Thin and Energy-Efficient is In

Shopping for a new LCD TV? If you think a 50” high definition LCD TV with LED back light is state-of-the-art, think again!

I’m at the 2009 FPD International and Green Device show in Yokohama, Japan and am seeing some amazingly cool products. Just like how computers constantly get better and more affordable, TVs have gone through their share of evolution as well.

Major TV makers such as Samsung, Sharp, and LG all are showing off their next generation TVs that are not only super big, ultra sleek (as in super slim), but they are energy efficient as well. Using energy-efficient light emitting diodes (LED) as the back light unit, not only do they consume 30-40% less power than normal LCD TVs, they also have eliminated the use of any mercury.

And when I said ultra slim, I’m not kidding. They are roughly 6mm thick (some as thin as 4mm)! Because of their thinness, they are also extremely light in weight (less than 10kg) — which ultimately saves shipping costs.

Some other cool features include local dimming, which means it senses the ambient light and adjusts its own brightness accordingly — and dimming its brightness also reduces overall energy consumption. And, with 240Hz pretty much standard, you won’t see any shadowing during a football game.

Another big theme at the show is 3-D TV. These TVs can turn a normal TV program into 3-D images. Some require special glasses while others don’t. I was checking out a 50” full HD 3-D LCD TV where they showed a sprinkler watering a lawn. It was so unbelievably real that I thought the water had actually hit my face!

There’s more to explore, so I’ll get back to you soon!