Following in the eco-friendly footsteps of Insignia, Vizio has announced that 100% of its HDTVs that are shipping now to US / Canadian retailers "meet or exceed Energy Star 3.0 requirements." The flat-panel maker claims that at least nine of its models actually exceed the specifications by as much as 25%, and every last one of its 22- / 19-inch sets use far less energy than a conventional 60-watt light bulb. In related news, the company is also taking this opportunity to officially launch its 32-inch EcoHD LCD HDTV, which slurps down 44% less energy than a typical 32-inch LCD TV. The set will pack a 12,500:1 dynamic contrast ratio, SRS TruSurround XT audio, multiple HDMI inputs and a stylish white piano colored bezel. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, you can latch on later this month for $499.99.

While Best Buy completely failed to issue a press release trumpeting the inability of its latest Profile 2.0 Blu-ray deck to pass Energy Star specifications, it didn't hesitate to pump one out extolling the power-sipping virtues of its Insignia LCD televisions. In case you weren't aware, the Energy Star 3.0 specification went into effect at the beginning of this month, and any Insignia LCD TV manufactured after November 1, 2008 will meet those requirements; in fact, six of the models will exceed the requirements by 15% of more. Um, cookie?

The new Energy Star 3.0 TV specification -- this time including a test for how much electricity televisions use while turned on, not just while off -- goes into effect next month. According to CNET's tests, the difference in power saved by more efficient (but not necessarily ideal PQ) default settings could be as much as a $100 a year, although that will vary based on the TV and the settings. Of course the new rules mean only 25 to 30-percent of TVs are expected to be able to meet the standard, but when you see it on a box, it will actually mean something. Punch the read link for the final draft, we're just going to turn some unnecessary lights off.

[Via Crave]

This ain't the first time Furutech has cranked out a cable beyond the realm of feasibility, and sadly we doubt it'll be the last. What you're looking at above is undoubtedly the sexiest, most desirable power cable this world has ever seen. Unfortunately, that bad boy isn't getting shipped to you unless you funnel $1,800 out of your bank account and into Furutech's. The brand new Piezo Powerflux Power Cord features the FI-50 Piezo Ceramic Series Power Connectors, which are "made of layers of carbon fiber in a damping and insulating acetal copolymer surrounded by nonmagnetic stainless steel." Look, we won't deny that any power being transferred out of this thing will be unfathomably clean, but $1,800 clean? Nah, son.

Faults notwithstanding, powerline is still mighty scrumptious in theory. Evidently NuVo Technologies agrees, as it's cranking out what's possibly the planet's first whole-home audio system that relies on existing A/C wiring. The Renovia can deliver audio and metadata throughout the house by simply tapping into the power wires already within your walls, and in case you couldn't guess, it's using the HomePlug 1.0 specification in order to do so. The central hub has AM, FM and Sirius-ready tuners already on board, and owners can plug in a pair of iPod docks along with two analog sources to boot. In case that's still not enough to get your drool a-flowin', it'll also stream "virtually any digital content on the network via NuVo's Music Port module." There's no word just yet on an MSRP, but judging by NuVo's past, we'd assume that it'll be somewhere between grossly and obscenely overpriced.

We've no idea if Panasonic's sudden urge to decrease the power consumption of its plasmas has anything to do with this, but nevertheless, the Environmental Protection Agency has announced an updated ENERGY STAR specification for digital televisions that will hopefully "lead to further reductions in the amount of energy consumed by DTVs." The new standard will reportedly grant the coveted ENERGY STAR label only to "the top 25- to 30-percent most energy efficient TV models," and furthermore, it will (for the first time) "take into account active mode or 'On' mode power consumption in addition to standby mode energy use." Needless to say, the CEA found a moment to applaud the new spec, and as far as we can tell, it's being instituted immediately.

[Via Widescreen Review]

While the corporate IT world has long had access to remotely-controlled power for servers and data centers, it's pretty cutting-edge stuff for home theater, with PS Audio releasing the first line of Internet-connected power management devices. Ranging in price from $600 to $1,995 and scheduled to release in Spring 2008, the four products in the PowerPlay line differ in number of switchable and isolated plugs, but all offer a web interface to toggle power, schedule reboots, and monitor power quality. There is an RS-232 port for hardwired power control as well as IR blasters for turning devices back on after a reboot. Now you can reboot your TiVo without ever stepping foot in the house.

Accurately measuring exactly how much juice your HDTV is consuming has been all the rage of late, and now, "television manufacturers and broadcasters have produced what may be the world's most boring TV program to measure energy consumption on new-generation televisions." Apparently, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is looking to "have a standard way of measuring how much energy plasma and LCD TVs use," and there seems to be no better way to accomplish the goal than to edit together a ten-minute clip consisting of bits from soap operas, nature programs and sports which the tested sets would play. No word yet on whether this highly-anticipated programming will hit HD DVD or Blu-ray, though.

CNET took 54 HDTVs and analyzed their power requirements to answer this question. The results are interesting, but not very surprising and include an estimated yearly expense for each. The yearly number is based on leaving your TV on for eight hours a day and sixteen hours in stand-by. While most technologies used similar amounts of power, there were some exceptions like the 65-inch Sharp LCD which uses almost 600 watts of power in their tests. This is more than any of the Plasmas which were around 500 watts for a similar size. In the end the size made the biggest difference and microdisplays overall used the least amount of power. As interesting as we find this, in the grand scheme of things it isn't a lot of money, even the most expensive TV only costs $19 a month to run.

[Via TVSnob.com]

Sony, Sharp, and Hitachi have joined forces with the goal of developing LCD television tech that will have displays sipping less than half the current juice by 2011. A recent CNET study shows that a typical plasma television uses 328 watts of power, whereas the average LCD uses 193 watts. By researching LED backlighting -- which also helps with expanded-range color reproduction -- and other energy-saving technologies, the companies hope to keep the costs of operating an LCD down as the sizes go up. And let there be no mistake, sizes will go up.

Hyundai has announced a Korean 46-inch LCD with 1080p support that consumes 7% less power than a comparable LCD, and uses S-PVA technology for a wider 178-degree viewing angle. From scrutinizing the images at AVING it has a two pairs of HDMI and component connects. The Vuon E465D also supports the capability to use an image from the built-in USB port as a placeholder during the boot sequence, so you can replace the standard boot logo with whatever you like -- say, the Engadget logo?

Although finding power supplies potent enough to power just about anything isn't exactly a struggle, locating an adequate power source that takes up the absolute minimum amount of space within a given enclosure is an ongoing challenge. Potentia Semiconductor has introduced what it calls the "industry's first primary side power module" for LCD HDTVs, which will purportedly allow for 32- to 65-inch sets to become even slimmer. The PM-6010 is a "power control and conversion module for primary side, off-line power factor correction (PFC) and isolated DC-DC power conversion using LLC resonant power topologies," which essentially spells out in so many words that it can provide the power LCD TVs need in a fraction of the size, but curiously omits details about just how much volume will be saved. Nevertheless, the device is available to early access customers in versions ranging from 200 to 500 watts, and can be implemented in sets that "employ the direct powering of the CCFL backlighting from the PFC or traditional power topologies."

[Via DMasia]

We understand if you're just a bit confused about Blu-ray and HD DVD playback on your PC. Forgetting unreleased operating systems for the moment, if you want to check your current Windows XP PC for compatibility and get more information on what you can expect from next gen discs, Cyberlink has a FAQ up and also an automated tool for you to download and run, that will let you know if your computer is HD DVD and/or Blu-ray-ready. While the specs aren't guaranteed yet, it is obvious that on top of HDCP for any digital outputs, compatible disc player and plenty of memory, they think you'll need either a Intel Core Duo, Pentium EE/D or AMD Athlon 64 processor and plenty of memory to power those next-gen codecs without a problem. You'll also need a recent graphics card from ATI or NVIDA, PureVideo HD support should ensure the power necessary. As you can see from the picture above, this PC is going to need quite a bit of work, maybe revision two will include an automatic calculator to figure out the cost of the necessary upgrades.

[Via CDRinfo]

Ask any audio/videophile what the most important accessory for their gear and they will tell you their power conditioner; Electronic House Mag agrees and so, they named their product of the year Tripp Lite's AV Digital UPS HTRL15UPS. This device may look like a glorified surge protector, but we are here to tell you that they are so much more. A quality power condition can make such a noticeable difference in the audio and video quality that you will wonder why you ever ran the equipment without it. But then on the other hand, some people won't be able to tell the difference thanks to their electrical wiring. This power condition includes an uninterrupted power supply to allow your HDTV time to cool off and hopefully extend the life of that pricey lamp, plus, it can run your DVR when the power is off so you will never miss a show. For a modest $349, a person gets the UPS system, an LCD status screen, voltage regulation, and eight outlets. They deemed this the top product because they view it as "the most capable, cost-effective power protection solution available for a wide range of A/V applications."

Does anyone have this power condition? Why did you choose this one?