curlyAug 11, 2023
BBC Research & Development

Modern TVs have dimming features that can adjust backlight power in specific parts of the screen, sometimes even at the individual pixel level.

We wanted to see whether adapting BBC content could make use of these features and reduce energy consumption.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/blog/2023-08-sustainability-energy-saving-radio-tv-led-graphics

#sustainability #television #technology #tech #broadcasting #LED #OLED #FALD

Introducing the energy saving concept of Lower Carbon Graphics

Developing and implementing a new idea which we believe has already saved energy in homes across the UK.

BBC R&D
Aug 11, 2023 at 12:29pmWeb
Show threadPaul MartinAug 11, 2023
@BBCRD Welcome to the dark side.
Show threadDavid HembrowAug 11, 2023
@BBCRD This is a great idea. Millions of TVs using a bit less will add up to save a lot of energy.
The same idea could have saved energy years ago when we had colour CRT TVs as those also used more power when the screen was bright. It wouldn't have made much difference in the B&W days because those TVs usually had an automatic level control resulting in more or less the same average brightness over the whole screen whatever the contents.
Show threadEmpiricismAug 14, 2023

@hembrow @BBCRD

Nope! it's generally what those in the know term "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic".

Ending the fossil, wood fuel & meat industries is the only way to deal with #ClimateChange

The products that tend to be sold with #greenwash on #British #TV channels

Show threadCKAug 28, 2023
@empiricism @hembrow @BBCRD Hey normally I’m happy to criticise those distracted by “high hanging fruit” when so many low hanging fruit are within arm’s reach. But this is easy and scales quickly. It’s probably going to do more for battery life but it’s not great, not terrible. It’s fine.
Show threadEcomateAug 11, 2023
@BBCRD Great stuff!! #BBC #climatechange #Energy
Show threadDave BellAug 11, 2023

@BBCRD

The web page is big, and full of detail, but the redesign pays off even for the old TVs. I would set up TVs and monitors with test images. Remember, your room lighting will affect the optimum.

This web page is what I used for the set up. NO TV will arrive with settings that suit your room. They never have.

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/about.php

About

Show threadMartin NuttyAug 11, 2023

@BBCRD

Interesting piece from the techie folks at #BBC. I hadn’t really considered the number of folks who listen to radio via their smart TVs. Great opportunity to consume less power when Media companies opt to use a darkened background. I imagine the same holds true for #podcast and #StreamingMusic apps as well.

I wonder what the data looks like for Americans listening to audio content on their TVs?Anybody got a source?

#EnergyConservation #Energy #SmartDevices

Show threadDik FraserAug 11, 2023
@mnutty @BBCRD My NYC cable provider has audio programming on its high channels and I’m sure they have terabytes of that data.
Show threaddrs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧Aug 11, 2023
@BBCRD hey #ClimateDiary folks, fascinating what seemingly trivial changes can do when considered at scale.
Show threadJeppe ØlandAug 11, 2023
@BBCRD
If "Music on TV" is such a big use case, maybe somebody should lobby TV manufacturers to include a low power "audio only" mode?
Show threadDec [{()}]Aug 11, 2023

@joland @BBCRD
I have a Samsung smart TV that can play audio files (including lossless, in high def) from USB storage. The music player has a "Screen Off" option, and volume +/- on the remote still works when the screen is off.

It's more than 5 years old.

Show threadDec [{()}]Aug 11, 2023

@joland @BBCRD
Unfortunately the "Screen Off" doesn't completely power off the display; on coming back to normal operation, the screen sometimes flickers, which can only be fixed with a power-off.

And when playing back FLAC files, it cuts off a bit (less than a second) from the beginning of each track.

Show threadFiXatoAug 11, 2023

@joland I remember having my PC audio routed through my external display, and being annoyed the sound would cut out when the display went into standby... Apparently the speakers could not work independently of the display 🙄

@BBCRD

Show threadAtomic FoxAug 11, 2023

@joland @BBCRD

I've wanted "visual mute" on my TV for literal decades.

Show threadJames Harris - Find my bridged Bluesky accountAug 11, 2023
@BBCRD This is honestly a really good idea and a lens that not many people approach building for the web with. Websites and apps have a carbon footprint and you can mitigate some of it with this kind of thinking. Also the idea of web optimization and how fast your site is factors into how wasteful your site might be.
Show threadmirabilosAug 11, 2023
@jbwharris @BBCRD they also should drop all the JS and not display videos in the browser (AVI/MP4 download then local mplayer does that in about 5% of the CPU cost). And drop antifeatures like advertising, which also costs CPU cycles and bandwidth.
Show threadJames Harris - Find my bridged Bluesky accountAug 11, 2023
@mirabilos @BBCRD If only!
Show threadRoy TamAug 14, 2023
@mirabilos @jbwharris @BBCRD and also CSS transforms (a moving background image can just kill old PCs)
Show threadmirabilosAug 14, 2023

@roytam1 @jbwharris @BBCRD even not-so-old PCs.

And any kind of remote desktop connections get unusable if a website does that crap.

Show threadRoy TamAug 14, 2023
@mirabilos @jbwharris @BBCRD yeah. one-off CSS transform can be fine, but combining CSS transitions and/or CSS animations will be a performance killer.
Show threadDavid HonessAug 11, 2023
@BBCRD does that work simply by the colour of each pixel? Or is there something else in the signal which allows the transmission to control the backlight?
Show threadSamuelJohnsonAug 11, 2023

@BBCRD 👏

For your next project

Saving energy by muting certain voices w a mute-forever button on the remote.

Top 3 in this house

Donald Trump
Boris Johnson
Jacob Rees-Mogg

I'd be willing to pay for this. And a bit more to not see them, ever.

Show threadFiXatoAug 11, 2023
@samueljohnson I can't read Rees-Mogg'a name without being reminded of this excellent diss track by #DanBull: https://youtu.be/5fL3UWruSZU 😅
@BBCRD
This man wants to ban the word “equal” | JACOB REES-MOGG DISS TRACK | Rap Roasts #6 | Dan Bull

YouTube
Show threadSamuelJohnsonAug 11, 2023

@FiXato @BBCRD

https://youtu.be/6Bp0Szk19J8

Jacob "Ireland should know its place"* Rees-Mogg is a British peasant's idea of an aristocrat, a psued, and a product of a dysfunctional education system

https://youtu.be/wXu0L7hzl3g

*it does, at the heart of Europe, with powerful friends on both sides of the Atlantic

Jacob, 12 ans, trader et fan de Thatcher | Archive INA

YouTube
Show threadGrantAug 11, 2023

@BBCRD

It's all a good idea and well worth pursuing.

FWIW
We've been accessing all tv/radio via the internet for many many years.

FWIW-2
Put your hand on your internet 'box'. Yup.. it's a heater. Turn it off every night and cut energy use by ~1/3 (8hrs off).

FWIW-3
Black is good, but clicking the link shows me this. Quite a lot of full-power-white:

Show threadSmoljaguarAug 11, 2023
@BBCRD cool, just need a dark mode now for your main website!
Show threadPaul MartinAug 12, 2023
@BBCRD Suggestion: reduce e-waste by reintroducing a reduced functionality iPlayer which can be launched on older smart TVs which were able to run iPlayer when they were new?
Show threadGavin StarksAug 12, 2023
@BBCRD great to see such dedication.
Reminds me of a call to action from a long time ago, which seems just as relevant today https://www.slideshare.net/ameehq/how-to-decrease-the-environmental-impact-of-your-app
How to decrease the environmental impact of your app

How to decrease the environmental impact of your <foo> The number of PCs in use around the world has exceeded 1 billion and will double by 2014 ...

Show threadKevin MarksAug 12, 2023
@BBCRD have you looked at taking the purple gradient in the background on iPlayer away? Feels like that could save a fair bit. If you can redesign the "make a kids account" icon to look less like an evil gremlin at the same time that would be a bonus.
Show threadSean BalaAug 13, 2023
@BBCRD Seriously interesting! Great work. A really creative solution to save energy.
Show threadEmpiricismAug 14, 2023

@BBCRD

The best way to improve energy use in the longer term - is for the #BBC to join those on the right side of history.

Stop supporting fossil fuel industries, politicians or the public, by proxy (e.g., stop reporting their non-science rhetoric without critical evaluation)

Either that or just turn the BBC, ITV, etc, off & read a science publication.