California proposal could outlaw large plasma TVs

The days of enormous, energy-hogging televisions -- especially plasma TVs -- could be coming to an end. Next week the California Energy Commission is set to vote on a proposal that could send shockwaves through the consumer electronics industry. Specifically, if the proposal passes, it would limit power consumption of all televisions sold in the state to about two-thirds the amount of power they consume today, beginning in 2011.

That would be catastrophic for many television manufacturers, who have actually been working to trim power consumption for years. But those advances haven't progressed as quickly as the state might like.

Plasmas, which use significantly more power than LCD televisions, would take the brunt of the hit. Based on current power consumption levels, the new proposal would ban the sale of all plasmas on the market larger than 60 inches in size because they simply use too much energy. That's bad news for consumers, because plasmas are dirt cheap right now: The linked story notes that a 50-inch, energy-efficient LCD television costs twice as much as a 50-inch plasma TV at retail, so budget-conscious consumers have been looking hard at plasma technology in recent months.

Some large LCDs would also be affected, but it's easier for manufacturers to lower energy consumption in LCDs by simply changing to LED backlighting. The sets would be more expensive for consumers than those with fluorescent backlighting, but the switch would at least keep large sets on the market.

Nothing is set in stone yet, but the prospect of these new rules been enacted has manufacturers alternately mad as apes and scared to death. The rules would officially only cover California, but the state is so large and powerful that its legislation would likely kill large-screen plasmas nationwide. Vendors and retailers are lobbying hard against the potential legislation, but in energy-conscious Cali, that might be a losing battle.