Although the overall power of the set-top box is not high, due to rapid growth in consumption, the energy consumption of the set-top box cannot be ignored. Currently, set-top box products mainly include cable products, satellite products, terrestrial products, and IP products. Both of the "Energy Star" in the United States and the EU EuP Directive implementation requirements cover these products. However, in China, the number of IP digital television receivers is very small, so after the discussion of the standard drafters, the set-top box energy efficiency standard product coverage is general-purpose cable, satellite and terrestrial digital television receivers.
Problems still existing in European and American standards
At present, the United States "Energy Star" and EU EuP Directive put forward mandatory or recommended requirements for the energy efficiency of set-top box products, but the energy efficiency evaluation of the products in the two places adopts different models.
The EU divided the set-top boxes into two types of energy efficiency requirements, namely simple STBs and complex STBs. The EuP Directive measures for simple set-top boxes have been formally introduced on January 1, 2010. It requires that the set-top box power should not exceed 1 watt in the standby state, and the working state power must not exceed 5 watts. Regarding the energy efficiency of complex set-top boxes, although the EU has not made mandatory requirements, it has vigorously promoted the coverage of efficient products through voluntary agreements. At present, products that meet the voluntary agreement have covered 80% of the EU region. The major manufacturers, middleware providers, firmware developers, and operators have all signed agreements, causing great pressure on manufacturers who have not signed agreements.
The "Energy Star" requirements for set-top boxes have been developed in two versions, one of which is primarily aimed at simple analog-digital signal converters. The current version has been upgraded to version 2.0 and is primarily aimed at set-top boxes with a variety of additional features. As operators offer more and more services, American families currently use set-top boxes to enjoy the increasing number of free or paid TV programs. Most homes have one to two set-top boxes. Surveys in the United States have shown that high-definition set-top boxes with built-in digital video recording (DVR) capabilities consume about 350 kWh of electricity each year, which is close to the power consumption of household refrigerators. In addition, the energy consumption of set-top boxes cannot be ignored due to the fact that many pay-TV service providers are retiring old STBs and providing more and more functional new STBs. At present, the new multifunctional set-top boxes can provide functions such as HDTV signal conversion, integrated DVR functions, playing video games, and digital program recording. In fact, the more set-top boxes have more functions, the higher the actual power consumption. In addition, due to the high energy consumption of the standby state of the product, if the power plug of the set top box is not pulled out of the outlet, the energy consumption of the set top box is similar to that of the normal operation, no significant power consumption is reduced, and a huge energy waste is caused.
Chinese standards will be divided into 3 levels
The Energy Star 2.0 version of the United States uses the typical energy consumption method (TEC method) to evaluate the energy consumption of products, while the European Union's EuP Directive uses the assessment method of “use power requirements + standby power requirementsâ€. Taking into account the technical characteristics and energy efficiency of Chinese products, the set-top box energy efficiency standards eventually adopted the same evaluation method as the EU EuP Directive. This method abandons the complicated calculation and evaluation process of the TEC method, and facilitates the implementation of standards by companies and testing organizations.
China's set-top box energy efficiency standards will be divided into three levels of energy efficiency, one is the target value, to achieve the requirements of the product is advanced, high-efficiency products, currently on the market there is no or only a few products can be achieved; 2 is the product of energy-saving evaluation The products that have reached the energy conservation evaluation value are also advanced and highly efficient products, and the proportion on the market is not much at present; Level 3 is the limited value of energy efficiency of the products, and the products lower than this index are eliminated products, and these products need to be upgraded . The standard mainly stipulates the working state power and passive standby power of each energy efficiency grade product of the set-top box. As the set-top box has more and more additional functions, the standard state-of-the-art power includes the power consumption of the HD output, internal hard disk, HDMI interface, ADSL modem, dual tuner, cable modem, Ethernet interface, and USB interface. The sum of factors.
Annual electricity consumption will reach 1 billion kwh
In 2007, China sold about 13 million set-top boxes and had sales of more than 5 billion yuan. It is estimated that by 2012, the total number of users will exceed 120 million and annual sales will exceed 25 million. At present, the production of domestic set-top boxes is dominated by low-end and mid-range products. The energy consumption of these products is generally high, and the power consumption can reach 15 to 20 watts in the operating mode. The standby mode consumes a lot of power, and even some products do not have low power consumption. To meet the requirements of the relevant standards, manufacturers should pay attention to the technical upgrade of the set-top box power management system, and use high-efficiency power conversion, and also select high-end, low-power devices for the selection of key components such as processors and decoders. For the vast majority of consumers, the use of set-top boxes currently has a "fake standby" condition, that is, the use of remote control devices to turn off the set-top boxes, in fact the set-top boxes are still in a state of high power consumption, resulting in hidden energy consumption. Therefore, the official launch of the standard will effectively reduce the passive standby power of STBs and protect the interests of consumers. Of course, for some companies that are still difficult to meet the standard requirements, they are also facing the pressure of transition. This part of the company needs to upgrade its technology as soon as possible to provide more energy-efficient set-top boxes.
Considering that the set-top box products are updated quickly, the standards may be revised more quickly. It is estimated that the current energy consumption level is a set-top box with a level 3 energy efficiency rating as specified in the standard. The annual power consumption in standby mode may be as high as 40 kWh, or even higher than the annual power consumption in the working state. Set-top box energy efficiency standards will reduce the standby power of set-top boxes by more than half, and the operating power can also be reduced by more than 10%. At present, most users adopt the method of turning off the power after use to reduce energy waste. After the implementation of the standard, users can achieve very good energy-saving effects by turning off the set-top box with a remote controller. The set-top box energy efficiency limit determined by this standard is mandatory. After the standard is implemented, the annual electricity consumption is expected to reach 1 billion kWh.
Problems still existing in European and American standards
At present, the United States "Energy Star" and EU EuP Directive put forward mandatory or recommended requirements for the energy efficiency of set-top box products, but the energy efficiency evaluation of the products in the two places adopts different models.
The EU divided the set-top boxes into two types of energy efficiency requirements, namely simple STBs and complex STBs. The EuP Directive measures for simple set-top boxes have been formally introduced on January 1, 2010. It requires that the set-top box power should not exceed 1 watt in the standby state, and the working state power must not exceed 5 watts. Regarding the energy efficiency of complex set-top boxes, although the EU has not made mandatory requirements, it has vigorously promoted the coverage of efficient products through voluntary agreements. At present, products that meet the voluntary agreement have covered 80% of the EU region. The major manufacturers, middleware providers, firmware developers, and operators have all signed agreements, causing great pressure on manufacturers who have not signed agreements.
The "Energy Star" requirements for set-top boxes have been developed in two versions, one of which is primarily aimed at simple analog-digital signal converters. The current version has been upgraded to version 2.0 and is primarily aimed at set-top boxes with a variety of additional features. As operators offer more and more services, American families currently use set-top boxes to enjoy the increasing number of free or paid TV programs. Most homes have one to two set-top boxes. Surveys in the United States have shown that high-definition set-top boxes with built-in digital video recording (DVR) capabilities consume about 350 kWh of electricity each year, which is close to the power consumption of household refrigerators. In addition, the energy consumption of set-top boxes cannot be ignored due to the fact that many pay-TV service providers are retiring old STBs and providing more and more functional new STBs. At present, the new multifunctional set-top boxes can provide functions such as HDTV signal conversion, integrated DVR functions, playing video games, and digital program recording. In fact, the more set-top boxes have more functions, the higher the actual power consumption. In addition, due to the high energy consumption of the standby state of the product, if the power plug of the set top box is not pulled out of the outlet, the energy consumption of the set top box is similar to that of the normal operation, no significant power consumption is reduced, and a huge energy waste is caused.
Chinese standards will be divided into 3 levels
The Energy Star 2.0 version of the United States uses the typical energy consumption method (TEC method) to evaluate the energy consumption of products, while the European Union's EuP Directive uses the assessment method of “use power requirements + standby power requirementsâ€. Taking into account the technical characteristics and energy efficiency of Chinese products, the set-top box energy efficiency standards eventually adopted the same evaluation method as the EU EuP Directive. This method abandons the complicated calculation and evaluation process of the TEC method, and facilitates the implementation of standards by companies and testing organizations.
China's set-top box energy efficiency standards will be divided into three levels of energy efficiency, one is the target value, to achieve the requirements of the product is advanced, high-efficiency products, currently on the market there is no or only a few products can be achieved; 2 is the product of energy-saving evaluation The products that have reached the energy conservation evaluation value are also advanced and highly efficient products, and the proportion on the market is not much at present; Level 3 is the limited value of energy efficiency of the products, and the products lower than this index are eliminated products, and these products need to be upgraded . The standard mainly stipulates the working state power and passive standby power of each energy efficiency grade product of the set-top box. As the set-top box has more and more additional functions, the standard state-of-the-art power includes the power consumption of the HD output, internal hard disk, HDMI interface, ADSL modem, dual tuner, cable modem, Ethernet interface, and USB interface. The sum of factors.
Annual electricity consumption will reach 1 billion kwh
In 2007, China sold about 13 million set-top boxes and had sales of more than 5 billion yuan. It is estimated that by 2012, the total number of users will exceed 120 million and annual sales will exceed 25 million. At present, the production of domestic set-top boxes is dominated by low-end and mid-range products. The energy consumption of these products is generally high, and the power consumption can reach 15 to 20 watts in the operating mode. The standby mode consumes a lot of power, and even some products do not have low power consumption. To meet the requirements of the relevant standards, manufacturers should pay attention to the technical upgrade of the set-top box power management system, and use high-efficiency power conversion, and also select high-end, low-power devices for the selection of key components such as processors and decoders. For the vast majority of consumers, the use of set-top boxes currently has a "fake standby" condition, that is, the use of remote control devices to turn off the set-top boxes, in fact the set-top boxes are still in a state of high power consumption, resulting in hidden energy consumption. Therefore, the official launch of the standard will effectively reduce the passive standby power of STBs and protect the interests of consumers. Of course, for some companies that are still difficult to meet the standard requirements, they are also facing the pressure of transition. This part of the company needs to upgrade its technology as soon as possible to provide more energy-efficient set-top boxes.
Considering that the set-top box products are updated quickly, the standards may be revised more quickly. It is estimated that the current energy consumption level is a set-top box with a level 3 energy efficiency rating as specified in the standard. The annual power consumption in standby mode may be as high as 40 kWh, or even higher than the annual power consumption in the working state. Set-top box energy efficiency standards will reduce the standby power of set-top boxes by more than half, and the operating power can also be reduced by more than 10%. At present, most users adopt the method of turning off the power after use to reduce energy waste. After the implementation of the standard, users can achieve very good energy-saving effects by turning off the set-top box with a remote controller. The set-top box energy efficiency limit determined by this standard is mandatory. After the standard is implemented, the annual electricity consumption is expected to reach 1 billion kWh.