CalPlug Workshop Series: May 2013
The average American over the age of 2 spends more than 34 hours a week watching live television, says a 2012 Nielsen report — plus another three to six hours watching taped programs. In the meantime, other ways to watch TV programs are gaining popularity, such as video streaming on a computer or a mobile device. What kind of new set-top boxes and new features are being deployed to meet the demand? How is this trend of pervasive “TV watching” going to impact the energy consumed in delivering the content?
Avionics Tech Company Thales Tours CalPlug
Thales, an international company based on developing electronics, visited CalPlug for a tour of the facilities and demonstrations on CalPlug’s research. Thales develops electronic based solutions for the aerospace, space, defense, security and transportation markets. Touring the CalPlug facilities, the guests from Thales were able to experience demos of the Wall of Power and the […]
CalPlug’s Wall of Power at ICCE 2013
Taking place immediately after CES, the IEEE’s International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE) is host to several different companies and researchers at the industry’s forefront, which attend ICCE to share the latest designs and technological breakthroughs in consumer electronics. CalPlug was invited to ICCE, and attended to set up a working display and demonstration for […]
CalPlug’s Exploration of CES 2013
Starting off the new year with a bang, the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is the largest of its kind. Traveling in from all over the world, people attend CES to experience the latest and greatest technological offerings from consumer electronics and technology based companies. Several team members of CalPlug attended this year’s […]
Power in Numbers
They may be small but they have big appetites, devouring energy 24/7, even when they’re not in use. They’re set-top boxes, those little devices that receive TV satellite and cable signals. And they’re priority number one for the California Plug Load Research Center (CalPlug) housed at Calit2. CalPlug’s second full-day set-top box workshop held last […]
The Power of Networking
Visitors to the fourth floor CalPlug Center in the Calit2 Building are greeted by the “Wall of Power” – a living room simulation equipped with everyday entertainment and household devices that plug into outlets and consume energy. The Wall has become a popular educational tool for consumers to power on and off devices in order […]
CalPlug Workshop Series: Oct 2012
CalPlug’s second full-day set-top box workshop held at the end of October brought together 75 academics, manufacturers, service providers, utility and public agency representatives, who brainstormed energy-saving approaches to device usage.
Wasting No Energy Getting Up to Speed
Less than three months on the job and the newest California Energy Commissioner is already familiarizing himself with who’s doing what in the area of energy efficiency. In May, Andrew McAllister was appointed to one of five state energy commission seats; in July, he paid a visit to UC Irvine to learn more about the […]
CalPlug STB Funding Authorized
July 25, 2012: The California Plug Load Research Center’s first project is now official. The work authorization for set-top box research was stamped yesterday at the California Energy Commission’s Department of General Services. The official stamp is the project’s green light to develop and demonstrate, over the next 18 months, a prototype of next-generation energy-efficient […]
CalPlug Workshop Series: Feb 2012
CalPlug hosted a one-day workshop to promote converged efforts in developing and adopting energy efficient set-top boxes (STB). To ensure informed decisions and actions on technology and business development, a broad range of experts were invited to represent: TV service providers, STB and microelectronics manufacturers, utilities and public agencies.