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Environmental Screening and Evaluation of Energy-using Products (EuP) Final Report 19 Complex set top boxes (Lot 18)
19.1 BackgroundWhile digital TV is already radically changing the European TV markets, and is competing with more sophisticated services and offers, resulting in even more complex set-top boxes, which show a worrying trend in rising energy consumption levels. These trends are accelerated by the convergence between Information Communication Technology equipment and consumer electronics and will have a big impact on energy consumption (more than one system always on in each dwelling, and increasing electricity demand for each device as it gets more powerful). In addition to the digital TV services supplied through satellite, terrestrial and cable (fibre or coax), there are new service providers starting to offer digital TV and video-on-demand through the telephone lines with DSL modems or using power line technology. The EuP project group for Complex set-top Boxes is still working and there are no background documents available at present. 19.2 Environmental screening based on the Ecoinvent databaseAs there are no data in the Ecoinvent database for this theme, an environmental screening has not been performed for this product group. 19.3 Ecolabel requirementsIt has not been possible to identify relevant Ecolabel criteria for this product group. 19.4 Technology and market trendsIt is estimated that over the years, Telephone Companies have invested a total of $200 billion in present telecom networks worldwide. Telcos are engaged in a perpetual evolution of their services and networks, fighting to stay alive and gain market share in an increasingly regulated and yet extremely competitive environment. A whole range of business opportunities provide an impetus for new revenues - business services such as Internet and extranets, IP Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Voice-over-IP telephone, IP videoconference, as well as residential services such as triple play (information, voice communication and TV/Radio entertainment), IP-TV and home automation. The Telcos are thus a prime promoter of more advanced services that all require more complex and powerful entry points (residential gateways) in the households. Residential gateways are basically intelligent routers that connect an operator’s broadband network with the home, establishing a network connecting access devices throughout the home. The services enabled by such residential gateway platform include broadband data, voice and video, as well as value-added offerings, such as home networking, Internet firewalls, smart home applications (like healthcare monitoring, home management and security), virtual private networking and interactive television. Analysts say about five million consumers around the world subscribe to IPTV (TV offered through internet) today, though the numbers are concentrated in places like Hong Kong, France, Belgium and Iceland. However, the present telecommunication infrastructure may be totally inadequate already in the very near future, if the new business opportunities from IPTV are to be realised. IPTV must be able to match the high standard of competition in the TV marketplace from satellite and cable operators. Even a small amount of packet loss can lead to a badly distorted and pixilated image, which will substantially degrade the viewing experience and drive the viewers away from IPTV services into other types of media services. Telco’s (and researchers) are therefore seriously working on upgrading the backbone infrastructure in anticipation of the future rush in IP services, but it will take approximately 3-5 years before the standards and technological foundation are in place and another 10-15 years before the majority of the backbone has been upgraded. Today, France is the European leader in IPTV, which has attracted close to one million subscribers to at least a half-dozen competing services. Eric Abensur, a vice president of France Télécom's Orange division in Britain, predicts that there would be more than 100 million IPTV customers globally by 2010 [IHT2007]. As the demand for broadband connectivity continues to increase, it will be impossible to bundle voice, data services, television, home control, etc. into a single easy-to implement broadband solution as is known from the simple set-top boxes, DSL modems, etc. A much more powerful device is needed to manage, communicate, store and deliver the monumental number of new services. Today, these complex set-top boxes (ore residential gateways as they are more accurately referred to) are being developed and marketed by several companies from Europe, Asia and the US. US giant Cisco, the world's largest maker of networking devices, is also stepping up its attack on big new markets, including the most alluring of them all: the consumer. Its 2003 purchase of Linksys has made Cisco the market leader in the home wireless router business, and in late 2005, Cisco acquired the cable TV set-top box powerhouse Scientific-Atlanta as well as the Danish KiSS technologies [BW2007] To Cisco, home routers and set-top boxes is only the beginning. The company has already begun to announce some stand-alone products, including a line of home phones, webcams for monitoring the kids, and storage devices for creating DVD-less movie libraries. Moreover, Cisco wants to become the epicenter of what is called the "Connected Home" where consumers use Cisco software to manage how all of these devices, not to mention TVs, PCs, interact. Using the KiSS technology, networked DVD players in the house let owners grab content such as family photos and home movies off a PC and show them on any TV screen available. Siemens markets the PyliX Intelligent Services Gateway; a single-box solution that combines external communication services and home networking together with smart applications to be hosted on the gateway. Via its variety of interfaces, it connects with in-house appliances, enabling even non-IP based devices to be connected with the Internet. The gateway features a powerful processor and 256MB of electronic RAM storage. It is powered by an external power supply and is rated with a peak power consumption of 24 W. No data are released as to its annual power consumption, but it is estimated to be in the order of 2-3 kWh annually. Click here to see: Figure 19.1 Home networks and residential gateways analysis. Source: [PARK 2005]. According to Kurt Scherf, Vice President, Principal Analyst with Parks Associates, there is an early shift toward home networking as a key variable for motivating additional services in the home. Figure 19.1 shows that the share of complex set-top boxes (multi service residential gateways) is growing significantly in the US and already this year (2008), it is estimated to be larger than the single service simple set-top box. [PARK2005]. 19.5 Conclusion19.5.1 Environmental impact in a system and life-cycle perspectiveThe networked home, the Internet of things and services, ubiquitous computing, converging media or whichever name is assigned to this technological development, is by far the most dominant megatrend in communication technologies with the power and potential to change the way we live, work and socialise. In the long term, the environmental impact is difficult to predict, since it is highly depending on the appearance of supporting technologies such as battery technology, wireless communication, sensor networks, etc. However, the networked home is a prerequisite for realising the intelligent distribution and control of energy consumption and its environmental impact must be seen and evaluated in a systemic view. 19.5.2 Environmental perspective from new technologiesIncreased energy consumption from the increased use of complex converter boxes is not the only environmental impact foreseen. Adding millions of electronic devices to the market every year poses a major challenge to the electronic waste, since these devices are all physically small and will easily find their way into the household waste stream. However, modular design, possibilities for updates and backward compatibility can alleviate some of the waste problems and should be promoted.
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