Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Sony's Bravia flat-panel TV slashes energy use

TOKYO -- Sony's new flat-panel TV consumes less energy than comparable regular models without compromising image quality -- the latest in Japanese manufacturers' efforts to woo buyers with "green" products.

The $1,400 Bravia KDL-32JE1 goes on sale in Japan on July 30 with later debuts in overseas markets, although dates and other details aren't decided, Sony Corp.'s Emi Nagahara said Tuesday.

In a demonstration at Tokyo headquarters, a watt-counter attached to the 32-inch Bravia showed it consumed 82 watts of energy to show a Blu-ray disc image of a Spanish city on its liquid crystal display.

A comparable regular model that cost about $90 less required 125 watts of energy to show the same image.


Sony achieved the energy savings by developing a brighter back light and better filtering that delivers light more efficiently, officials said. Both models have liquid crystal displays and high-definition digital broadcast features.

Compared to an old-style TV with a cathode-ray tube monitor, the Bravia consumes about 70 percent less energy a year.

By consuming less energy, the "green" TV reduces carbon dioxide emissions totaling 174 pounds a year, the amount consumed by about six cedar trees, it said.

Consumers also save on utility bills. In Japan, the "green" TV delivers about $40 savings in electricity a year compared to an old-style CRT TV, Sony said.

"We think ecology is going to become an important standard that consumers use in choosing products," Nagahara said.

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