# Is it bad to frequently turn modern TV's off and on? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 17, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-frequently-turn-modern-tvs-off-and-on/625444 "2012-06-17T18:47:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-frequently-turn-modern-tvs-off-and-on/625444/21 "2012-06-21T15:07:57Z")
> [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > A somewhat related question (this seems to be the place to ask, so I apologize for the slight hijack): > > My Vizio tv is about six months old, and it takes forever to turn on. After hitting on the “on” button, it’s usually about 15-20 seconds before the tv actually turns on. It’s doing _something_, because the power indicator light turns on immediately, but I have no idea what. > > So while I can’t flick my tv off and on, I’m a little curious as to why. I think (though I may be mistaken) that this is a feature, not a bug. I have a Sony Bravia that does much the same thing. There has been a great deal of attention paid to “vampire” appliances, e.g. appliances that never really get turned off. These devices consume a large amount of electricity (although each one consumes only a little). It used to be that when you turned on a tv, it would go on immediately. I think that devices that want the Energy Star designation need to consume less power in standby mode. The result is that you need to wait a bit longer for your tv to turn on. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-frequently-turn-modern-tvs-off-and-on/625444/22 "2012-06-21T19:08:12Z")
> [@ethelbert](#): > > I think (though I may be mistaken) that this is a feature, not a bug. I have a Sony Bravia that does much the same thing. There has been a great deal of attention paid to “vampire” appliances, e.g. appliances that never really get turned off. These devices consume a large amount of electricity (although each one consumes only a little). It used to be that when you turned on a tv, it would go on immediately. I think that devices that want the Energy Star designation need to consume less power in standby mode. The result is that you need to wait a bit longer for your tv to turn on. Actually, the reason for standby power is to allow you to turn the TV on with a remote, which requires that power always be present to the receiver circuitry so it can turn the TV on (which means that the power supply is always running, although in some CRT TVs they used a separate standby power supply and relay; computers do the same thing with a separate standby power supply, which helps reduce standby power, but in most devices it is the same supply and the main circuitry is enabled when “turned on”. Another reason is to enable the device to turn itself “off” when it is ready to do so, like a computer). The same applies to virtually all other electronics that use a pushbutton instead of real on/off switch and/or remote. An exception, but not relevant in any way to modern electronics, was some old tube type TVs (and possibly other tube equipment) that kept the tube heaters on even when off (usually at lower power but still very wasteful indeed). ---
**Author:** ![ClevelandProud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@ClevelandProud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ClevelandProud)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-frequently-turn-modern-tvs-off-and-on/625444/23 "2012-06-22T04:03:41Z")
> [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > … > > So while I can’t flick my tv off and on, I’m a little curious as to why. I have a 42” Vizio SV470XVT LCD television. Let me guess … You have a cable box attached so that you can watch extended cable (not just basic cable). My Vizio does the same thing … it takes a while to turn on. I suspect that additional attached components (i.e., cable box) add to the turn on time. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-frequently-turn-modern-tvs-off-and-on/625444/24 "2012-06-22T11:51:53Z")
> [@ClevelandProud](#): > > I have a 42” Vizio SV470XVT LCD television. > > Let me guess … > > You have a cable box attached so that you can watch extended cable (not just basic cable). > > My Vizio does the same thing … it takes a while to turn on. > > I suspect that additional attached components (i.e., cable box) add to the turn on time. Another Visio TV owner, mine takes about 6 seconds. I use the component/composite? (the 3video+2audio) analog cables for my cable box instead of HDMI because HDMI takes quite a bit longer for some reason and the quality is identical (1080i or 720p is supported by the 3+2 and the cable box does not send a 1080p signal at all). For the Bluray player I use HDMI as that outputs the 1080p. ---
**Author:** ![furdmort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@furdmort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furdmort)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-frequently-turn-modern-tvs-off-and-on/625444/25 "2012-06-22T13:15:39Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > CCFLs do have some turn-on delay, but they come on right away and take a minute or two to reach full brightness, sort of like CFLs but faster (for those confused about acronyms, CCFL stands for cold cathode fluorescent light, which is directly driven by high voltage instead of using heated cathodes and lower voltage; in theory, they can come on instantly but they need to be warm for maximum efficiency). One way to tell if the TV is waiting for the backlight to warm up is to see if the screen comes on (the backlight glow will be visible) but remains black until it completely comes on. > > In any case, it seems to be a TV-specific issue; LCD computer monitors are pretty much the same as TVs as far as the display is concerned (they may even use the same panels) and the ones I have seen come on in a second or two. Not all TVs have this problem either; I wonder if you can disable auto channel detection if that is the reason. TVs, cable boxes, and satellite receivers these days are pretty much “PCs in hiding.” It looks like a TV, and does the job of a TV, but on the inside there’s a computer driving the works. The computer needs a bit of time to crank up, and until it is ready you don’t get a picture. If you put the TV in standby (power off through the remote control) and then turn it back on with the remote, it will probably come back on pretty quick. That’s because it really isn’t off but just “snoozing” like your PC when you put it on standby. If you turn it off at the switch, then it is really OFF, and the computer has to boot up again. Then too there’s the whole CCFL thing, but that should manifest as being too dark when you turn the TV on and gradually brightening over the first minute or so. ---
**Author:** ![furdmort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@furdmort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furdmort)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-frequently-turn-modern-tvs-off-and-on/625444/26 "2012-06-22T13:19:15Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > Snip… > > An exception, but not relevant in any way to modern electronics, was some old tube type TVs (and possibly other tube equipment) that kept the tube heaters on even when off (usually at lower power but still very wasteful indeed). Tube amplifiers for electric guitars still do this. You put them on standby to keep the tubes hot and ready, otherwise you have to wait for them ot heat up again after you take a break. Of course, you don’t leave them running on standby for days on end. Its just to keep from having too long a wait to get started again after a break between sets. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-frequently-turn-modern-tvs-off-and-on/625444/27 "2012-06-22T14:12:56Z")
I live in an area that is prone to power outages. I was told that a total power fail is not a good thing to do to electronics as they usually have a shut down sequence. Very bad for the new big fla tscreen TV’s. Anyhow, I keep all my electronics like TV, computers, cell phone booster, anything that it is not good to have on during lightning strikes or power failures with attendant power fluxations, on battery back-ups. UPC’s are cheap in garage sales, etc. Not counting lap tops which have built in battery backups I run 5 different back ups. All are on sacrificial surge protectors, and the one carrying the two biggest computer systems, I have used lawn& tractor batteries to boost power time to almost one hour. Like oil changes in a car, real cheap engine insurance IMO… YMMV ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-frequently-turn-modern-tvs-off-and-on/625444/28 "2012-06-23T00:35:27Z")
> [@furdmort](#): > > Then too there’s the whole CCFL thing, but that should manifest as being too dark when you turn the TV on and gradually brightening over the first minute or so. You’re right, but I wonder if the LCD panel is kept black until the light is ready, because once my tv turns on it seems to be at normal brightness. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-frequently-turn-modern-tvs-off-and-on/625444.md?page=1)