Las Vegas (NV) - With the emphasis on environmental sustainability becoming more and more important, it's no shock that every company is trying to not only aid the environment, but also take advantage of the marketing opportunity to push new product lines. Sony is joining in this effort with a new eco-friendly Bravia line of televisions.


Now that consumers are more aware than ever of power consumption of electronics, the brand new KDL-VE5 series of Sony televisions are designed to turn off automatically when there are no viewers present.

The Sony Bravia “Eco” Televisions are available in three different sizes: a 52 inch KDL-53VE5, a 46-inch KDL-56E5, and also a 40-inch KDL-40VE5 (all measured diagonally). The VE5’s are much like the companies V-series sets, and include 120 Hz with de-judder, 1080p resolution, a PC input and four HDMI inputs.

[Note: Sony's website was having extremely heavy traffic at the time of this writing. Sony has either temporarily removed images of the Bravia Eco line, or they did not publish them at all. TG Daily will continue to look for images and update the article.]


The VE5s come equipped with a new Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (HCFL) backlight, which Sony claims conserves 40% of the typical energy used with conventional backlights. The televisions have a light sensor which works with an automatic backlight control which dims the backlight in darker rooms.

The most exciting feature of the television however is the “Presence Sensor” function which turns the television picture off if there is no one in the viewing vicinity after a specific time frame. If the sensor detects motion, someone walks into the room, or stirs after waking up from a nap, the television will instantly turn on.

The VE5 televisions are equipped with a function which consumes almost no power when the TV is left in standby mode. This will not affect the overall energy savings, because standby draws are already nearly zero in standard televisions.

All of these options combine allow the VE5’s to exceed Energy Star 3.0 ratings, and these will more than likely be some of the most energy-efficient LCDs produced in 2009.

Sony has yet to announce a release date for the product or a price.

Sweeet

Jan 08, 2009 10:00     

But I am keeping my wallet where it is until they get more specific with price and specs.
Mr.x report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Ridiculous. Who over the age of 12 leaves the TV o...

Jan 08, 2009 11:38     

Ridiculous. Who over the age of 12 leaves the TV on when they leave a room for any extended period?
Penelope Pittstop report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0