ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR® Program Requirements
for Digital-to-Analog Converter Boxes (DTAs)
Eligibility Criteria
Below is the Version 1.1 product specification for ENERGY STAR qualified DTAs. A product must meet all
of the identified criteria if it is to be qualified as ENERGY STAR by its manufacturer.
1)	Definitions: Below is a brief description of a DTA and other terms as relevant to ENERGY STAR.
A.	Auto-Power Down: Eligible equipment shall provide the capability to automatically switch from the
On state to the Sleep state after a period of time without user input. This capability shall be
enabled at the factory as the default setting for the device.
B.	DTA: Stand-alone device that does not contain features or functions except those necessary to
enable a consumer to convert any channel broadcast in the digital television service into a format
that the consumer can display on television receivers designed to receive and display signals only
in the analog television service, but may also include a remote control device. In addition to
meeting the requirements laid out in this Version 1.1 ENERGY STAR specification, DTAs must
also meet the minimum technical requirements laid out in the Technical Appendices of the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) final rule-making on its
Digital Television Converter Box Coupon Program (see http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ for the final
rulemaking).
C.	Off Mode: A state in which there is negligible or no power consumption.
D.	On Mode: A state in which the DTA is actively delivering its principal functions and some or all of
its applicable secondary functions.
E.	Sleep Mode: A state in which the device has greater power consumption, capability, and
responsiveness than it does in the Off state, and has less (or similar) power consumption,
capability and responsiveness than it does in the On state.
2)	Qualifying Products: In order to qualify as ENERGY STAR, a DTA model must meet the definition in
Section 1 .B and the specification requirements provided in Section 3, below. As explained in Section
1, this specification does not cover converters that work with satellite or cable digital signals, nor does
it cover devices with multiple primary functions, such as a DVD player with DTA conversion capability
or a DTA with video recording capabilities.
3)	Energy-Efficiency Specifications for Qualifying Products: Only those products listed in Section 2
that meet the following criteria may qualify as ENERGY STAR. The effective date for these
requirements is provided in Section 6 of this specification.
Table 1: Criteria for ENERGY STAR Qualified DTAs
Mode
Power Consumption under Test
Conditions
Effective Date: January 31, 2007
On Mode*
< 8 watts
Sleep Mode
< 1 watt
* DTA must incorporate an auto-power down feature to automatically switch from the On state to the
Sleep state after a period of time without user input. This capability shall be enabled at the factory as
the default setting for the device. The default period of inactivity before the equipment automatically
switches to the Sleep state shall be four hours or less. Eligible equipment may allow the current
program to complete before switching to the Sleep state. The default energy related settings may not

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be altered during the initial user set-up process and shall persist unless the user chooses at a later
date to manually:
a)	disable the "automatic switching to Sleep state" capability, or
b)	adjust the default time period from 4 hours or less to some other value.
DTAs may come out of Sleep Mode in order to scan for program and system information or private
data (PSIP). When doing so, DTAs may exceed the 1 watt Sleep Mode requirement for no longer than
one hour in an eight hour period. If the 1 watt Sleep Mode requirement is exceeded for longer than
this, the DTA will not be eligible to qualify for ENERGY STAR.
4)	Test Criteria: Manufacturers are required to perform tests and self-certify those product models that
meet the ENERGY STAR guidelines. The test results must be reported to EPA using the DTA
Qualifying Product Information (QPI) Form. EPA is calling for the use of the below named test
procedures. Any power allowances included in the documents containing and pertaining to these test
procedures that originate from a source other than EPA are not relevant to the ENERGY STAR
program requirements for DTAs and should be ignored.
In performing these tests, partner agrees to measure a model's On Mode power consumption using
Section 6 of CEA-2022, Digital STB Active Power Consumption Measurement and Sleep Mode power
consumption using Annex A of CEA-2013-A, Digital STB Background Power Consumption. However,
the following clarifications shall be incorporated into the test procedures when testing to determine
whether a product meets ENERGY STAR requirements:
A.	In place of section 6.4.i) in CEA-2022 and section A.4.i) in CEA-2013-A regarding the amount of
allowable variation in the load when measuring On Mode and Sleep Mode, respectively, ENERGY
STAR wishes to reference the following language adapted from IEC 62301: Household Electrical
Appliances - Measurement of Standby Power. The language provides guidance on how to take
an integrated, averaged measurement over a period of time in situations when the load being
measured may not be entirely stable.
Where the power meter reading is stable and where there is no cyclic or pulsing behavior of the
load, the instantaneous power reading for the load can be recorded directly from the power meter.
(For the purposes of this test procedure, a stable load is one that varies by no greater than ± 5%
over a five-minute period.) In the case that the load is unstable, report the average power reading
over a five-minute period by integrating the energy consumption of the product over this period
and dividing by the total time. The meter shall be capable of sampling at a minimum of one-
second intervals. If the power in On or Sleep Mode varies periodically (i.e. a regular sequence of
power fluctuations that occur over several minutes or hours), the five-minute integration period
shall be increased to encompass one or more complete cycles in order to get a representative
average value.
B.	Manufacturers will be required to test their DTA models with a passive antenna connected to the
product, as opposed to an active antenna (e.g., smart antenna), to determine ENERGY STAR
qualification.
C.	Manufacturers will be required to test their DTA models in On Mode with three different input
signals at the following commonly broadcasted resolutions: 480i @ 29.97 Hz (4:3), 720p @ 59.94
Hz (16:9 HD) and 1080i @29.97 Hz (16:9 HD). On Mode power consumption results will be
submitted to EPA at all three input signal resolutions, but only the highest value will be displayed
on the ENERGY STAR Web site. (Note that the DTA will have to meet ENERGY STAR
requirements when tested with all three input signals; however, the highest power consumption
value will be the only one shared with consumers.)
D.	Section A.6, Responsibilities, in CEA-2013-A should be ignored. The test criteria as laid out in the
respective test procedures should be adhered to by partners when testing their DTAs to determine
ENERGY STAR qualification.
5)	User Interface: Although not mandatory, manufacturers are strongly recommended to design
products in accordance with the Power Control User Interface Standard — IEEE 1621 (formally known

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as "Standard for User Interface Elements in Power Control of Electronic Devices Employed in
Office/Consumer Environments"). Compliance with IEEE 1621 will make power controls more
consistent and intuitive across all electronic devices, as more products begin to conform to this
standard. The following aspects of IEEE 1621 are most likely to apply to DTAs and are presented here
for your convenience. The complete standard is available at: www.ieee.org. A draft version is available
for download at: http://eetd.LBL.gov/Controls/1621.
A.	Use of the word "Power" and/or the power symbol — (i) — as the central organizing term for
power controls, and specifically on the power indicator and power switch on the box, on the power
control on the remote, and on any applicable on-screen displays [sections 4.2 and 4.5],
B.	Present the state in which the DTA is powered-down but able to wake up from the remote control
as the "Sleep" mode. It may not be necessary to refer to sleep directly on the box, control, or on-
screen displays, but if that is done, use the word "Sleep" and/or the crescent moon symbol for
sleep — 1 [section 4.1],
C.	Use Green/Yellow/Off color indications for the power indicator to show On/Sleep/Off (for DTAs,
Off only occurs when AC power is removed) [section 4.4.2],
D.	For on-screen displays and user manuals, use "Auto Power Down" as the term for the auto-power
down function [section 4.3],
6)	Effective Date: The date that manufacturers may begin to qualify products as ENERGY STAR under
this Version 1.1 specification will be defined as the effective date of the agreement. The ENERGY
STAR specification for DTAs is effective January 31, 2007.
7)	Future Specification Revisions: EPA reserves the right to revise the specification should
technological and/or market changes affect its usefulness to consumers or industry or its impact on
the environment. In keeping with current policy, revisions to the specification are arrived at through
industry discussions. Please note that ENERGY STAR qualification is not automatically granted
for the life of the product model. To carry the ENERGY STAR mark, a product model must meet the
ENERGY STAR specification in effect on the model's date of manufacture.

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