Study on Improving Energy-Efficiency of Set-top Box

Set-top Box which receives broadcasting signal and delivers it to display device such as TV usually doesn`t have low-power mode, standby power mode. On the other side, most consumer electronics support standby power mode. The main reasons come from technical barriers and operational stability. Set-top box normally consumes 80~90% power of active mode even though turning off. This is much higher compared to other consumer electronics which consume less than 1W in standby power mode. However, most developed countries including Korea are enforcing the regulations which enhance energy efficiency of set-top box. This paper describes design and development of low-power set-top box. Key technologies are SoC supporting low-power mode, system hardware and software operating in separated power mode, and middleware managing the power with broadcasting system. Finally, we show energy saving expectation through development and proliferation.