So Cal Edison sends mail regarding HDTV purchases

Got an interesting piece of mail today from Southern California Edison which addresses the HDTV energy usage issue (see pic of front). The message of the mailer is that Energy-Star qualified TVs use up to 30% less energy than others without suffering quality in picture or design. The initiative was funded by California utility customers under the “auspices” of the California Utilities Commission. In case you didn’t know, California is posed to place restrictions on HDTVs sold after Jan. 1, 2011. (See our last article regarding future HDTV regulations in California.) Get more information on the initiative at SCE’s “Save Energy, Money, and the Environment” web page.

California to place new energy efficiency regulations on HDTV sets in 2011

The California Energy commission is expected to announce new energy efficiency regulations for big-screen HD televisions sold after January 1st, 2011. That’s 20Eleven… giving consumers enough time to buy energy-hogging screens prior to the new restrictions going into effect. Full Story

Can California TV regulations hurt already troubled economy?

In California, a proposed regulation on certain big screen TVs that do not meet energy standards will hurt the already troubled economy, according to a coalition of California small businesses, associations and consumers. Full Story

Samsung HDTV pricebuster alert

Amazon has special pricing on two of its Samsung LNB550 series HDTVs which feature the “Red Touch of Color” design. The Samsung LN40B550 40-inch and LN52B550 52-inch LCD HDTVs are currently priced at $899 and $1,599 respectively, special pricing you will only see once the item is “added to cart.” Full Story

LG’s new LH55 series HDTVs available

LG announced their LH55 line of LG LCD HDTVs is now available at U.S. retailers, although we’ve seen the 47-inch model on Amazon since March. The ‘Full HD’ 1080p HDTVs, boasting an 80,000:1 contrast ratio, were first shown back in January at CES 2009. They feature TruMotion 240Hz technology with scanning backlight for a more natural looking picture especially when viewing high action programming. Full Story

This week’s HD wrap up

In our weekly wrap-up for news related to high-definition television, products and gaming, here are some noteworthy stories you may have missed.

FCC releases new rules for the DTV transition
New guidelines released Friday from the FCC will require broadcasters to provide viewers with more information about antennas and converter boxes. More importantly, the rules will allow broadcasters to pull the analog plug starting March 17 if they can claim financial hardship resulting from the continuation of analog until June 12. Multichannel Full Story Full Story

Are HDTVs bad for the environment?

Unfortunately, yes. The larger the HDTV, the more energy it consumes. The more energy a TV consumes, the more demand on power plants and resulting carbon emissions. Gaming consoles, DVRs and disc players also consume lots of energy that results in more demand on power plants. Full Story