Launched with a demonstration at CES, ams, a leading worldwide designer and manufacturer of high-performance analog ICs and sensor solutions, announced the availability of technology that enables a 42" flat panel TV to use less than 60 watts of power while delivering an optimal viewing experience. Using Digital Ambient Light Sensor technology and smart LED drivers results in a TV that uses up to 50% less energy than standard 42" models - exceeding Energy Star 6.0 guidelines. In addition to the direct consumer benefits of combining these ams technologies, there is a significant environmental benefit as well. Based on the average daily television viewing in the United States, adopting ams's intelligent sensor-driven backlighting technology would result in a reduction in CO2 consumption equivalent to removing more than 1 million cars from the road. A study by the Consumer Electronics Association showed that when it comes to TVs, two items at the top of consumers' wish lists are a low-power HDTV, and better picture quality. Yet with new Energy Star Guidelines being introduced in the spring of 2013, delivering both items on the wish list will become more challenging. Energy Star 6.0 calls for a 42" TV set to consume just 62.9 watts of power, and the maximum any TV can consume - regardless of size - is just 85 watts. Additionally, the measurement of power usage will cover four levels of ambient room light, as most consumers prefer to watch television in living rooms with low light levels. 2013 televisions that combine an ams Digital Ambient Light Sensor with local dimming and high-accuracy drivers will meet and exceed the Energy Star 6.0 ratings without waivers or unusable brightness settings, while delivering a higher quality viewing experience. The ams Digital Ambient Light Sensor does this by sensing the ambient light level of the room and adapting the backlight to a lower power level. ams spokesperson Herbert Truppe, Senior Product Manager for Energy Efficient TV Backlighting, stated: "One of the biggest power users in consumer electronics today is the flat panel TV. Higher efficiencies are being mandated by countries throughout the world to reduce energy consumption. By intelligently connecting ams sensor-driven lighting technologies to current TV designs, high-quality viewing experiences can be delivered with no increase to the cost of the television, while significantly reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions." ams
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