Is something with battery backup really worth having?
Depends on how consistent your electricity is where you live, and then also who you ask. I think perhaps the biggest proponent of UPS among those who know a thing or two is TLS Guy. He thinks that cable/sat STB's particularly benefit a lot from a UPS. His main point, overall, to use these devices is because sags in voltage are as deleterious as the spikes themselves. He set up a hospitals' power supply, IIRC, and I'm sure his opinion is dependent on such experiences, but then again, I'm sure a hospital has some serious electricity-sucking devices that come on/off.
Then there are others who don't really see a need, even with a fine front projector.
I gave my Belkin UPS to my brother, since I recently ceiling mounted my PJ, which is plugged into a socket in the attic space. I plugged his rptv, stb, two disc players, and xbox into it. I did not plug in the receiver, nor the sub, even if they are very modest units, because of fear of overloading the battery.
If you want to hook up a beefy sub or mch amp, you might need a pretty high rating, and those really get up in price. I've read that it's when the amp is actually turned on is the moment it draws the maximum power, in order to charge the caps. Dunno.
OTOH, look in the Deals section here, as allargon recently posted in the Fry's deals thread. If available, they seem to have very good prices on APC product, but I'm not sure if the sale is still on, or is even available locally to you. Good luck.
