\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/us/26cable.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Read that yesterday. Unbelievable that a box like that can use more than a fridge/freezer. Just think about that unnecessary use x millions of households. Makes me all the more happy we cut the cable cord (figuratively) ~15 years ago. An antenna is good enough, and in turn of picture quality for HDTV, it's better b/c it's uncompressed. I had been looking at a standalone DVR unit, just for the handiness of recording some programs, but I may wait until there's one that draws less power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan89 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Wow that is shocking, my family has 2 in our house. Very upsetting to see they waste so much power. I hope that cable companies find a way to shut them down or put them in sleep mode when the box isn't in full use. I shut my off but its still on (With the time on it). Also I would shut mine off but it take forever to reboot when you fully unplug it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 It's like leaving a lamp with a 50 watt bulb burning 24/7/365. That is a lot of juice. But isn't that why we buy the energy star appliances - so we can be wasteful in our TV habits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Read that yesterday. Unbelievable that a box like that can use more than a fridge/freezer. Just think about that unnecessary use x millions of households I wrote about this yesterday: http://www.neowin.net/news/cable-boxes-and-dvrs-use-more-power-than-refrigerators The thing to note is that the article is comparing TWO set-top boxes and saying, "Look, that's more than one appliance!" A little misleading. That said, how do you propose that the box be turned off? It's always recording -- that's why when you turn the TV on and see a show on that you like, you can rewind it an hour to watch from the start. It also needs to be awake enough to know when to start recording a show, as well as to download new guide data. I suppose it could automatically wake up once a day to download the guide data, and just spin down the drives and underclock the CPU while waiting for the next program and people would just be able to sacrifice the continuous buffer in exchange for lower electricity bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 In our new house we are cutting back to two tv's with connected dvr's. I would be in favor of having boxes that do go into deep sleep. My guess is that a state, likely California, will mandate a change. Once this happens there is likely to be widespread change. I've noticed the DVR also produces significant heat. This further points to inefficiency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 In our new house we are cutting back to two tv's with connected dvr's. I would be in favor of having boxes that do go into deep sleep. My guess is that a state, likely California, will mandate a change. Once this happens there is likely to be widespread change. I've noticed the DVR also produces significant heat. This further points to inefficiency. All electronics generate heat... A DVR is a computer in a box, so of course it's going to generate heat, especially with a hard drive in it. Again, if you turn it off, how will it record anything...? At that point, why have a DVR...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Thank goodness this doesn't affect me, my boxes sit under the TV, not above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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