CO2 emissions cut by 174 pounds per year
By Yuri Kageyama
ASSOCIATED PRESS

TOKYO -- Sony's new flat-panel TV consumes less energy than comparable regular models without compromising image quality -- the latest in Japanese manufacturers' efforts to woo buyers with green products.

The $1,400 Bravia KDL-32JE1 goes on sale in Japan on July 30 and is planned later for overseas markets, although dates and other details aren't decided, Sony Corp.'s Emi Nagahara said yesterday.

In a demonstration at Sony's Tokyo headquarters, a watt-counter attached to the new 32-inch Bravia registered 82 watts of energy to show a Blu-ray disc image of a Spanish city.

A comparable regular model that cost about $90 less required 125 watts of energy to show the same image.

Both models have liquid crystal displays and high-definition digital broadcast features.

Sony achieved the energy savings by developing a brighter back light and better filtering that delivers light more efficiently, officials said.

Compared with an old-style TV with a cathode-ray tube monitor, the new TV consumes about 70 percent less energy a year.

By consuming less energy, the new green TV reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 174 pounds a year, equivalent to the amount consumed by about six cedar trees, Sony said.

Consumers also save on their utility bill. In Japan, the green TV delivers about 4,300 yen, or $40, savings in electricity payments a year compared with an old-style CRT TV, Sony said.

"We think ecology is going to become an important standard that consumers use in choosing products," Nagahara said.