Philips Green Screen Powers Down When User Steps Away

Hardware maker Philips has introduced what it claims is a monitor that automatically senses when a user has stepped away and powers down, according to the company.

In a slightly garbled statement released this week, the company said it has created a monitor that performs well but “doesn’t come at the cost of the environment [sic]”. The Philips Brilliance LCD monitor with Powersensor, available from July 2009 for £169 (excluding VAT), is able to tell when there is no one sat in front of it any longer and power down.

“As soon as the user moves away from the screen, the brightness dims and the power consumption is reduced by 50 percent. Once the user returns the screen immediately switches back to normal mode. The intuitive technology allows businesses to easily save on energy bills with minimal effort,” the company stated.

According to Philips the PowerSensor technology uses infrared and shouldn’t interfere with any other office equipment, such as wireless keyboards, headsets and mobile phones.

“The technology is capable of detecting user presence between 30cm – 120cm from the screen, and users are able to determine the monitor’s sensitivity. The PowerSensor operates entirely independently of the PC or operating system and works instantly, compared to screen save models which only work after several minutes of inactivity and do not reduce energy consumption,” the company added.

As well as the ability to power down automatically, the monitor is also built with the environment in mind according to Philips. “The monitor is manufactured from eco-friendly materials and meets all major international standards. The Philips Brilliance LCD monitor with PowerSensor has been awarded an Energy Star and bears the Lead Free logo,” the company said.