Switch off the monitor manually when you are not working on the notebook to save energy?

Donk · Sep 26, 2022

You do not have S0 [you have a proper computer with S3 Sleep] so there should be nothing to stop you turning off your display using the same NirCmd shortcut as me.

May be besides of the sound disappearing.

This command does not affect audio playback or any other activities.

It looks like this:

I have this line there: "J:\Programme\WSCC\Apps\NirSoft Utilities\x64\nircmd.exe" monitor off

When pressing the shortcut or double clicking the icon on the desktop the monitor gets black and the sound stopps.

Try3 · Sep 26, 2022

Donk said:
... the monitor gets black and the sound stopps.

If you were talking about a desktop then I'd conclude that your speakers were built into the monitor.
I don't know why this is happening on a laptop that has S0 disabled.

Sorry,
Denis

Donk · Sep 26, 2022

My Notebook (HP Laptop »17-cn0623ng« 4J8T1EA #ABD) is connected with HDMI to an external Hifi amplifier and that to a TV.

No no, no reason to say sorry, many thanks for your help anyway!

Try3 · Sep 26, 2022

Donk said:
My Notebook (HP Laptop »17-cn0623ng« 4J8T1EA #ABD) is connected with HDMI to an external Hifi amplifier and that to a TV.

Oh.
With my external monitor [sometimes connected to my desktop & sometimes to my laptop], my sound also goes off when the display turns off.

I suspect that your only solution is going to be setting your display to stay on always in Power options and then setting up a shortcut to a fairly dark screensaver that you can use to sort-of-turn-off the display when you want to.
No 'blank' screensavers are truly blank. You'll be able to tell that the display is actually on because there will be a slight glow from it even though it seems sort-of-black.
This one is about as good as I could find. It is actually from WinXP but works perfectly well in Windows 10 & 11.
Unzip it then store it somewhere convenient and make a shortcut to it to launch it.

All the best,
Denis

Donk · Sep 26, 2022

Many thanks, also for the file.

So the probleme actually sound like to be eaisly solved but obviously it isn't.

Without an HDMI cable being connected to the Notebook (without a device at the other end) or a real HDMI connection using another monitor or device (being turned off) the shortcuts (to change the monitor) do not work, obviously.

OK, the advantage is the screensaver starts automatically, so no need to press a keys or so all the time.

Thank you very much!

Try3 · Sep 26, 2022

You can set up any of your normal screensavers to come on after a period automatically.

You can also set up a shortcut to any of those or to, for example, I one I uploaded to make it come on instantly, on demand {which is what I thought you wanted}.
My Win11 computer is off now. In Win10 the built-in screensavers are the .scr files in C:\Windows\System32.

All the best,
Denis

Donk · Sep 26, 2022

You can set up any of your normal screensavers to come on after a period automatically.

Yes, but to save energy, I guess, the best is to use one that saves energy best, so a black one like yours. Or am I wrong?

Yes, that one on demand is very good. And automatically also.

Many thanks. Also for the path.

Try3 · Sep 27, 2022

I always assume that black screens use up less energy than screens with images.
Mind you, I have never seen an analysis of monitor power usage. Perhaps the energy to keep the monitor powered up is 99.99% & what gets shown or saved is therefore only 0.01%. I have no idea.

All the best,
Denis

fruh · Sep 27, 2022

Try3 said:
I always assume that black screens use up less energy than screens with images.

That's really true only for OLEDs since every pixel emits its own light. Might be partially true for LCD displays with dimming zones too, but for any LCD a black image is displayed just by blocking the light emitted from the backlight, so the power consuption stays the same unless you actually turn off the panel. Screensavers were made to prevent image retention, not for energy consumption

Donk · Sep 27, 2022

So using screensavers makes no sense for saving energy.

I have once used a power meter, that is simply plugged between the socket and the power cord, with the monitor turned on and off, but I cannot remember the result anymore. Obviously there has been a reasonable difference.

Are screensavers still useful these days? Did never again use one. Neither on the notebook nor on the TV.

Try3 · Sep 27, 2022

Donk said:
Are screensavers still useful these days?

No. They are just toys really.

Denis

antares · Sep 27, 2022

Just have Power Options turn off the display automatically after a set time like Ghot explained above, that's the way I do it whenever I use the laptop without an external monitor.

Donk · Sep 27, 2022

I use the Notebook display and the TV. But the problem is the sound stopping when the monitor turns off.

OK, thank you very much!

kelper · Dec 13, 2022

Here is an app for turning the monitor off and on. It can be set to ignore the mouse too.

Sordum Monitor Off v1.1

Sordum monitor off is a portable freeware to help you turn off your monitor in order to save some power, just run executable file to turn off your screen

www.sordum.org

Donk · Dec 13, 2022

Many thanks!

When I double click the exe

the disdplay switiches off and the music as well. How could I avoid the latter?

Donk · Dec 13, 2022

kelper · Dec 13, 2022

After unchecking 'mute sound' rember to 'save options' If that doesn't work, email them. They reply quickly.

On my Acer the sound continues when the screen goes off.

Try3 · Dec 13, 2022

kelper said:
On my Acer the sound continues when the screen goes off.

Donk is using an external monitor. That's why the behaviour is different.
Donk also has another thread on this topic - Question How to switch on / off display to save power? - ElevenForum

All the best,
Denis

Donk · Jan 13, 2023

I have checked now the power consumption of my Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17ABA7 Laptop (consuming about 40, 50 Watt normally with its display turned on like usual) with a power meter:

Using the screensaver (black color) brings next to nothing. If at all it perhaps saves 1, 2 Watt. It does not seem to be that easy to measure that.

Switching to the external monitor (so shutting off the notebook display, the external source, an Hifi amplifier, is shut off) seems to save about 10, 12 Watt, may be less. Switching to another monitor causes about 30-50 Watt more power consumption for some seconds.

But changing the monitors sometimes lasts a little (up to may be 5 seconds or even longer), so one cannot immediately access the computer after switching back to the notebook display, interrupted sound / music. And it (the switching) brings some other uncertainties, e.g. resized windows, different positions of them, changed volumes (very inconvenient, you have to readjust them in the Sound Mixer). One has to press keys (instead of just touch the mouse pad, move the mouse, etc. with a screensaver).

So perhaps leaving the monitor on ALL the time (under these circumstances) might be a good option. Nothing to worry about in terms of (such an insignificant topic as) turning off, turning on the display then.

Try3 · Jan 13, 2023

So what is the power consumption difference between
- laptop on, its built-in display on but fairly idle
- laptop on, its built-in display turned off [by Power options]?

Denis

Switch off the monitor manually when you are not working on the notebook to save energy?

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