When is “off” really “on”? When you turn off your TV, STB, PC or many other home CE devices they are actually still on.

These devices in fact consume huge amounts of electricity – even when you think they are switched off or are in standby mode.

Why are CE devices designed to stay on?

According to James Field, NDS Director of Technology, New Initiatives,
“Pay-TV systems require that TV set-top boxes maintain a constant network connection so that the consumer’s electronic program guide information is up to date and the STB is ready to wake up automatically precisely when the subscriber wants to record content.”

In addition, software updates, pushed content and other information is usually delivered overnight when the STB is apparently inactive. “When you think about it,” Field says, “it’s not surprising that the standby power consumption of most STBs is almost the same as when they are on.”

This explains why “off” can sometimes still be “on.”

This also explains why Field is helping NDS join News Corporation’s worldwide initiative to reduce energy consumption.

The actual figures may come as a shock. In the UK, the government recently published a white paper entitled “Meeting the Energy Challenge.” Among its calculations the research indicates that the equivalent of $1.8 billion in energy is wasted annually on devices that are not in use or are in standby mode.

The challenge: Figuring out consumption

“Most people today are aware of the negative effect of energy usage on climate change. The problem is understanding what to do about it,” Field says. “NDS develops software for digital pay-TV operators. We work closely with the world’s leading set-top box manufacturers. As such we have the opportunity to introduce new standards and technologies that will save energy.”

As a first step NDS has already deployed automated technology that puts STBs in standby mode when no one is watching, Field says. “Next, it’s time to address the power consumption of STBs even when they are in standby mode.”

To make a rough estimate, Field suggests taking a figure of 10W power consumption for an STB in standby mode. If you multiply this constant load by 500 million digital STBs [the global forecast for the next five years] you immediately understand that reducing standby power consumption is an important issue. “It’s actually like saving the equivalent carbon emissions of five ‘super’ power stations,” he says.

Is there a conflict between the advanced functionality consumers expect in their set-top boxes and standby power consumption? If so, is there a solution?

“NDS is working with its partners and industry bodies to develop new technologies that will enable standby power consumption to be drastically reduced,” Field says. Among the energy saving possibilities, NDS is considering a number of possibilities.

Gateways can do more

Jungo is the NDS company that provides residential and business gateway software platforms and applications. Gateways are replacing modems and routers by enabling broadband operators to deliver managed revenue-generating services to the digital home.

According to Derry Shribman, CTO of Jungo, “the idea is to think outside the box -- the set-top box,” he says. He explains that gateways consume less power than STBs. “If 10W is a good estimate for the power consumption of a set-top box, gateways consume much less.” The question is how can gateways help reduce power consumption.

Shribman gives the example of a set-top box that is in standby mode but needs to record a movie. “Something has to wake up the STB and that can be a gateway.” Otherwise the box has to remain in standby mode.

Gateways can do more. “In order to power down an STB an assistant is required in the home. The gateway can be that assistant,” Shribman says.

Jungo is considering another energy saving direction: the desktop PC. “Why do PCs have to stay on,” he asks. Peer-to-peer operations require a 500W device to remain active.

To avoid this Jungo has added peer-to-peer functionality to its gateways. “The gateway is a very low power device. It obviously doesn’t have enough computing power to replace the PC, but it can perform the peer-to-peer functionality with much less power.”

“What we are planning is to let the gateway take over some of the long term processing events. Much less power is consumed because the gateway does less than a PC. But it can certainly wake up a PC or other CE device whenever necessary.”

“The potential savings are huge if gateways are used instead of the devices that consume much more power,” Shribman says. “Gateways can enable the larger devices to be turned off, rather than just being in standby mode. Everyone wins because everyone saves,” he says.

Decreasing energy consumption without sacrificing functionality is the name of the game. NDS and Jungo are joining in the worldwide effort to manufacture systems that are environmentally friendly. When this effort is successful, perhaps then it can be said that “off” really is “off.”

For more information:

Jungo