Do Plasma TVs Use More Power Than Tube TVs?
Plasma televisions are made up of many tiny light diodes that light up to make the picture visible, whereas a tube TV fires electrons into a cathode-ray tube strike chemical phosphors on the screen to create red, blue or green light.
Other People Are Reading
-
Size
-
If you consider that plasma TVs generally are a lot bigger than tube TVs, ranging between a 30 and 65 inches in screen size, it stands to reason that plasmas will drain more power than the older tube sets, as the picture will be spread over a much wider area. A 28-inch wide tube TV would average around 87 watts, whereas a 42.6-inch plasma could run at 111.80 watts.
Technology
-
Powering the technology of the plasma screen is where the more significant consumption gains are found. Plasma TVs work by lighting each pixel with its own light source, so increasing screen resolution and making the picture bigger mean intensifying the light emitted from each pixel and thus the picture as a whole.
-
Energy Usage
-
According to the UK Energy Saving Trust, plasma screens on average are 50 percent bigger than cathode-ray tube TVs and consume four times as much energy, meaning that a plasma TV will create 400kg of CO2 per year, while a tube TV will produce 100kg. Plasma screens have become more efficient over the years. An average 50-inch TV of a few years ago used 400 watts and today uses only about 150 watts. However, they still have a little way to go to match the energy efficiency of a tube TV.
-
References
- Photo Credit full hd lcd tv image by mattmatt73 from Fotolia.com
