Want to save energy, but still want your HDTV? Today you can have both high-quality high-def viewing and energy savings. If there’s a blue Energy Star logo on the latest TV you’re eyeing, you know it meets stringent power requirements. And you shouldn’t have to worry about performance being compromised. An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) television typically requires much less power than plasma, which has seen makers Pioneer and Vizio… View this story
LCD • Plasma • Green Technology • Info and Answers • Slideshows

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has vowed to pursue legal and legislation solutions to yesterday’s decision by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to impose energy-efficiency requirements on TVs sold in the state. The standards require that new televisions sold in California consume 33 percent less electricity by 2011 and 49 percent less electricity by 2013. The standards affect only those TVs with a screen size 58 inches or smaller. For… View this story
Displays • LCD • Plasma • Industry • Manufacturers • Dealers • Retailers • Green Technology • Info and Answers

Zip Express Installation has scored another win for its home entertainment and networking installation business. The company has partnered with Shopko, a $2 billion regional retailer of everything from pharmaceuticals to optical services to home entertainment gear. Shopko, headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., has 136 stores in 13 states throughout the Midwest, Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions. With the deal, Zip strengthens its furniture assembly and regular old “white glove”… View this story
Computer Systems • Computers • Displays • Flat Panel • HDTV • Furniture • Industry • Installers • Retailers • Info and Answers

The California Energy Commission (CEC) today voted to enact restrictions on the sales of energy-hogging TVs up to 58 inches in screen size. The new restrictions will limit the sales of TVs in the state to only those that meet energy requirements, starting in 2011. A second, stricter phase of requirements is slated to go into effect in 2013, and could include restrictions on sets larger than 58 inches in… View this story
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Have your TV professionally calibrated, and it will not only look better, it can save you some money in energy costs. Recent THX research demonstrated in all cases that a calibrated viewing mode consumed less energy than “vivid” and “dynamic” modes. The approximate savings for consumers ranged from 15 percent 50 percent, resulting in savings of up to $40 to $50 per year. The annual consumption and cost calculations are… View this story
Displays • LCD • Plasma • Green Technology • Info and Answers

You might think that equipment racks, by themselves, are no better than the shelves of your wooden entertainment system. Why would you spend more than $500 for a place to store your Blu-ray player, receiver, etc.? Equipment racks do actually provide significant value. Ventilated shelves and integrated power protection can keep your equipment running properly. This will save you both time and money. Racks can also add a neat appearance… View this story
AV Components • Furniture • Equipment Racks • Home Theater • Info and Answers • Slideshows

The Tweeter brand is up for grabs. The Canton, Mass.-based specialty electronics retailer that once had nearly 200 locations across the U.S. shut its doors in Dec. 2008. However, it’s possible that its brand soon will be back from the dead. Atlanta-based liquidator Apto Solutions is accepting bids for Tweeter’s intellectual property, including its name and URLs, according to Christopher Re, VP of business development for Apto. All bids are… View this story
Industry • Retailers • Info and Answers

When is the best time to have full electronic control over your house? Often it’s when you’re away. It’s easy to control your home while you’re there, but when you’re at work or on the road, it’s tough to know which electronics have been left on, sucking up electricity, when they really should be off. “Turning things off is the basic tenet of saving energy,” says Jay McClellan, president of… View this story
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Energy efficiency and technology are big topics at this year’s Greenbuild show taking place in Phoenix, Ariz., where the movers and shakers of the growing green movement are urging attendees to go beyond plucking the “low-hanging fruit” of energy savings and take the extra steps toward deep energy savings. “We are in a time now where we really have to make big changes,” said Al Gore, in the show’s opening… View this story
Lighting Control • Fixtures and Switches • Power Management • Home Control Systems • Green Technology • Info and Answers

What are the biggest energy hogs among electronics? Contrary to common “wisdom,” it’s not data centers for the Internet and large, commercial IT operations that are the biggest energy users among electronics today, says Bruce Nordman of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “By my estimates, data centers are perhaps 20 percent of electronics’ energy use.” In other words, the great majority of our energy use is not in data centers,… View this story
Computer Systems • Displays • Industry • Power Management • Green Technology • Info and Answers