You don’t necessarily have to own one of the best TVs on the market to be at least somewhat familiar with Eco mode. Almost all TVs on the market today have Eco mode or something similar.
In this story, Eco Mode is a broad term we use to describe the energy-saving picture mode of any TV. It’s also sometimes called Power Save Mode, Energy Saving Mode, or something similar. Whatever the term, it’s a collection of hardware and software settings that work together to keep your TV’s energy consumption low, primarily by limiting the TV’s brightness.
These picture options are usually touted as being more environmentally friendly and energy efficient, but ultimately it’s your viewing habits that have the biggest impact. Most TVs have this mode on by default, and some people never get around to turning it off. That’s why turning off Eco mode is one of the five settings we recommend when buying a new TV.
So what’s Eco Mode all about? Here’s what you need to know about Eco Mode—including whether or not you should use it.
Where can I find the Eco mode on my TV?
Today, some major TV brands have expanded their power saving settings beyond a single picture mode to offer more flexibility. In many cases, power saving settings are not always presented in the context of limiting power consumption, but rather in terms of reducing eye strain or extending the life of the display.
Let’s see how these settings are integrated into several well-known brands.
Sony
All new Sony Bravia TVs (like the Sony Bravia 9) come with Sony’s second generation Eco Dashboard. This dedicated settings menu allows users to monitor their TV’s current power consumption, choose from several fixed power-saving brightness settings, or opt for a setting that automatically adjusts the picture to suit ambient light conditions.
lg
On its latest OLED TVs (like the LG C4 OLED and LG G4 OLED), LG offers power saving settings in several places in the menu: the Auto Power Save picture mode and a global brightness setting called Power Saving Step, found in the General menu. The former is a picture mode, while the latter lets you choose between three brightness limit settings. Of course, when Power Saving Step is enabled, the TV’s OLED Pixel Brightness setting is locked.
Samsung
In addition to Eco picture mode, Samsung also offers an expanded range of power-saving settings on newer TVs like the Samsung S95D OLED. These options are accessible via the Power & Energy Saving submenu and include Brightness Optimization (which adjusts the brightness level depending on the ambient light), Motion Lighting (which adjusts the brightness depending on the movement of the screen content), and Auto Power Saving, which monitors viewer movement and turns the TV off when it thinks the room is empty.
TCL
Most TCL TVs (including the brand new TCL QM8) offer a picture mode called “Low Power” which serves as the TV’s primary power-saving setting. Some TCL TVs are set to this picture mode by default. TCL’s Ambient Light Sensor setting can be found in the Smart Settings menu. There’s also a setting in the Brightness menu called “Dynamic Brightness” which, as far as we know, adjusts the TV’s brightness depending on the type of content (similar to Samsung’s Motion Lighting setting).
Hisense
While Hisense doesn’t offer quite as many settings as its competitors, it does include some basic energy-saving options on TVs like the Hisense U8N. The eco-friendly picture mode is called Energy Saving, and you can enable/disable the ambient light adjustment feature in the brightness menu (the option is called Auto Light Sensor).
Should I use my TV’s Eco mode?
Whether you own a budget TV or a high-end flagship, I can’t recommend Eco mode (or most power-saving settings) if you want your TV to look its best. It’s particularly damaging for those who want an accurate picture, but it can also have a negative impact on things like color vibrancy and the effectiveness of HDR. After all, a TV’s picture quality relies heavily on contrast, which is the area between the darkest and brightest elements. If you’ve spent a lot of money on a new TV to showcase HDR movies, TV shows, and games, you’ll naturally want them to look their best.
But times are changing, the world is changing, and it’s perfectly reasonable to want to limit energy use – not to mention spending. I understand that.
If you want to limit the brightness of your TV, I recommend manually lowering the backlight or maximum brightness setting rather than relying on a light sensor that constantly makes automatic adjustments.
If you want to limit the brightness of your TV, I recommend manually lowering the backlight or maximum brightness rather than relying on a light sensor that constantly makes automatic adjustments. It’s a small change in the grand scheme of things, but you won’t have to deal with an overzealous light sensor that darkens the picture too much. It also lets you keep your TV in your preferred picture mode rather than subjecting yourself to a potentially harsh-looking image.
As clichéd as that may sound, ultimately each of us is on our own journey. I review TVs for a living, so when I’m watching a movie, I want to know that my TV looks as good as it can. That doesn’t mean I don’t try to limit my energy use in other areas of my life, but you may find that it’s easier to cut costs and stay green if you turn on your TV’s Eco mode.
Looking for more ways to save money and electricity? Buying an OLED set instead of a QLED set could save you money in the long run.
