Sony Corp.'s new flat-panel television consumes less energy than comparable regular models without compromising image quality — the latest in Japanese manufacturers' efforts to woo buyers with green products.
The ¥150,000 Bravia KDL-32JE1 goes on sale here July 30 and is to be sold later in overseas markets, although dates and other details haven't been decided yet, Sony's Emi Nagahara said Tuesday.
In a demonstration at the company's Tokyo headquarters, a watt-counter attached to the new 32-inch Bravia consumed 82 watts of energy to show a Blu-ray disc image of a Spanish city on its liquid crystal display.
A comparable regular model that cost about ¥10,000 less required 125 watts to show the same image.
Sony achieved the energy savings by developing a brighter backlight and better filtering that delivers light more efficiently, officials said. Both models have liquid crystal displays and high-definition digital broadcast features.
Compared with an old-style TV with a cathode-ray tube monitor, the new model consumes about 70 percent less energy a year.
By consuming less energy, the new green TV reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 79 kg a year, equivalent to the amount consumed by about six cedar trees, it said.
Consumers also save on their utility bill. The green TV delivers about a ¥4,300 savings in electricity payments a year compared with an old-style CRT television, Sony said.
