Who says green electronics are a small niche? Green is common theme at media events to kick off the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. LG, Monster and Toshiba are all touting green and eco-friendly products.

LG showed a new LED TV, the Model LHX, a 55-inch wireless ultra-slim HDTV, that uses a matrix of energy-saving LEDs to backlight the image instead of traditional fluorescent light.  The TV also has a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and a 240Hz response time, and is less than one-inch thick at its thinnest point.

Toshiba also introduced LED backlighting in its SV670 46- and 55-inch LCD models, which also have local dimming so one part of the screen can dim for better contrast, and an “Infinity Flush Front Design” with a non-raised bezel. They will be available in May.  Toshiba also said that all of its 2009 lineup will meet the new Energy Star 3.0 requirements.

Monster is adding smart surge suppressors for home theater to its line of Digital Life Green Power products. When an audio/video receiver or TV is turned off, the units will cut power to connected components such as a DVD or Blu-ray player to reduce vampire or standby power loads that waste energy and cost you money. The HDP 850G ($100) and HDP 900G ($130) will be available in February.

And this is just the start. So far green is in demand at CES.

Steven Castle - Contributing Writer

Steven Castle is Electronic House's managing editor. he has been writing about consumer electronics, homes and energy efficiency topics for two decades. He is also the co-founder of GreenTech Advocates.