is when you glance around you and see the lack of people populating your country.

You can take 10 million suvs and run them night and day for 6 months and you still probably won't have the slightest impact on the climate as it applies to greenhouse gases, carbon emissions or whatever else these people dream up as an excuse to tax people. It's a scam baby.

The reason you have no water is explained above, however, if you built some more dams, you might be able to store a bit here and there for when the inevitable drought comes around again.

Score: 0

By marrix

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 8:32 PM

imafoolytobesure,
I can assure you fool, the only subscribers' of Al Gore's assertions are a few dreaming doctors' wives, an' I agree with you stupid the more Mumvees, Air"Cons" & the like we have running the better. Then we'll know for sure one way or the other.
As an aside imafooltoo, I live in a sub tropical area of South East Queensland, some 6 weeks ago our 3 damns were at a collective capacity of 16.7%. All the optimal areas for damns have already been utilized.
As an aside I was recently in Florida, similar climate to that mentioned above, and they have like issues regarding water supply.
Geez mate you must hate anyone of English extraction no matter how far removed, I'd like to know your heritage, but the possibilities make me blush.

Score: 0

By imafurby

posted Oct 13, 2007 - 1:04 AM

Ah Queensland, the land where people stay out in the sun way too long and their brain melts.
Only a real fool would drone on about his great great, great grandfather being such a great and important man, and that is a sure sign of a pompous ass.

My dear fellow, if you could possibly learn to spell, you might have an intelligent point to make, whatever it might be. Your great grandfather would probably wince at your attempts to explain yourself whilst hurling insults blindly because you don't agree with people's opinions don't you think?

No, you don't think, and fyi the word is spelled d.a.m.s not damns, but I guess you're damned if you live in south east queensland so I do understand. How about using reservoir instead, would that be easier for you?

Have a nice damn day.

Score: 0

By marrix

edited Oct 13, 2007 - 9:21 AM

Imafooltobesure,
Re your spelling lessons, you missed the irony mate.
T'was you stupid, making disparaging comments, check your posts.
A gentle lesson in etiquette my friend, when you know nothing of something, it is deemed wise not to compound your ignorance in public.
Now, stupid! Insults aside let's get back to your point.
I was making observations regarding distribution of power, costs of same to the general consumer, and the rather "dire" (this is a litotes) water supply issues currently experienced by all the east coast & west coast metropolises.
With regard to pomposity my friend, stop typing one handed for a change!

Score: 0

By imafurby

posted Oct 13, 2007 - 9:29 AM

Yeah yeah yeah. See ya!

Score: 0

By horsecharles

posted Oct 15, 2007 - 11:25 AM

Wasn't Australia mostly a penal colony initially?

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Oct 15, 2007 - 12:05 PM

Yup. They'd ship the prisoners there. Out of sight out of mind.

Seems they've done pretty well for themselves considering...

Score: 0

By meb

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 12:17 PM

Hmm... like the dams we have around the country now sitting at 20-30%.

Funny things about dams... you need rain to fill 'em.

Score: 0

By imafurby

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 12:35 PM

which means...?

Score: 0

By Avion Airplane

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 8:47 AM

its about global warming and what they really want is a CARBON TAX !!!

just my thought .......

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 9:53 AM

Hit the nail on the head.

Score: 0

By Aires

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 7:12 AM

Thank f*ck you don't run the country.

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 9:53 AM

Yeah. Rights...

...who needs 'em when it comes to big, scary, "Global Warming", right?

Score: 0

By Tenoq

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 10:57 PM

Then you'd whinge and b**** about paying 4x as much for electricity when they're forced into carbon trading schemes (because they couldn't reduce greenhouse gas output).

Think of the bigger picture. And what the report suggests is no more or less than what is already required of nearly every other major appliance in an Australian household. Personally, I look forward to browsing through the TV section and seeing exactly how much power each one will use. Nothing wrong with that at all. They won't ban TVs from sale, they'll just mark them with "This device uses way, way, way too much power to be even classified under our energy efficiency scheme."

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 9:53 AM

Then you'd whinge and b**** about paying 4x as much for electricity when they're forced into carbon trading schemes (because they couldn't reduce greenhouse gas output).

No, I'd winge about lame-ass "Carbon trading" schemes and the pansies who whine about greenhouse gas emissions.

Score: 0

By Hollywood__

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 9:45 PM

That's my opinion as well, what is the point of having a lot of money if you don't buy things other people can't afford?

Score: 0

By dvferret

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 9:05 PM

Now thats an intelligent idea.

Score: 0

By Setian^Stalker

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 7:27 PM

There’s another side to this as well. The energy consumption isn’t anything new. The cost of energy in Australia is greater. And it should be noted that in some cities there is a shortage of it. For instance Perth is a great example. They have to have rolling blackouts because the energy network cant handle everyone running air conditioners.
So as this generation rushes to purchase lcd and plasma tvs (which are now quite cheap) it just puts more load on the already overburdened network.

Score: 0

By crashoverride

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 7:19 PM

I was under the impression that several studies had already been done that found LCD TV's used less power.

Score: 0

By Tenoq

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 11:14 PM

They do at an equivalent size. The biggest CRT screens were around 84cm - people don't buy 84cm LCDs though. They buy 100cm+ LCDs... even 1.5m screens (62") are common now.

Score: 0

By dvferret

edited Oct 11, 2007 - 9:07 PM

Thats what I was under the impression of too.

Score: 0

By imafurby

edited Oct 11, 2007 - 6:52 PM

For God's sake, this is just "anthropogenic global warming" part 274, which they seem to subcribe to Downunder. It's utter rubbish. There's nothing to watch down there anyway, unless you're in love with sports broadcasting.

Score: 0

By marrix

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 11:41 AM

Imafurby,
Well now mate, quite obviously you know nothing of what is happening in Australia, geez pal you get up and speak of "Global Warming", and eyes roll. Tell the Abolone Divers, the Cray Fishermen, the Gummy Sharch Fishermen, the boats that are now under quota's of what they can catch, and so it goes.
And, ImAFurIdiot, our Prime Time TV, is American TV reality shows!!
A question, ImAFurby, is this short form for stupidity???

Score: 0

By imafurby

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 12:03 PM

Thanks for your delightful, if misspelled, comments, although like your other post, this one also seems short on logic and a little confusing.

FYI I have been to Australia this year, so I do know what is happening there, so there.

Score: 0

By meb

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 12:21 PM

I buy McDonalds burgers... does that mean I know how the restaurant runs?

Visiting Australia as a visitor... much different to being a resident and living there.

Score: 0

By imafurby

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 12:31 PM

That's called jumping to a conclusion.

Score: 0

By pforbes

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 6:03 PM

Maybe the motive for the high power needs is not the plasma itself but the giant dimensions of many of the new screens, never reached before. Even in traditional TV sets a double-sized screen means also almost double energy consumption.

Score: 0

By billweh

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 5:41 PM

Is Australia on the same power as we are in the US? Maybe something in the way they handle power conversion from our format to theirs is not as efficient?

Isn't the UK on DC power still? Maybe that conversion from DC to AC is causing all of the hoopla?

We loose our conversion up front from the station to the house, maybe there - they're paying for it at the consumer end?

Score: 0

By meb

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 12:31 PM

Australia is 240AC... the 'conversion' doesn't occur.. the power supplies are normally 220/240AC.

Score: 0

By elyl

edited Oct 11, 2007 - 6:37 PM

Good lord man, nobody transmits national power as DC, that's just not viable. The UK (and I believe Australia too) transmit AC power over the electricity grid, and steps down to domestic power at about 220V AC which is more efficient (power transmitted vs power lost in transmission) than the US' 110V.

Score: 0

By frankwick

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 11:30 AM

but don't different companies use different frequencies to transmit the power? 50 Hz vs 60Hz?

Score: 0

By elyl

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 3:07 PM

Frequency is largely irrelevant. UK/AU power is 50Hz. Coincidentally our TVs operate at 50Hz. US power is 60Hz, and guess what - their TVs use 60Hz refresh rate. I'm not aware of the frequency affecting the efficiency of the power transmission.

Score: 0

By Tenoq

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 11:15 PM

240V in AU.

Score: 0

By elyl

posted Oct 12, 2007 - 3:08 PM

220-240V, it's all the same.

Score: 0

By Mystiqq

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 4:37 PM

Weird, i had the impression LCD take quite a bit less energy. At least my 19" CRT is able to provide light and heat in my room, very convient in mid-winter. The new 20" LCD however barely provides light. This report seems bit fishy to say the least.

Score: 0

By Tenoq

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 11:17 PM

LCD TVs are not the same as LCD PC monitors - generally they're brighter and less efficient. More importantly though, they're many times the size of traditional CRT screens. IIRC the largest CRT available was 84cm (33"). Most if not all LCD purchases these days are well above that size.

Score: 0

By sumone

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 4:29 PM

Must be because of increasing HD sizes and they're blaming it on the LCD/plasma technology.

Score: 0

By ingram091

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 4:20 PM

haha Like I said someplace before.. I love my 20 year old TVs. They Just work well and my big screen is wonderful... I just do not see any reason to ever upgrade to HD anything... good for them...

Score: 0

By Jordanr05

edited Oct 11, 2007 - 3:58 PM

Likewise I read an earlier report stating that the EU is considering banning plasma displays. Can't remember where and I don't have time to search, but Yahoo is your friend.

Score: 0

By smarterthanyou

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 3:24 PM

What? How does Australia figure? LCD monitors have always used considerably less power than CRT TV's. I suppose it's possible that plasma TV's may have similar power requirements to CRT TV's.

Score: 0

By Tenoq

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 11:19 PM

Diesels use less fuel than LPG powered vehicles. So I guess trucks must use less fuel than a 2L gas-powered sedan.

Right? :p

Score: 0

By libboid

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 7:46 PM

This report shows Plasma TV's do consume more energy...

http://reviews.cnet.com/...-6400401-3.html?tag=nav

You have to also remember that plasma TV's are generally larger than CRT's and those PC based LCD screens (40"+Plasma compared to 28"CRT or 19"lCD PC) so laws of physics say they will consume more power.

Score: 0

By drumcat

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 4:29 PM

I was under the same impression...

Score: 0

By siryak

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 4:45 PM

Me too...I am officially confused lol.

Score: 0

By Paul Skinner

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 4:16 PM

"smarterthanyou"

Apparently not.

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 8:57 PM

lawls...

Never heard that one before...

/sarcasm

Score: 0

By twosheds

posted Oct 11, 2007 - 3:04 PM

This has been coming for a long time...

Score: 0

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