This is behind the new EU rules

From March 2023, stricter rules will apply in the EU when it comes to the energy consumption of televisions. OLED TVs and 8K TVs in particular could be in danger of extinction if their energy consumption is too high according to the EU concept. But manufacturers have a loophole.

EU Directive: OLED and 8K TVs on the brink of extinction

As of March 1, 2023, the new Ecodesign Directive will come into force in the EU. TVs that cannot meet an upper limit on power consumption, can no longer be sold after this date. It could be difficult, especially with larger smart TVs that offer high resolution. According to the directive, almost all televisions with a screen diagonal of 49 inches or more are assigned the worst energy efficiency class G.

The new rules apply regardless of the display technology used. Since OLED TVs are often more powerful because millions of individual OLED pixels light up on their own, the sales ban could become a real issue here. That’s true even with televisions with a particularly high resolution, which, given their size, consume more energy than Full HD or HD televisions. After all, the EU gives manufacturers of self-illuminated organic LED TVs a small bonus as a correction factor (source: 4K movies).

The impending sales ban could also a signal effect beyond the EU to have. Very few manufacturers will allow themselves to produce their models in an additional EU variant that consumes less electricity.

You can learn all about the new energy efficiency label in the video:

Threatened TV sales ban: SDR as a loophole

The upper limit for the maximum consumption values ​​provided by the EU refers to the display of content in standard dynamic range (SDR), that is, not high dynamic range (HDR). In the future, television manufacturers could design their devices in such a way that the Power consumption in SDR mode is just below the upper limit. In addition, “Auto Brightness Control” can be activated in the factory settings to further reduce power consumption.