[Erdrick]

Companies have been hawking their LCDs as being ultra-energy-efficient and the way of the future. While I would agree with the second part, they are, on the whole, actually MORE power hungry than the final generation of tube-based tvs that were released.

I live in Japan, where cars and electronics are thrown away, or even paid to be thrown away, at an alarming rate. Even TRACKING DOWN a tube-based tv is quite the chore... and why? They have SCRAPPED them all! There are even laws in place that are making the sale of old electronics illegal in some cases.

I got off on a tangent though... I finally broke down (mainly because I couldn't find a good tv, but also because I physically couldn't carry a 200+ pound tv by myself, and the wife was going to be no help) and got an LCD. It cost an arm and a leg compared to what I would have paid if I were living in America, but oh well. I need my Wii.

Now, let's get on to the meat of this post. I have a 32" Sony Bravia LCD. It normally uses about 150 watts. I was switching through the options, and saw an "energy saver mode" so I figure I would see what it did (keeping a close eye on the kill-a-watt). To my surprise, the meter read 50 WATTS!!!! The energy consumption had dropped to a third of the original value!! I was blown away! Flabbergasted! The brightness of the panel was definitely toned down, but I doubt if someone could tell that it was in energy saver mode if they didn't see the transition.

So, while thinking that I would be stuck with a (in my opinion) power hungry beast, I now have a very efficient tv that I only wish I could bring back to America with me. That is, if my company ever lets me go back... that story for another day though!