Comments on: Energy Star or black hole? http://www.deviceguru.com/energy-star-or-black-hole/ ...views from the Black Tower at the edge of the cloud Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:56:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Andre http://www.deviceguru.com/energy-star-or-black-hole/#comment-1785 Andre Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:09:42 +0000 http://www.deviceguru.com/?p=3260#comment-1785 This is where 'consumers' could step in and develop a web site listing devices and their real power usage. This could then become a reference for anyone buying electronics. If the companies knew that people were buying based on real world figures, then they my just change their approach. This is where ‘consumers’ could step in and develop a web site listing devices and their real power usage. This could then become a reference for anyone buying electronics. If the companies knew that people were buying based on real world figures, then they my just change their approach.

]]> By: shankar http://www.deviceguru.com/energy-star-or-black-hole/#comment-1782 shankar Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:01:24 +0000 http://www.deviceguru.com/?p=3260#comment-1782 I am sure most of you saw the [<i>NY Times</i>] article "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/washington/07energy.html" target="new" rel="nofollow">Why Obama’s Energy Savings Estimate May Be Skewed</a>," which addresses some of the uncertainties around Energy Star. I am sure most of you saw the [NY Times] article “Why Obama’s Energy Savings Estimate May Be Skewed,” which addresses some of the uncertainties around Energy Star.

]]> By: sysKin http://www.deviceguru.com/energy-star-or-black-hole/#comment-1781 sysKin Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:09:02 +0000 http://www.deviceguru.com/?p=3260#comment-1781 Even with EPG and such, 20 watts is insane. I have a DVB-T USB stick in my computer. A single USB device can only ever draw a maximum of 0.5 A at 5 V, so the stick works within a 2.5 W envelope, and probably takes less than that. That includes all RF circuitry and amps, as well as digital receiver. Only a simple CPU is now needed to extract EPG, which is probably a watt at most. I very much doubt ATSC receivers are any different. Even with EPG and such, 20 watts is insane.

I have a DVB-T USB stick in my computer. A single USB device can only ever draw a maximum of 0.5 A at 5 V, so the stick works within a 2.5 W envelope, and probably takes less than that. That includes all RF circuitry and amps, as well as digital receiver. Only a simple CPU is now needed to extract EPG, which is probably a watt at most.

I very much doubt ATSC receivers are any different.

]]> By: Bruce Nordman http://www.deviceguru.com/energy-star-or-black-hole/#comment-1759 Bruce Nordman Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:22:57 +0000 http://www.deviceguru.com/?p=3260#comment-1759 Energy Star has been aware of issues regarding network connectivity and sleep for over ten years, and has a plan to address it in the next specification revision, effective July, 2009. It identifies "proxying" as a way for PCs (and STBs and other devices) to maintain 'full' network connectivity in sleep. For more on that see: http://efficientnetworks.lbl.gov/enet-proxying.html An adaptation of this could probably address the TV power issue noted above. For clarity in power indicators, there is an IEEE standard on the topic, IEEE 1621: http://eetd.lbl.gov/controls/1621/1621index.html Energy Star has been aware of issues regarding network connectivity
and sleep for over ten years, and has a plan to address it in the
next specification revision, effective July, 2009. It identifies “proxying”
as a way for PCs (and STBs and other devices) to maintain ‘full’ network
connectivity in sleep. For more on that see:
http://efficientnetworks.lbl.gov/enet-proxying.html
An adaptation of this could probably address the TV power issue noted above.

For clarity in power indicators, there is an IEEE standard on the topic, IEEE 1621:
http://eetd.lbl.gov/controls/1621/1621index.html

]]> By: Bob http://www.deviceguru.com/energy-star-or-black-hole/#comment-1757 Bob Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:35:48 +0000 http://www.deviceguru.com/?p=3260#comment-1757 Just read Martin Hellman's comments about Energy Star ratings for appliances. It's not only sleep mode for electronics. We bought a Samsung refrigerator based on its Energy Star rating. Actual measurements of its electricity usage showed it uses exactly twice as much juice as its rating. We won't be trusting Energy Star anytime soon, and have complained to Consumer Reports which apparently doesn't verify Energy Star ratings. Just read Martin Hellman’s comments about Energy Star ratings for appliances. It’s not only sleep mode for electronics. We bought a Samsung refrigerator based on its Energy Star rating. Actual measurements of its electricity usage showed it uses exactly twice as much juice as its rating. We won’t be trusting Energy Star anytime soon, and have complained to Consumer Reports which apparently doesn’t verify Energy Star ratings.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.deviceguru.com/energy-star-or-black-hole/#comment-1756 Anonymous Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:18:51 +0000 http://www.deviceguru.com/?p=3260#comment-1756 The settop boxes I am familiar with draws just under 40 watts turned on, and about 20 watts in "standby", The reason for this is that in standby the settop box is still running, updating the EPG. And more ore less the only thing turned off is the display outputs, and maybe the hard disk. At least in Europe this should improve in the near future because of new rules about how much different devices can draw when in standby. The settop boxes I am familiar with draws just under 40 watts turned on, and about 20 watts in “standby”,
The reason for this is that in standby the settop box is still running, updating the EPG. And more ore less the only thing turned off is the display outputs, and maybe the hard disk.

At least in Europe this should improve in the near future because of new rules about how much different devices can draw when in standby.

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