# Why did my Chinese television set have two power buttons? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 5, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701 "2011-10-05T17:10:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/21 "2011-10-06T16:45:14Z")
BTW on/off switches that do not really switch off the device from the mains are a major bugbear of energy efficiency advocates here in Germany - campaigns have stressed for years that this wastes a lot of energy. Our city made a point two years ago of fitting all computer workplaces in the city offices with power strips fitted with switches, so the PCs, monitors and printers are really switched off outside work hours, not just powered down. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/22 "2011-10-06T16:52:02Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > BTW on/off switches that do not really switch off the device from the mains are a major bugbear of energy efficiency advocates here in Germany - campaigns have stressed for years that this wastes a lot of energy. Our city made a point two years ago of fitting all computer workplaces in the city offices with power strips fitted with switches, so the PCs, monitors and printers are really switched off outside work hours, not just powered down. You have to reboot your computers from scratch every day, no leaving documents open, etc.? _shudder_ But yeah it can save a lot of power. My home theater receiver has this too - a “power/standby” button that when pressed, goes from blue to red, but the system remains powered and will respond to the remote control, but also a master power switch that shuts off drawing any current from the wall socket. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/23 "2011-10-06T16:56:17Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > You have to reboot your computers from scratch every day, no leaving documents open, etc.? _shudder_ This is a whoosh, right? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/24 "2011-10-06T16:59:36Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Usually, it was on the back of the TV or hidden behind a panel on the front along with the Vert, Tint, Color, etc. knobs and did one of two things. It either acted like the switch on an outlet strip and cut all power, or it disabled the “preheat” on the CRT filament, in which case, it may have been labeled as “Instant On.” The extra master power switch proved to be a bother as it could make the set appear to be completely dead if it was accidentally bumped by a kid or pet playing behind the TV. PCs often have this as well. It is a small toggle switch at the back of the computer, labeled " | O " (International for “flowing” and “stopped”, I suppose), located very close to where the power cord is connected. And more than once I’ve been confounded by a “dead” pc, only to find that switch in the off position. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/25 "2011-10-06T17:04:01Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > This is a whoosh, right? Ditto. I know many people (myself included) who leave the pc on for days at a time, to avoid the painful wait of all the startup procedures. And maybe **robardin** does this too. But I hope he/she isn’t in the habit of leaving documents open all night long. What’s the benefit of that? When you’re done with something, and don’t expect to come back to it soon, close it!! ---
**Author:** ![Strassia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@Strassia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strassia)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/26 "2011-10-06T17:31:27Z")
My 2010 Sony LCD television listed this a new feature. It has two power buttons and a master switch. The master switch cuts off all power draw. For some example standby power draws, see[this](http://standby.lbl.gov/summary-table.html). ETA: Although not mentioned in the manual, the master switch also can be necessary if the tv locks up (it is really more of a computer than a television). ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/27 "2011-10-07T05:03:14Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Why did my Chinese television set have two power buttons? Strangely, in the world of “Max Headroom”, it was a death penalty to have an off switch for your TV. :eek::eek: ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/28 "2011-10-07T05:42:14Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > It is a small toggle switch at the back of the computer, labeled " | O " (International for “flowing” and “stopped”, I suppose) It is an international standard, but it’s actually just binary 1 and 0. In typical binary logic, 1 is the “on” state and 0 is the “off” state. ---
**Author:** ![zwede](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ac91a4/32.png) [@zwede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwede)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/29 "2011-10-07T13:50:39Z")
The mechanical off switch was more common back in the CRT days. Besides the power savings mentioned it was recommended to occasionally flip the mechanical switch off over night. They said it helped prevent magnetizing the picture tube which would distort the image. Always thought that was silly, but sure enough a CRT we had when growing up developed a weird picture. Towards the edges the colors separated, red green and blue picture misaligned. It was correct in the center. Dad called tech support who told him to flip the switch overnight. Next day problem was gone. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/30 "2011-10-07T17:35:59Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Ditto. I know many people (myself included) who leave the pc on for days at a time, to avoid the painful wait of all the startup procedures. And maybe **robardin** does this too. But I hope he/she isn’t in the habit of leaving documents open all night long. What’s the benefit of that? When you’re done with something, and don’t expect to come back to it soon, close it!! As a computer systems developer I have certain text editors open all the time, mostly for computer code I’m actively editing with multiple related files open in the same session. Or database workbenches with similarly multiple sessions open at the same time. And lots of emails related to these things, I’d say at least 5-10 are open on my desktop (two 21" monitors) as well. And two separate Firefox windows each with 8-10 tabs, some for personal stuff (like the SDMB or Gmail) but mostly work related intranet files and web pages. Of course I do save all the important stuff to disk and at some point the code is actually “checked in” (published) to an official repository, but I multitask 10 different things all day every day and it would be a big pain to open everything up again the way it was if I logged out and powered down every night. I just lock my screen. In this way my virtual desktop is similar to my physical desk: covered in paper and open manuals with like topics generally clustered together. Imagine if I had to put away everything to leave a bare desk every day, I couldn’t possibly work like that. ---
**Author:** ![ModernPrimate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@ModernPrimate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ModernPrimate)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/31 "2011-10-07T17:41:20Z")
errr… isn’t this the way with every CRT set? There’s a power button on the unit itself and you need to turn that on before you can use the remote? Did I wake up in the year 2040 or something? That’s the way every CRT set is, including the one I currently use to watch tv. > [@robardin](#): > > As a computer systems developer I have certain text editors open all the time, mostly for computer code I’m actively editing with multiple related files open in the same session. Or database workbenches with similarly multiple sessions open at the same time. And lots of emails related to these things, I’d say at least 5-10 are open on my desktop (two 21" monitors) as well. And two separate Firefox windows each with 8-10 tabs, some for personal stuff (like the SDMB or Gmail) but mostly work related intranet files and web pages. > > Of course I do save all the important stuff to disk and at some point the code is actually “checked in” (published) to an official repository, but I multitask 10 different things all day every day and it would be a big pain to open everything up again the way it was if I logged out and powered down every night. I just lock my screen. > > In this way my virtual desktop is similar to my physical desk: covered in paper and open manuals with like topics generally clustered together. Imagine if I had to put away everything to leave a bare desk every day, I couldn’t possibly work like that. Ever heard of the concept of “hibernation”? ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/32 "2011-10-07T17:44:59Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Let me explain. > > When I lived in China, I owned two televisions, both made by Chinese electronic companies and exclusively(as far as I know) for the Chinese market. > > Anyway, they both had a feature I have not seen on my American/Japanese made TV’s. They had a power button up on the set itself. It pushed in, and when it was in, you could use the remote to turn it on and off. If the button was not pushed in, the TV was “off off”, meaning even the remote could not turn it on. > > What was the point of this? We just pushed the button in, left the “main power button” on forever, and used the remote to turn it on and off. > > I guessed that this was to stop the TV from power sucking during the night. I had heard that TV’s still draw slight power even when “off”. Perhaps turning it “off off” stopped this? Because you are mistaken and there is only one power button: on the set itself. NO remote has a real power-off button, only a sleep or rest button. Think about it: when you push the so-called power button on the remote, the set can still be turned on again with the remote. So it must be active enough to receive an IR signal. That only works if it’s still on and therefore drawing power. Compare it to a computer: if you flip or press the switch, nothing can turn the machine on; but if it’s only sleeping, you can turn it on remotly. The amount of power modern devices draw is not insignificant: it can be up to 15 kw/h, which adds up to quite a lot for a device that’s on 24/7 just because Americans are too lazy/obese to walk over and push a button. When recent devices in Europe, esp. Germany, following the American trend and because the manufacturers figured they could save some cents on the real power-button came without one, many people were upset at this creeping cost, both for environmental and financial reasons it’s not good to waste power that way. So now people buy extension cords with switches to shut off all devices at once when they go to bed. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/33 "2011-10-07T18:54:18Z")
One irritating trend I see with Chinese radios is that the power switch isn’t even a power switch, but a timer switch. It only turns on the radio for 60 to 90 minutes. To turn on the radio in a way that it stays on and doesn’t time off, you have to press and hold the switch for several seconds. The “press and hold” trend is increasingly the norm now, no just for radios but for all types of devices and appliances. You just can’t turn a cheap calculator on, but you have to press and hold an “on” switch for several seconds. Pain in the ass. ---
**Author:** ![sco3tt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/34 "2011-10-07T19:47:51Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. > > AC power corrupts in alternation? AC power corrupts alternatingly, currently. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/35 "2011-10-07T19:53:59Z")
> [@ModernPrimate](#): > > errr… isn’t this the way with every CRT set? There’s a power button on the unit itself and you need to turn that on before you can use the remote? No, I have several CRT TVs that are on permanent standby mode as long as they’re plugged in. (Well, maybe there’s a “real” power button hidden somewhere where I never noticed it. I can’t rule that out.) ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/36 "2011-10-07T20:09:21Z")
> [@ModernPrimate](#): > > errr… isn’t this the way with every CRT set? There’s a power button on the unit itself and you need to turn that on before you can use the remote? > > Did I wake up in the year 2040 or something? That’s the way every CRT set is, including the one I currently use to watch tv. I haven’t had a television set that I had to manually switch on (at the set) since some time in the early 90s. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/37 "2011-10-07T20:19:27Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > My NEC TV from the mid 80’s had this feature too. I would shut the main off when I went on vacation, as a courtesy to my landlord who paid the electric bills. In the consumer electronics business, they were known as “vacation switches”. LCDs and plasmas have reduced the need (or at least the desire) for them. ---
**Author:** ![ModernPrimate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@ModernPrimate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ModernPrimate)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/38 "2011-10-07T22:31:55Z")
> [@VoluntaryFireman](#): > > I haven’t had a television set that I had to manually switch on (at the set) since some time in the early 90s. Well I have two that were bought very close to the year 2000 (before or after) and both of them have a clear on/off switch (as well as our old ones). Maybe it’s different in europe and more common here. When I first saw this I thought he meant there were two on/off power buttons on the set. A power button “on the set itself”… WOW!!! lol. On the set itself. I remember when there was no remote control at all and all of the numbers and buttons and dials were “on the set itself”. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/39 "2011-10-08T05:39:03Z")
> [@Rain\_Soaked](#): > > This. Many consumers in China try to use as little electricity as possible to keep costs down. The main power button is a switch that disconnects all power to the TV. I have two 1080p LCD televisions provided by the house owner here in China. I’m not sure of the brands – not what I’d think of as western brands, anyway. Neither of them have a power off switch. On the other hand, the water heater (an instant-on, non-reservoir sort of thing) _does_ have such a switch. Our realtor suggests that we should turn it off any time that we don’t required hot water. :rolleyes: Actually, the realtor has all sorts of silly, Chinese suggestions, like turning off the power strip to the washing machine, opening the circuit breaker to the garage door opener, and other such “advice.” Electricity is intended to make our lives convenient, and her suggestions are not that. > [@robardin](#): > > You have to reboot your computers from scratch every day, no leaving documents open, etc.? _shudder_ Well, to be fair, all of my Lion computers will reopen everything for me at startup. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701/40 "2011-10-10T07:52:57Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > As a computer systems developer I have certain text editors open all the time, mostly for computer code I’m actively editing with multiple related files open in the same session. Or database workbenches with similarly multiple sessions open at the same time. And lots of emails related to these things, I’d say at least 5-10 are open on my desktop (two 21" monitors) as well. And two separate Firefox windows each with 8-10 tabs, some for personal stuff (like the SDMB or Gmail) but mostly work related intranet files and web pages. > > Of course I do save all the important stuff to disk and at some point the code is actually “checked in” (published) to an official repository, but I multitask 10 different things all day every day and it would be a big pain to open everything up again the way it was if I logged out and powered down every night. I just lock my screen. > > In this way my virtual desktop is similar to my physical desk: covered in paper and open manuals with like topics generally clustered together. Imagine if I had to put away everything to leave a bare desk every day, I couldn’t possibly work like that. This sounds to me like an OS/ Software problem: either your OS should save all open documents, or you need an additional software tool that does. Keeping the whole computer running, not even in hibernation, to achieve that end, is terribly wasteful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-chinese-television-set-have-two-power-buttons/598701.md?page=3)