Set-top Boxes & Cable Boxes
A "set-top box" (STB) is a cable, satellite, Internet Protocol or other device whose primary function is to receive television signals from a specific source and deliver them to a consumer display and/or recording device, such as a television or DVR.
ENERGY STAR certified set-top boxes are on average 35 percent more efficient than conventional models. In fact, if all set-top boxes in the U.S. met ENERGY STAR requirements, consumer energy cost savings would grow to about $1 billion each year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from about 2 million cars.
Households can experience significant energy savings through the deployment of multi-room thin-client devices in homes that are currently served by two or three high-power STBs with DVR functionality. This multi-room architecture allows for all but one power-hungry DVR to be removed from every home. For a home with three televisions, set-top box energy savings can be up to 30 percent versus having one DVR per television.
Current Specification Effective Date: Version 4.1: December 19, 2014
Version 4.1 ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Set-top Boxes became effective on December 19, 2014. The revised requirements include more stringent performance levels as well as incentives for operation in Deep Sleep Mode (less than or equal to 15% of power in On Mode) and use of thin clients in multi-room setups.
Set-top Boxes & Cable Boxes Key Product Criteria: ENERGY STAR