Learned researchers from one the UK's most respected universities have put their name to an absurd claim that digital TV set top boxes (STBs) are a major threat to global warming.

Boffins from Oxford University say that because STBs are switched on all the time, they 'greatly add' to the amount of pollution caused and that the average house will consume seven per cent more power in ten years' time than it does today. They add that this would equate to the equivalent output of 'two average power stations'.

Notwithstanding the steady reduction in power consumption of all electrical appliances, from freezers to laptop computers, over the years, the 'research' would appear to have overlooked one salient point – in ten years there won't actually be any STBs as the functionality will be built into digital TVs which will no doubt remain on standby 24 hours a day just as analogue TVs do now.

Perhaps there is a need for universities to do some research into specious and irrelevant university reports – that should keep them out of mischief for a few years. ®