HEAD TO HEAD
Which TV should replace your old gray box? BY VINCENT STANDLEY
WITH THE CHANGEOVER from analog to digital TV signals less than a year away,
many of us are looking at TV upgrades to match. Given the choice between an LCD or
a plasma, however, it’s hard to know which to pick. Both use more energy than older
CRTs (cathode ray tubes, the onetime standard for television technology), and both are
made with nitrogen trifluoride, a chemical that lingers in the air for up to 550 years
and one some climate scientists say has a bigger impact on global warming than the
world’s largest coal-fired power plants.
The most earth-friendly decision you can make is to stick with your old CRT until it
bites the dust, but when it’s time for a new one, is there a truly greener flat-screen TV?
LCD TVs

What they are: Images are created when electricity passes through liquid crystals, a process that prevents screen burn (a problem with plasmas) and also reduces waste heat. The technology works at any size, allowing for smaller, less energy-consuming TVs. However, LCDs contain a fluorescent bulb, and a blown bulb means the end of the TV. As with all TVs, LCDs have plastic shells treated with brominated flame retardants and wiring that has various toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, antimony and beryllium. Health: Brominated flame retardants, which attach to dust and get inhaled or ingested, have been found to trigger learning problems in children and to interfere with certain hormones. The other toxic materials are well enclosed and should pose little risk to users, but they could be released into the air or waterways during manufacture or disposal. Life span: 60,000 hours Screen size range: 12 inches and up Energy Use: . 12 to . 37 watts per-square-inch in full operation (about 106 watts for a 27-inch LCD); . 32 to 76. 11 watts on standby Disposal: LCDs have the same disposal issues as plasmas (see next page).

BOTTOM LINE:

It all comes down to screen size. On a per-square-inch basis, plasma energy consumption is just barely higher than an LCD’s. But LCDs come in smaller sizes, and those small screens use less energy (both in production and at your house) and contain fewer hazardous chemicals. They’ll even cost you less to operate—in some cases, $115 less per year than a plasma TV. Opt for an LCD in the 27-inch range; screens larger than that start using about the same energy and resources as plasmas.

WINNER