Digital revolution
Mary Rayner asks whether we can go green and digital
at the same time?
All TV watchers have to switch over to digital by 2012. Greater choice
of free channels and better clarity are its two selling points. But do we
really want to watch more TV, and what are the social and environmental
implications? This report covers ‘Freeview’ set top boxes only,
not paid for services such as Sky and NTL.
Digital options
There are two ways to receive a digital signal:
1. Receivers
One is to buy a receiver, called variously ‘Freeview set top box’,
‘digital set top box’, ‘digital TV adapter’ or ‘digibox’
(but all doing the same thing). This is simply plugged into your existing
TV (providing you have a ‘scart’ connection, which most newer
TVs do). Some ‘adapter’ set top boxes just receive the digital
signal, whilst others can record programmes. Recorders tend to use more
energy. Basic adapters are the focus of this report.
2. New TV
The second is to buy a whole new TV set with an integrated digital tuner.
This is where environmentalists get cross, as it encourages people to replace
perfectly good existing TV sets with new, and often bigger, ones. Already,
two million TV sets are discarded in the UK every year and most end up in
landfill sites.(1) So, as long as your existing TV has a ‘scart’
socket (oblong-shaped with two lines of small holes), then all you should
need is a set top box.
Standby for energy waste
A big green worry is the energy consumed by set top boxes on standby mode.
It’s estimated that the combined standby power use of all electronic
goods may account for 1% of energy related CO2 emissions worldwide.(2) In
an attempt to catch the public’s ‘green’ imagination, the
chief executive of DSG International (Currys, Dixons and PC World) has made
a public appeal to manufacturers to phase out the standby function.
Until such time as we say good riddance to standby, consumers can choose
from some very energy efficient set top boxes. For each brand on our ethical
rating table, we’ve tried to find the most energy efficient model.
The recommended European standby level for set top boxes is 2 watts, but
most models currently use far more than this.
Alternatively, you could turn your box off at the plug. But beware, some
people do have problems resetting their boxes after this. We’re looking
to collect information on this subject for a future campaign. If you have
a set top box which is OK to switch off at night, please let us know the
make and model number. Write in or email mail@ethicalconsumer.org.
Currently, the only model to carry the Energy Saving Trust ‘Energy
Saving Recommended’ logo is the TVonics MDR-200. The Logik Vesa, available
at Dixons and Currys, is actually manufactured by TVonics. It is virtually
the same model as the MDR-200, but doesn’t come with the ‘ultra
low power standby’ function.
Power use
| Brand |
Model(s) |
Standby power |
Operating power |
Price* |
| TVonics |
MDR-200 |
3.3w/1w** |
3.9w |
£49.99 |
| Logik |
Vesa |
2.3w |
4.3w |
£49.99 |
| Philips |
DTR2520 |
5w/1w*** |
10w |
£55 |
| Goodmans |
GDB3 |
4.33w |
5.59w |
£40 |
| Goodmans |
GDB6 |
4.33w |
5.59w |
£49.95 |
| Bush |
DFTA11 |
4.8w |
8w |
£29.99 |
| Alba |
STB8 |
5w |
7w |
£19.99 |
| Bush |
DFTA1001 |
5w |
10w |
£49.99 |
| Humax |
F2 FOX T |
5w |
10w |
£69.95 |
| Hitachi |
HDB70 |
5.3w |
8w |
£39.99 |
| Goodmans |
GDB7CA |
7w |
7w |
£45 |
| Sagem |
ITD62 |
8.8w |
10w |
£29.99 |
| Daewoo |
DSD9502T
DSD9503T |
11w |
18w |
£120
£140 |
| Grundig |
GUSTV801V |
11.2w |
18w |
£129.99 |
| Beko |
Digifusion FRT103 |
- |
7w |
£24.99 |
*Prices are approximate only and are subject to change.
** Ultra low power standby. *** Low power mode.
Happy workers?
Of the companies covered, only DSG International (Dixons and Currys) has
a policy addressing workers’ rights in their supply chains that meets
our criteria for a middle rating. No company has shown evidence of independent
monitoring.
We asked all the companies on the table where their set top boxes are made.
Most didn’t give us an answer and of those that did all were made either
in East Asia or Turkey, where working conditions can be poor. The only exception
was TVonics, which assembles all its set top boxes at a Sony factory in
South Wales, meaning low transport emissions too.
Links
• To see whether you can receive a digital signal in your area, and
for more information on the digital switchover, see www.freeview.co.uk,
or call 08701 111 270.
• Sick of TV? Take a look at anti-TV group White Dot, organisers of
TV Turnoff Week, at www.whitedot.org
or info@whitedot.org.
• For information on recycling electrical equipment, see Recycle More
at www.recycle-more.co.uk,
or call 08450 682 572.
References
1 www.recycle-more.co.uk/nav/page1766.aspx, viewed 6/7/07 2
International Energy Agency, ‘Reducing Standby Power Waste to Less
than 1 Watt: A Relevant Global Strategy that Delivers’, 2002