Blu-Ray Player Earns Green Seal of Approval
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 01. 2.09
Photo via PC Magazine
Blu-Ray is starting to get popular, and while we greenies encourage keeping what you have before buying new gadgets, folks who want to adopt the new technology have a greener option for a Blu-Ray player.
The Sony BDP-S350 received a PC Magazine green thumbs up. Read on for why.
The updated version offers significantly faster disc-loading times, improved DVD upconversion quality, and greater compatibility with the latest features of the Blu-ray disc format. The S350 is also the most energy-efficient BD player we've ever seen—and at $299.99, it's affordable.
This summary makes it sound pretty great! But there's a caveat:
The player features a quick-start option that can reduce its power-on to tray-open time to an impressive 6 seconds; however, the player's standby power consumption when using this feature jumps from a miserly 0.3 watts to 9.3W...If you forgo the quick-start option, the S350 ranks as the most energy-efficient disc player that I've tested.
It seems like a quick-start option would be an easy thing to give up for a better power consumption. Of course, we'd also love to see this made of recycled materials, and have an e-waste recycling program come with it - and not one that is catchy like, ahem, some other Sony take-back programs.
Room for improvement in the green department but still an efficient option if you're leaning towards this new tech. A full and detailed review is available at PC Magazine
Via PC Mag via Good Clean Tech
More on Sony:
Sony Ericsson Gets Best Marks In Greenpeace Green Electronics Guide
What Happens To E-Waste Generated By The Shift To High Definition Television?
Electronics TakeBack Coalition Grades TV Makers on Recycling
Sony's Green Glove is Great...But Catchy
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- 9 "Green" Gadgets of Questionable Repute
- NYC's Tekserve Holding 3rd Annual e-Waste Recycling Event
- Consumer Guides for E-Cycling After the Holidays
- 6 Ways Green Technology Saves You Money
Can there be anything green about blu-ray? Is anyone buying into the format? Does it make any difference on anything other than a monster screen? I have not seen a blu-ray movie yet, but is it such a radical improvement that we need to rebuild our film library again? Would I notice any difference on the 23" monitor that I watch my movies on?
I am not anti-technology, I just wonder if, in this age where we are moving to dematerializing this stuff and downloading rather than owning, does it make sense?
Who's green seal of approval did this player get?
forgive me for a possible failure in understanding but what exactly is it about this player that is 'green'?
the term 'green' would not appear to apply to its power consumption (excessive), construction materials, manufacturing processes, elimination of contaminants, recyclability, distance travelled or even to its colour.
So TH, is this an advertisement or just a very low criteria for sustainability?
Lloyd said:
"Can there be anything green about blu-ray? Is anyone buying into the format? Does it make any difference on anything other than a monster screen? I have not seen a blu-ray movie yet, but is it such a radical improvement that we need to rebuild our film library again? Would I notice any difference on the 23" monitor that I watch my movies on?"
1: Sure, if the players are built to be ROHS and Energy Star compliant, and use recycled material, I suppose they could qualify. I personally believe that manufacturing things isn't inherently damaging to the environment, but rather the way we have chosen to manufacture them.
2: Yes, Blu-ray won the format wars, and HD-DVD movies are no longer being produced at all.
3: Probably. I've seen HD video games on small screens that looked much better than anything to come before.
4: You don't have to. Blu-ray players can read (and upscale) DVD discs. This one was mentioned in the article by the way.
5: Maybe. Ask at a store. They probably have one on display.
I really dislike hi-def in general. Who the heck wants to see every wrinkle on Hugh Laurie's face? The only person who looks better in hi-def is Eva Longoria. And maybe some cartoons. I'm totally giving blue ray a miss.