I came across this story a couple of weeks back on the website for The New York Times, which blew my mind. It reports that "one high-definition DVR and one high-definition cable box use an average of 446 kilowatt hours a year, about 10 percent more than a 21-cubic-foot energy-efficient refrigerator, a recent study found". The nature of their design, which requires the ability to handle a heavy workload, means they're continually processing data and are "on" even when you've turned the unit off.Anyone who has a DVR (also called a PVR) knows that it makes a VCR feel like the cassette tape format did when CD's came along - completely obsolete. Unfortunately though, the convenience they provide apparently comes at a significant cost (literally).
The Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. is on the case, so look for future designs of the technology to rectify this issue. And while the electronics manufacturers are at it, could they please design boxes that come with more than the customary measly 20-30 hours of HD recording time?
