Nov. 4 (Portaltic/EP) –
the sale of 4K and 8K TVs could suffer restrictions when on March 1, 2023, the new limitations regarding the Energy Efficiency Index (IEE) for electronic screens come into force within the framework of the European Union.
The IEE is an index that shows the energy that a product needs and uses to perform its functions and, in the case of televisions, is calculated based on the display area of the screen and its power when it is turned on.
The European Comission adopted a new regulation in 2019applicable from March 1, 2021, in which it addressed the issue of efficiency in electronic screens and how it would establish new energy labels, which would be implemented with the aim of promoting sustainable energy consumption.
These energy labels, already in force, classify electronic gadgets and devices on a scale from A to G based on the energy they consume, which, on the one hand, helps consumers to know how much their products spend and, on the other hand, helps companies to design more efficient and sustainable products.
These badges apply to products such as refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and televisions – which must carry it from March 1, 2021 -, as well as light bulbs and lamps, which have been marked since September 1 of last year.
as specified in the Web page official European Union, each new energy label is designed so that class A, which is the most efficient, is initially empty. In this way, room for innovation and the development of new, more efficient models.
Likewise, the maximum IEE allowed in electronic devices marketed in member countries is 0.90, which corresponds to the lowest energy class or the G label. However, a revision of this regulation has modified the limits established for electronic screens, a product category that includes televisions and monitors.
The revision amends Annexes I to IV of Regulation (EU) 2019/2021 and includes a new IEE table from power on mode and the visualization surface, in which lower values than those previously established are contemplated.
In this new regulation it is determined that the index for electronic screens with a resolution equal to or less than HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) It goes from the current 0.90 to 0.75 from 2023. This indicates that all televisions with said resolution must adjust their IEE to the most updated value so that they can be distributed in the EU countries from March 1 of the next year.
This table of indices also changes those corresponding to electronic screens with a resolution greater than HD and equal to or less than UHD (3,840 x 2,160 pixels). That is, televisions with 4K resolution.
In the 2021 amendment, a new maximum limit of 0.90 is established, which replaces the previous one (of 1.10) and determines that, with the entry of the new regulations into the EU on March 1, 2023, manufacturers they couldn’t sell 4K TVs with a higher rating than that.
Likewise, a new category of electronic screens is introduced, those with a resolution higher than UHD (which would correspond to 8K panels) and microLED screens. In this case the IEE will also be a maximum of 0.90.
IMPACT ON THE TELEVISION MARKET
In this sense, it is worth mentioning that not all technology companies currently manufacture televisions that fit this scale, which It mainly depends on the technology used. and efficiency in energy consumption.
For this reason, with the entry of this regulation in March of next year, some manufacturers are exposed to the prohibition of the marketing of their products if they do not comply with the limitations established by this regulation.
The 8K Associationrepresentative of the 8K industry, has complained since “the energy consumption limits on 8K televisions (and microLED-based screens) are set so low that practically none of these devices will pass”, which puts their sales in the European Union at risk.
Among some of the companies that integrate 4K televisions in their catalogs and are working on the configuration of new models with 8K resolution, are Sony, Samsung, Philips either LG.
The latter, for example, believes that “this regulation will increase the visibility of those models that they do strive for contained consumption that affects both the environment and the consumer’s pocket”, according to the TV and AV product specialist, Luis Navarrete.
This person in charge recalls that, currently, all LG’s 4K models “come below or around the limit of 0.90 set as the maximum consumption by the regulation”, so “it is to be expected that the indices of the models that are presented after 2023 will be much more efficient still”.
However, this regulation does affect it in the production of more advanced models, 8K televisions. LG currently has three series on the market and one of them is very close to the limit of 0.90, formed by 75QNED966QA models (0.94) and 65QNED966QA (0.96).
Despite this, Navarrete maintains that these televisions are “a far cry from other 8K technologies, that reach up to 2.5″ and that the new IEE “will not affect future releases” once said resolution has entered into force.
Regarding a future with a greater number of 8K models, the person in charge of LG comments that the company has found “with a real shortage of 8K content,” which is why it has redoubled its commitment to 4K technologies compared to 8K.
