[1][2] Intentional brownouts are used for load reduction in an emergency, or to prevent a total grid power outage due to high demand.
In some countries, the term brownout refers not to a drop in voltage but to an intentional or unintentional power outage (or blackout).
In a cathode-ray tube television, the reduced output voltage will make the screen image smaller, dimmer and fuzzier.
Reduced voltages can bring control signals below the threshold at which logic circuits can reliably detect which state is being represented.
The seriousness of this effect and whether steps need to be taken by the designer to prevent it depends on the nature of the equipment being controlled; for instance, a brownout may cause a motor to begin running backwards.