MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Energy, in partnership with SkyCable, Asian Development Bank, SM Supermalls and the Center for Clean and Renewable Energy Development, recently concluded the nation’s first TV Olympics last August at the SM Megamall Atrium.
The TV Olympics was a week-long exhibit of 50 energy-efficient LCD TV sets from 10 international manufacturers that promote smarter choices for energy conservation.
The event was part of Watts Out, the Department of Energy’s energy efficiency campaign, which is being propagated to raise awareness on energy conservation when using electronics and appliances. It also promoted better options in choosing household appliances that can help reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
SkyZone, a showcase of SkyCable’s HD channels, was also held during the event. The demonstration opened an opportunity for the mall and exhibit-goers to have a firsthand experience of the crisp, life-like images and sound in all 17 high-definition channels from SkyCable, as compared to standard definition channels. Also featured was an exhibit for Skybroadband, which allowed spectators to personally test the high-speed Internet connection it proudly offers.
SkyCable’s involvement in the exhibit went beyond these presentations. Their participation in the TV Olympics also included providing synchronized feeds to the LCD TV units for an equal amount of broadcast input to be aired, thus avoiding any discrepancy in energy usage. Energy consumption, as well as the electricity costs for each TV unit, was publicly monitored in real time.
The exhibit also tackled preferential issues towards impractical types of TV sets. “The public may not be aware of it, but their 21-inch CRT TV sets consume twice or three times more electricity than the more energy-efficient TV technologies today,” DOE Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras said. “We have more than 17 million households, and probably each has at least one TV set. Replacing even 100,000 32-inch CRT TV sets would reduce energy consumption by 14.8 GWh and abate about 100,000 metric tons of CO2 each year.”
This confirmed that CRT TVs largely contribute to high electricity bills.
The TV Olympics served as an avenue to discuss and present these hazards to the public. Older version TVs and other appliances are also re-processed by unregulated companies with untrained personnel near landfills, contributing to the environmental hazards as each 32-in TV set is said to contain at least two kilos of lead.
Energy efficient alternatives and systems are in line with SkyCable’s efforts of providing quality viewing experience to their subscribers. This involves keeping them informed of more practical, energy-saving choices that will help lower their electricity bills, letting the subscribers have a guilt-free nonstop indulgence on their favorite HD channels for uninterrupted viewing pleasure.