At CNET, we've been publishing information about HDTV power consumption for a year and a half in our Quick Guide, which currently lists the results of our tests of more than 50 televisions. Until now, this data has been restricted to the Guide, but it really belongs in each individual HDTV review. That's why we're pleased to announce the "Juice box," a new chart that summarizes the television's power consumption and scores it against other models.
You can check out an example here. Clicking the phrase "Juice box" takes you to an explanation of the terms, numbers and scores in the box, but we'll include a quick rundown here. First off, since calibration of a TV's picture settings for a dark room usually reduces power consumption, simply because the picture becomes less bright, we include measurements of average watts consumed for Default and Calibrated picture settings, as well as for when the TV's Power Save mode (if any) is engaged. We also include measurements of standby power -- how much juice the set sips when turned off -- and estimate the average yearly impact on your electric bill. Finally, we score the particular TV's power consumption compared to others we've tested according to both watts per square inch and overall watts consumed.
In addition to including the Juice box in all forthcoming HDTV reviews, we've added it to the following recent reviews (links go to the box at the bottom):
Current Juice box reviews
- Sharp LC-32D43U
- Samsung LN-T4661F
- Panasonic TH-42PZ700U
- Sony KDL-46S3000
- Vizio VP50HDTV
- Samsung LN-T5064
- LG 47LB5D
- Viewsonic N3235w
- HP LC4776N
- Samsung LN-T4665F
In case you're wondering, we do not incorporate power consumption ratings into our overall numeric ratings for HDTVs, which are still based strictly on design, features and picture quality. For environmentally-conscious shoppers and penny-pinchers alike, however, the energy efficiency of an HDTV can be a factor in deciding which model to buy, so we felt that presenting and contextualizing this information would be a valuable addition to our HDTV reviews. Please let us know what you think of the Juice box, and for the full scoop on HDTVs and energy, including more general info and power-saving tips, check out the Quick Guide.