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As all of us are aware there are some big changes coming to television soon and many are considering buying a new television. One of the things that is being heard is that some of the new television sets will use much more electricity than others. Big changes are coming to television, and it is not just whether your next set sits on a stand or hangs on the wall. Since the beginning of television, broadcasters have used analog technology to transmit the pictures and sound, however Congress has decided that on February 17, 2009 all the United States television stations will switch to digital broadcasting. Digital signals can transmit more information than analog, which creates a better picture. This change is causing many people to consider buying a new, high definition set. While your old television will work if you have cable or satellite service, if you use an antenna or rabbit ears for your television reception then you will need to buy a converter box in order to receive signals after the change. You will hear much more about this in the year to come I am sure. If you decide, now is the time for a new set. You are most likely looking at either LCD or plasma technology. Liquid crystal displays or LCD, produce a picture when a light source behind the panel shines light through the display. A plasma television is a self lighting panel that uses a gas or plasma to cause the panel to glow, which creates the image. These new sets deliver stunning pictures, and many come with very good sound systems. Some of them also come with rather steep price tags, but the costs have been dropping in recent years. It is always suggested that you consider not only the cost to buy a new product, but also the energy costs to operate it once you get it home. So, while your question regarding the cost of operating a new set is an excellent one, in this case it is not easy to answer. A big help for evaluating energy use when buying appliances is the big yellow Energy Guide label, but those are not used on television sets. Another key tool is often the Energy Star rating, but that is a problem here, too. While new televisions can carry the Energy Star label, it only relates to the use of electricity used when the television is in standby mode, which is when it is turned off. It might be noted that it is not always easy to determine the cost of operating a set. Many of the manufacturers do not even mention power consumption, which is measured in watts, on the product descriptions on their web sites. Consider that a typical 27-inch old-style television that uses a cathode ray tube uses about one hundred watts of electricity when it is in operation. If your television set is on six hours a day, that is about $1.66 a month, or just under $20 a year. You might want to replace that with a 40-inch LCD. One set we found draws about 235 watts and will cost a little over $3 a month, if on for six hours each day, or about $37 a year. Compare that with a 42-inch plasma set from a major maker that uses 580 watts when in use. For the same six hours a day, you'll pay about $7.68 a month, or about $90 a year.
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