Mixed Up End Uses

Not strictly a lopomo topic, but more related to the continuing fuzification of end uses:

Last year Whirlpool brought out the Polara, the first range that could keep food cold until it was time to cook it. Now Sharp has turned that idea on its head with the introduction of a refrigerator that can keep a meal hot. So into which end use does one put the energy: Cooking? Refrigeration? Miscellaneous??

ADSL2 Low Power Modes

We have often made the point that the majority of energy savings opportunities in consumer electronics low power modes will only be realized when communications standards start to include power use as a criteria. Power use is a significant part of standards for portable equipment due to the high value of longer battery life and smaller products, but until now I have not seen much interest in standards that effect mains powered equipment.

I recently found that the standard for the next version of ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) includes some very prominent low power modes. As outlined in a white paper on ADSL2, first generation ADSL transceivers stay in full power mode regardless of whether they are transmitting or not. The new standard specifies two low power modes (L2 and L3) which use substantially less power. L2 mode is designed as an intermediate mode which the device can cycle in and out of at a rate that depends on the data transfer speed. The device can enter and exit L2 mode instantly without any service interruption or bit errors. L3 mode is a full sleep mode for when there is no data traffic and transition to the more active modes can take as long as three seconds.

In addition to the energy benefits of lower power consumption and reduced heat buildup in telco cabinets, the low power modes reduce cross talk and noise, resulting in more reliable connections.

It seems that most other communicating consumer devices such as set-top boxes and modems should be able to use similar low power mode transitions to reduce power use, if only standards are written to take advantage of them.

New feature in a cordless phone

Panasonic is selling a cordless phone that also serves as the key pad for a home or business security system. It has battery backup, but the Times suggests that it uses the alarm system's battery:

When power lines are down, or during blackouts, the phone system can run on power supplied by the ADT system's backup battery.

[via Gizmodo]

Wind-powered battery charger

Researchers in India have developed a small wind turbine for charging cell phone batteries while the user is traveling.

The device will help mobile phone users charge their phones while travelling in a bus, a car or a train. All they need to do is -- place the turbine against the wind flow. It will use wind energy to move the turbine thereby generating energy

They say it can generate 3-4 Watts, for use in an emergency, but also mention other applications such as radios.

I consider this akin to the research being done to power wireless sensors by scavenging energy from the environment (from vibrations, air currents, etc.). For mobile or wireless applications, the benefit of extending battery life, or eliminating the battery altogether, is so great that it justifies these sort of strategies. It will be interesting to see if these technologies make their way from the mobile world into grid-connected devices.

[via Engadget]

Power from Two USBs

The AverTV is a PC TV tuner that comes with two USB cables. It seems it requires more than the ~500ma available from one USB port, as noted in a review in the Inquirer:

"The USB cable has one end which plugs into the little box, and at the other end two USB connectors. Why two? The manual explains that the box might require more power and if so, you need to plug in both connectors. When we tested this on our notebook, we discovered that's exactly what we needed to do to fire up the system."

So USB is not a limit to the power requirements of portable equipment - just add more connectors!

Another product to combine DC power-supplies

It remains to be seen exactly what this product is, but the press release sounds interesting. Pacusma Company is debuting a new product designed to replace traditional DC power supplies:

"DCEverywhere replaces traditional power supply adapters with universal taps, power strips, in-wall outlets and portable units, while DCSimplify eliminates the need for multiple cords. ... DCEverywhere power supply products include front and side multi-tap surge suppressors, power strips, home entertainment power centers, portable units and in-wall units. DCSimplify offers DC cords for mobile phones, PDA's, laptops, digital cameras, flat panel monitors, toys, chargers, lights and other electronic devices."

I'm guessing it's something like the iGo system we mentioned last week. They say it will be introduced at the Electronic House Expo in Orlando, Florida February 24-26.

(via Power Management DesignLine)

Multi-room DVRs

I don't know if either or both of you are on Parks Assoc email list but yesterday one came out predicting 40 million multi-room DVR setups installed by 2009. Presumably this would have multiple STBs for each installation--one DVR and other boxes for accessing it over some network or the other. The email says:

For Immediate Release
Contact: Elizabeth Parks
Parks Associates
972-490-1113
Email: sales@parksassociates.com


Multiroom DVR: The Entertainment Network Comes Home
Competition will spur cablecos, satellite vendors, and telcos to deploy entertainment networking solutions

Dallas, Texas January 31, 2005 - Cable and satellite television providers will step up deployment of multiroom DVR (digital video recorder) solutions starting in 2005 such that the number of units will exceed 25 million in 2009, according to Parks Associates. Companies will deploy these mass-market entertainment networking solutions in limited numbers in 2005, but penetration will grow to approximately 16 million U.S. households by the end of 2009.

"Just as TiVo Inc. and its ilk introduced 'time-shifting' to the consumption of television content, multiroom DVR solutions will offer 'place-shifting' capabilities," said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst at Parks Associates. "Recorded programming will be available throughout the home as these devices bring new levels of convenience and flexibility to TV use."

In addition to set-top box developers and manufacturers and their cable and satellite partners, home networking chipset developers will gain significantly from the aggressive deployment of multiroom DVR solutions, according to Scherf.

"The home networking industry hopes to expand the notion of connectivity beyond broadband connections and PC-centric content," Scherf said. "This year holds many opportunities for players developing technologies using wireless, powerline, phoneline, and coaxial networking solutions as they are applied to multiroom DVR solutions."

In early 2005, Parks Associates is launching two new primary consumer research studies, Digital Entertainment: Changing Consumer Habits and Mobile Entertainment Platforms & Services, which will focus on how consumers interact with and use digital media, including recorded television programming, digital music, gaming, and personal and self-created content. The studies will focus on the ways in which consumers will seek to "play-shift" their content in both home and mobile ecosystems. For more information about Digital Entertainment: Changing Consumer Habits and Mobile Entertainment Platforms & Services, please contact Parks Associates at 972-490-1113 or sales@parksassociates.com or visit www.parksassociates.com.