Greenpeace has included TVs and games consoles in its latest eco-friendly electronics guide.

Major brands Sony and Samsung are among those to fare well in the environmental campaign group’s Greener Electronics Guide, aimed at spurring the industry into facing up to "e-waste".

Manufacturers of office supplies, computers and mobile phones have been urged by the eco-experts to take responsibility for the toxic chemicals and other waste produced by the "gizmo-loving ways" of consumers.

Iza Kruszewska, a campaigner against toxics for Greenpeace International, commented: "Companies shouldn’t be under any illusions that we won’t check up on their claims of green greatness."

"Firms making the most progress with new products without the worst toxic chemicals are now ranking higher than companies who have only committed to remove them in the future," she added, citing laptop producer Toshiba’s toxic-free example.

Eco-IT specialists Tranquil PC have pointed out that vast numbers of computers in use today makes them key to tackling emissions and energy use.

They revealed that some businesses have already started to switch to "greener machines", while various government organisations and firms change ten or 20 computers every month.

LG has confirmed that its new combined Blu-ray and HD DVD player will soon be released in the UK.

Deemed the Super Blu player by the Korean electronics giant, the BH200 has been hailed as the "solution" to the ongoing next-generation format war.

As well as supporting Blu-ray and HD DVD, the device is compatible with conventional DVDs and CDs, while it also has a LAN port for interactivity.

Various gadget experts have predicted that the media-playing marvel will hit British shores "in the near future", possibly at the beginning of next year, although a price has yet to be confirmed.

"The Super Multi Blue drive can store ten DVD movies and reproduce high-definition video clips from footage recorded by HD camcorders or digital cameras," an LG Electronics spokesperson revealed to vnunet.com.

This year has seen Blu-ray and HD DVD proponents take turns to declare themselves ""the winner" of the format war.

Just this week Reuters reported on data from the Blu-ray disc association revealing that Blu-ray DVDs had outsold their HD equivalent in Europe this year.

A few weeks earlier the HD DVD Promotional Group claimed that HD DVD players had been outselling Sony’s rival Blu-ray player.

Samsung has joined the drive towards increased printer cartridge recycling.

The electronics manufacturer’s Samsung Takeback and Recycle programme (Star) will offer the free return and recycling of empty toner cartridges from its laser and multi-function printers.

By reprocessing cartridges into their major usable component materials for reuse in other products, the free service for laser printer owners aims to cut the quantity sent to landfills.

"An important Samsung Green Management objective is to take responsibility at each stage of the product lifecycle for the environmental impact of our products," remarked the firm’s JH Kim.

"Offering a completely free and simple-to-use recycling return programme provides Samsung users with a convenient way to ensure exhausted products are re-used in an environmentally-responsible process," the Samsung representative continued.

According to a recent study by Infotrends, almost half of all used toner cartridges in the US and Europe are thrown out by users and not returned for recycling.

Another printer cartridge recycling initiative was praised for its achievements this week, following Epson’s WorldStar Award for eco-friendly printer cartridge packaging earlier in the month.

Computerworld reported that Australia’s Cartridges 4 Planet Ark programme helped prevent 5.5 million toner cartridges from going to landfills across the country.

Businesses and offices which network their technology can "streamline processes and increase productivity", it has been suggested.

According to Lexmark vice-president Marty Canning, setting up an office technology network is much easier than people tend to think.

"Through a network, a small business can simply install one printer to be shared across multiple workstations," the printer specialist explained.

"This helps cut down on costs associated with purchasing and servicing multiple machines, allowing small businesses to streamline processes and increase productivity," he continued.

Networking enables computers to communicate between each other as well as with printers and other hardware.

For businesses that do not have a wired network, Mr Canning suggested that a wireless inkjet printer could prove useful.

A recent survey commissioned by Lexmark noted that small businesses can further "unlock the productivity of their office equipment" by investing in a multi-function printer (MFP).

Although 62 per cent of the UK’s small firms have laser MFPs, the study highlighted that just over half actually use them to fax and scan, leading them to miss out on such productivity.

Brother has unveiled its latest copier-printer range.

According to the manufacturer, its DCP-9000 series of digital colour laser copier-printers are built around a print engine but also have copying and scanning features, making them the "perfect machine" for both home and small office use.

Network-ready as standard and supplied with a duplex unit, the DCP-9040CN enables users to automatically print on both sides of a page, thereby cutting paper costs.

Standard features of the DCP-9040CN and DCP-9045CDN include an A4 colour laser multifunction printer, while the models also have a 250-sheet paper tray.

As a growing number of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) choose to invest in multifunction devices, a recent international survey conducted by Lexmark revealed that few actually use them to fax and scan.

Questioning more than 1,400 companies in seven countries, the printer manufacturer found that out of 66 per cent of firms polled which had a laser multifunction printer, a third took advantage of its extra capabilities.

Marty Canning, Lexmark’s vice-president, recommended that more offices and small businesses take more advantage of all the functions of office devices in order to unlock "significant productivity improvements".

As Epson dusts off its WorldStar Award for eco-friendly printer cartridge packaging, another printer cartridge recycling initiative has been praised for its achievements.

According to Computerworld, Australia’s Cartridges 4 Planet Ark programme has helped prevent 5.5 million toner cartridges from going to landfills across the country.

Sponsored by printer specialists including HP, Brother, Epson and Canon, Planet Ark has worked alongside its recycling partner Close the Loop to recruit over 17,000 businesses to the scheme over the past five years.

With some cartridge parts re-used to make an array of other items, the majority are diverted to a zero-waste-to-landfill facility to be separated into recyclable components.

Xerox has also been lauded in recent weeks for surpassing a "major sustainability milestone".

According to the company, its 1991 environmental programme has now diverted more than two billion pounds of electronic waste from landfills around the world through waste-free initiatives.

Creating sustainability benefits for the manufacturer as well as its customers, the initiatives have focused on waste avoidance by reusing and recycling office supplies, as well as taking back products for recycling and parts re-use.

Blu-ray DVDs have outsold their HD equivalent in Europe this year, according to Reuters.

The news agency reported that Blu-ray disc sales surpassed one million and made up 73 per cent of all HD movie discs sold.

In recent weeks, the Blu-ray disc association has criticised figures from the HD DVD Promotional Group which showed that HD DVD players had been outselling Sony’s rival Blu-ray player.

It dismissed as "gross misrepresentation of data" news that European HD DVD player owners had bought an average of 3.8 movies each, while just 0.6 discs per Blu-ray player slipped off the shelves.

Independent research group GfK analysed the number of films sold for all HD players across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Benelux countries, but the Blu-ray disc association maintained its results had been "severely massaged".

As the next-generation format debate rages on, LG has launched an upgrade to its dual-format HD-DVD and Blu-ray optical drive.

Like LG’s existing dual-format drive, the new drive can write to Blu-ray discs, DVDs and CDs, as well as read HD-DVD discs but will reportedly write Blu-ray discs considerably faster.

Epson has launched its latest large format printer across the Middle East.

Featuring "breakthrough" pigment ink technology, the Stylus Pro 9880 professional production printer utilises the firm’s UltraChrome K3 ink, the latest development in pigment chemistry.

"The Stylus Pro 9880 incorporates Epson’s latest print production technologies, delivering output that surpasses any other eight-colour printers on the market," remarked Khalil El Dalu, general manager of Epson Middle East.

"These latest innovations are the result of significant research and development to refine and advance the print production process to provide professionals with the highest quality prints," the representative continued.

Epson has claimed its new large format printer provides the "highest quality output" required for the fine art, photography and proofing markets, with a new Ethernet interface delivering faster processing speeds.

Earlier this year the printer specialist was honoured for the green credentials of its Stylus Pro 3800 model, recognised for its compact, resource-saving design and energy efficiency at the Ecohitech Awards ceremony in Milan.

Meanwhile, the firm was also rewarded for its eco-friendly printer cartridge packaging by the World Packaging Organisation in Athens.

Research has begun into office bosses’ top-rated choices of desktop computing products during the past year.

Carried out by growth consulting company Frost and Sullivan, the poll will ask business leaders to choose the "best" brands for a desktop computer, monitor, printer and scanner based on customer service, design, durability, ease of use, quality and reliability.

"The Choice Awards are part of Frost and Sullivan’s global programme to recognise outstanding companies who exhibit the best practices across key growth drivers," explained David Frigstad, chairman of the firm.

Leading manufacturers which have consistently come out on top in past years include Canon, HP, Epson, Logitech and Sony.

In 2006 leading laptop producer HP was chosen as the best printer and scanner manufacturer for customer service, design, reliability and value, while Sony was voted top monitor and projector manufacturer for quality and reliability.

Earlier this year, Sony won the European Imaging and Sound Association award for video projector of the year with its latest Bravia model.

The high-definition VPL-VW60 has a lens with a motorised zoom so that the projector can be positioned anywhere from three metres to almost six metres from the screen.

More UK businesses must invest in eco-friendly office equipment, it has been claimed.

Research by Siemens Financial Services highlighted a lack of green products available as well as the initial cost of implementing a green strategy.

In its report, entitled Our Green and Pleasant Land, the firm encouraged electronics manufacturers to expand their environmentally-friendly product ranges.

It was revealed that one in four UK firms polled now measure their carbon footprint, while two-fifths have set up carbon-reduction initiatives.

"This independently conducted research amongst British businesses provides a really encouraging picture, but also reveals some serious barriers to a significant increase in low-emission equipment investment," confirmed Rod Tonna-Barthet, director of Siemens Financial Services.

Manchester-based Tranquil PC have claimed that the vast numbers of computers in use today makes them key to tackling emissions and energy use across the globe.

According to the eco-IT specialists, some businesses have already started to switch to "greener machines", with various government organisations and firms changing ten or 20 computers every month.

Meanwhile, major brands Sony and LG were some of those commended in Greenpeace’s latest greener electronics guide for their "e-waste" recycling initiatives.