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At SmartPlanet, we take HDTV power consumption very seriously -- which helps explain our excitement when Philips announced its Eco TV this week. The 42in, 1080p resolution, flat-panel LCD (model 42PFL5603D) is packed with power-saving features.
Chief among them is the ability to dim the backlight by up to five-times peak brightness in response to program material, much like the 'local dimming' found on Samsung's LED-based LN-T4681F. Dimming the backlight in darker scenes has the dual benefit of saving power and improving black-level performance, according to the company.
The backlight can also be dimmed via a room lighting sensor, so in dark rooms it will use less power. There's also the traditional power-saving mode that caps the peak light output. All of these features can be turned on or off at the viewer's discretion, which should please more demanding videophiles.
With this trifecta engaged, we saw the panel's power consumption dip to an impressive 75W during the in-booth demo (Philips had hooked up a Watt's Up to track consumption). That's a bit more than a standard incandescent light bulb and 30W less than the most miserly 42in LCD we've tested so far.
The Eco TV's standby power is also less than 0.15W according to the company, also among the best we've seen. But until we test it over a period of time, we'll have no idea how much money this HDTV will save on your annual electricity bill -- the dimming backlight introduces too many variables.
Philips has also built in a few other non-power-related greenie features, including lead-free materials and only "trace" amounts of mercury. And yes, even the box is made from recycled material.
The 42PFL5630D lacks the company's patented Ambilight technology, which is actually another power-saving perk since those lights draw more juice. It also lacks the high-end features such as the 120Hz technology found on its more-expensive brethren -- this is strictly a mass-market TV, and one that should be more satisfying to environmentalists than any large-screen flat-panel we've seen so far.
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