Samsung's solution to green energy laws is to dim 8K TVs out of the box

[Shawn Knight]

Bottom line: Samsung has found a way to comply with new EU power consumption regulations that'll allow the Korean electronics giant to continue to sell 8K televisions in the European Union. The workaround highlights the bureaucratic silliness that often takes place in the regulatory space.

Samsung lobbied for the EU to reconsider its stance on 8K TVs. Per the energy efficiency index (EEI), 8K displays and microLED-equipped devices sold from March 1, 2023 must have the same EEI as 4K displays.

8K sets have four times as many pixels as same-sized 4K models. What's more, they require more powerful processors to upscale images to 8K quality from their native resolutions. Limiting an 8K set to 4K power consumption levels seems unreasonable, but the EU refused to play ball. This left Samsung no choice but to either pull its entire 2023 8K TV lineup from the region or come up with a workaround.

To comply with regulations, Samsung will ship 2023 8K TVs in the EU with their brightness set to a very low level by default. What's more, the brightness setting for the low-power preset is locked and can't be changed by the user.

A complete disaster, you say? Not quite as the devil is in the details. As Forbes highlights, Samsung is shipping sets running a low-power mode by default. Apparently, the EU is perfectly fine with users switching to another preset picture mode that isn't bound by limitations on brightness. What's more, the brightness setting on non-eco modes is fully adjustable.

In the end, this whole fiasco is much ado about nothing. Samsung simply has to ship sets running eco mode out of the box. That's it. Buyers are free to switch out of eco mode and fine-tune the set's brightness as they see fit. Samsung said it is even going to include a section about picture presets during the initial setup process to raise awareness of the eco mode situation. This should ensure that even those with zero technical prowess will know to switch picture modes to unlock the set's full capabilities.

Image credit: Erik Mclean

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https://www.techspot.com/news/97779-samsung-solution-eu-green-energy-laws-dim-8k.html

 

[Superconductor]

What a joke!

 

[Bullwinkle M]

Perfectly valid solution

My 45 Watt monitor is perfectly usable @ 20 Watts by simply turning down the brightness when running on battery power

 

[Lew Zealand]

Example 23,834 of: How to waste time and money making it look like you're doing something when you're really doing jack squat.

On both sides here.

 

[Bullwinkle M]

Example 23,834 of: How to waste time and money making it look like you're doing something when you're really doing jack squat.

On both sides here.

Well, no
Doing jack squat would not cut the power consumption by up to 50% (or more), whereas turning the brightness down does!

GO GREEN!

 

[Irata]

Example 23,834 of: How to waste time and money making it look like you're doing something when you're really doing jack squat.

On both sides here.

This. If you e.g. look at start-stop in car engines (which I rather dislike), you cannot turn it off permanently - the on/off button just works for one ‚engine on‘ cycle.

So for TV sets, regulators should have required the TV set to return to the factory brightness / settings every time you turn it on.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Politicians don’t care about fixing problems. Only looking like they are working on fixing problems!

Problems to fix get you elected.

 

[yRaz]

This. If you e.g. look at start-stop in car engines (which I rather dislike), you cannot turn it off permanently - the on/off button just works for one ‚engine on‘ cycle.

So for TV sets, regulators should have required the TV set to return to the factory brightness / settings every time you turn it on.

I would never buy a TV again. I can't wait for them to start putting power limits on graphics cards

 

[bviktor]

Iz got a better idea: stick to 4K. 4 times fewer pixels, same visual clarity for the human eye!

 

[dong15]

Iz got a better idea: stick to 4K. 4 times fewer pixels, same visual clarity for the human eye!

Exactly! People are missing the point that 8k is a pointless waste of money & electricity. A lot of people can't even see the difference between HD and 4k

 

[kiwigraeme]

You can get to the service mode on some samsung TVs and boost it more .

However Samsung and competitors are trying to be more efficient - they know they have too.
Some of the brightness wars is silly - but better filters ( great light transmission), lenses see LG MLA .
Purer exact light colour generation etc
Light light bulbs you want as little heat as possible
You also want light generation to to go to viewers eyes - or at less outwards

So there are ongoing improvements
The counter punch is ,most want that big screen for Boomers a 26" or 28" heavy CRT TV was a big TV - now you probably have to look hard for a 32" TV

If your viewing is a premium experience , big game , movie night - why not- compared to someone running the ***** box endlessly - even when not really watching

 

[3volv3d]

Im with bviktor and dong15.

If you need the world to go green, just make them. Say no, you can not sell 8k until they use less power than 4k.
Just because you can make something doesn't mean you should.
And business models of a throw away society need to be halted.
Any company that doesn't fix it's green issues should close.
Shady practices like Samsung are trying to pull is stupendously stupid.

 

[letsgoiowa]

Im with bviktor and dong15.

If you need the world to go green, just make them. Say no, you can not sell 8k until they use less power than 4k.
Just because you can make something doesn't mean you should.
And business models of a throw away society need to be halted.
Any company that doesn't fix it's green issues should close.
Shady practices like Samsung are trying to pull is stupendously stupid.

It's not shady at all: it's compliant in the face of a completely unreasonable requirement. EU doesn't understand technology, so this is the best workaround available. "Just make it more efficient!" Sure, with a few hundred billion dollars and a few years. I'm sure they'll accept donations.

 

[RudyBob]

Well, no
Doing jack squat would not cut the power consumption by up to 50% (or more), whereas turning the brightness down does!

GO GREEN!

What's the opposite of Go Green? Well, Go whatever it is.

 

[yRaz]

Exactly! People are missing the point that 8k is a pointless waste of money & electricity. A lot of people can't even see the difference between HD and 4k

Well for people who want a "monitor" larger than 46 inches you kinda have to use a TV and as someone who uses a 65" 4k TV as a monitor you can definitely notice the pixel density issue. My next display will be an 8k 75 inch TV. But, keep in mind, due to space constraints, my monitor and home office are the same thing so I have a fairly unique use case

 

[Watzupken]

Seriously, if they are so into this supposed "sustainable", "Green", "Eco-friendly" idea, they should jolly well just limit displays to just 1080p. There is no getting around the problem that you push for a higher resolution, you are going to burn more fuel, higher carbon output. The denser the pixels, you also need higher brightness. Lowering the brightness out of the box is just silly when people expects something like a TV to work properly out of the box. I had to go to the settings to disable the "Eco mode" because it was dimming my TV like as if it is broken because the screen dimmed itself so much that I am struggling to see anything on it with just natural light in the morning.

 

[koblongata]

But maybe half of the users never touch TV settings... .

 

[Nobina]

People like to say they care about enviroment for internet points but they only do when they don't have to sacrifice anything for it.

You want "green"? Stop constantly buying useless tech that's barely improved every iteration. Most content you watch is not even 4K.

Be honest, you just want to consume products and die. I respect a person more that's honest about it and says they don't care and move on.

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

Companies and Governments need to stop having ridiculous "Green" PTSD that don't make sense.

 

[toooooot]

Ok, I believe you can do it with exellent premium TVs and monitors which got near perfect properties. But how about cheap screens that dont even have good brightness to begin with? The solution is to buy expensive tvs intead of cheap?

 

[3volv3d]

It's not shady at all: it's compliant in the face of a completely unreasonable requirement. EU doesn't understand technology, so this is the best workaround available. "Just make it more efficient!" Sure, with a few hundred billion dollars and a few years. I'm sure they'll accept donations.

Again, just because its possible to make doesn't mean you should.

90 percent of jobs are pointless. And 90% of humans not needed when survival on a whole would be getting off the planet of doom.

Your logic is for humans to continue to do stupid stuff because money, because advancement in something must be sold to the masses.

You either die out fast. Or die trying to live on. But when people say think of the children and your comments are more think of the now and yourself.

 

[letsgoiowa]

Again, just because its possible to make doesn't mean you should.

90 percent of jobs are pointless. And 90% of humans not needed when survival on a whole would be getting off the planet of doom.

Your logic is for humans to continue to do stupid stuff because money, because advancement in something must be sold to the masses.

You either die out fast. Or die trying to live on. But when people say think of the children and your comments are more think of the now and yourself.

Then your argument is with the EU who made the stupid regulation that doesn't understand technology. If your argument is "noooooooo 8K is bad and should never be used!" I want you to outright say that and don't beat around the bush.
If you truly believe we should just eliminate 90% of humans, you're a bad person. Simple as.

 

[KofeViR]

Awesome workaround.

 

[Irata]

Exactly! People are missing the point that 8k is a pointless waste of money & electricity. A lot of people can't even see the difference between HD and 4k

No, it‘s not pointless - it‘s a way to get owners of 4K sets to spend money on an 8K set because otherwise they‘d be ‚behind‘ on the tech curve

 

[3volv3d]

Then your argument is with the EU who made the stupid regulation that doesn't understand technology. If your argument is "noooooooo 8K is bad and should never be used!" I want you to outright say that and don't beat around the bush.
If you truly believe we should just eliminate 90% of humans, you're a bad person. Simple as.

8k in its current form is bad.
Any technology that's not optimized and ready for a greener future is bad.
We live in a throw away society. We don't recycle (properly). And you think the EU laws are the issue, but governments won't do something that helps the planet if it costs money or upsets their affiliates.
You're wrong if you don't think we need to curtail the growth of the human populace.
The Ukraine war has proven that the UK can not look after itself, food shortages, energy shortages, resources dwindling.
The future ...