Need a good UPS (or other power protection) for my HDTV

[Link127]

to anyone who has an HDTV, or at least knows what to protect it with...what do you use? or what would you use if you had an HDTV? (yes, i am pretty new here, but i need your expertise)

personally, i have a Samsung DLP and have become concerned about power outages. the power isnt that great where i live and outages or sags/brownouts happen regularly. it usually isnt enough to turn the TV off, but once in a while there is too little power and the TV turns off. when that happens, the fan cant stay on to cool the bulb as it normally would when the TV turns off.

i have an awesome UPS from APC for my computer which leaves me no worries about its protection, but i wanted something similar for my home theater...more specifically the TV.

i have flirted with the idea of a Monster combo of the AVS 2000 and Powercenter 5100 or 7000 but both are way too much money (they are made by Monster after all) and way outta my price range. while looking at them again last night i found this:

http://www.monstercable.com/power/p...er.asp?pin=2909

i happened to come across it and it seems perfect for me. its $300 which is way cheaper than anything else i have seen, it is better than just a surge protector like my Powercenter 750 since it corrects for undervoltages. sure it only has 2 outlets, but the TV is by far the most important to protect.

what do you recommend? any advice?

 

[jaxvon]

Why not another APC unit for your TV? There's nothing that says you can't use it for HT.

 

[KrisJ]

I ordered a Tripp Lite UPS last week. It should get here next week and I'll post my impressions

It was 147.93 after tax & shipping from Dell

http://www.tripplite.com/products/product.cfm?productID=3071

Model #: SMART1000LCD
LCD Display indicates input voltage, battery capacity and a variety of operating conditions
1000VA line-interactive rackmount shelf / tower UPS system
8 outlets (4 UPS / 4 surge-only), dataline surge suppression for TEL/DSL and Coax connections
USB port with HID protocol support, cabling and included PowerAlert monitoring software
Corrects brownouts as low as 89V
$250,000 Ultimate Lifetime Insurance (USA, Puerto Rico & Canada only)

 

[Link127]

i thought about another APC UPS for my home theater, but i thought you weren't supposed to use it for that. i know you can, but i thought there was a reasone why you shouldn't. i could be mistaken though.

nice one Kris...that looks perfect as well. the Tripp Lite one you mentioned has 4 battery backup outlets and 4 surge only ones, and it's less expensive than the Monster UPS i linked to.

 

[Link127]

how did you get it for 147.93?

it shows as 160.55 before tax and ship for me.

 

[MDS]

i thought about another APC UPS for my home theater, but i thought you weren't supposed to use it for that. i know you can, but i thought there was a reasone why you shouldn't. i could be mistaken though.

The reason some say it isn't a good idea to use your typical UPS for the HT system is because a UPS usually puts out a stepped approximation of a sine wave when on battery. UPS' that are 'true online' put out a pure sine wave (and cost a lot more in most cases). The idea is that the stepped approximation sine wave is the equivalent of 'dirty power' and may degrade the sound quality.

If the purpose of the UPS is simply to protect the system in the case of a blackout and give you some time to shut things off in an orderly fashion, then you can safely ignore the rule. If your desire is to keep listening during a blackout then you could consider an online UPS. IMO, it's not worth the bother or expense. In no way will a regular UPS hurt your components and it is highly doubtful that the stepped sine wave will degrade the sound quality in any appreciable way even if you do want to listen/watch tv through the blackout.

 

[m3Ch]

Hello,

I just wanted to recommend my company’s offerings in this area. Nothing personal to the guy who posted his purchase, but this is a weak product by comparison. Tripplite is a company who makes cheap products for the most part.

APC offers power conditioning as well voltage regulation and battery backup. You can also purchase these units without battery back also.

I also wanted to mention that APC was chosen on the Audioholics 2005 Holliday gift guide. Please se my link, I think once you see this unit and that it actually has way more features as well as looks like a piece of AV equipment you guys will be happy companies are thinking about people like us!

http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=S15

 

[KrisJ]

how did you get it for 147.93?

it shows as 160.55 before tax and ship for me.

Shopped around for those handy Dell coupons.


m3Ch

As far as the 1499.99 APC unit being superior...Of course it is!, but I have a very tight budget and am not looking to purchase a battery backup/line conditioner that costs almost as much as the TV

I use nothing but APC at work but thats because someone else foots the bill

 

[Link127]

nice one Kris. i did some searching as well and could get the Tripp Lite for 132.99 like this:

buy.com has one of the cheapest prices at 157.99, and i got coupons in my email if i use my buy.com Visa such as $20 off a $100 purchase. thus, 157.99-20.00=137.99. add in a Pricegrabber $5 rebate and woila!

m3ch: i liked your company's offering so much that after comparing it to Monster's offerings, i want your APC unit above anything else to protect my home theater. i have also, like i said before, been very impressed with my APC XS 1500 unit that i use with my PC. the problem was when i clicked the link from this site to your product...there was no option to buy. i even went as far as to locate dealers and ask questions about how an end-user like myself can purhase one. i was never given an answer!

if i decide on the APC, how can i buy one?

 

[m3Ch]

Shopped around for those handy Dell coupons.


m3Ch

As far as the 1499.99 APC unit being superior...Of course it is!, but I have a very tight budget and am not looking to purchase a battery backup/line conditioner that costs almost as much as the TV

I use nothing but APC at work but thats because someone else foots the bill

While I agree with you I also disagree. Basically that is a low grade UPS and I don't think your comparing apples to apples. One of our Small Smartups models would be more of a comparison to your Tripplite unit and they are also pretty cheap in price. Plus you could have a true on-line UPS instead of line interactive.

Quite honestly line interactive works great for this aplication, and for most people (99%) I would say battery backup is usless and really not needed if you can condition the power.

I would recommend this unit 99/100 times (the price is good also 299.99 ERP)
http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=H10

Please PM if you need help on how to buy one of these, I can point you in the right direction. I would point you to one of our resellers. " Also I wanted to say that my opinion of APC's equipment is not for a sales pitch"

 

[KrisJ]

Quite honestly line interactive works great for this aplication, and for most people (99%) I would say battery backup is usless and really not needed if you can condition the power.

The reason I went with a battery backup unit is that I have a TV that needs to have a fan running after the TV shuts off to cool off the bulb. I live in an area where brown/black outs tend to happen often in the summer months. I felt if I could get something that would supply enough juice for me to shut & cool down the unit properly in the event of brown/black outs I could prehaps fend off more frequent lamp changes on the TV. Will the unit I got not do this? Would something with superior line conditioning work better? One of the main reasons I chose this unit is that it will fit behind the TV without being seen.

 

[m3Ch]

The reason I went with a battery backup unit is that I have a TV that needs to have a fan running after the TV shuts off to cool off the bulb. I live in an area where brown/black outs tend to happen often in the summer months. I felt if I could get something that would supply enough juice for me to shut & cool down the unit properly in the event of brown/black outs I could prehaps fend off more frequent lamp changes on the TV. Will the unit I got not do this? Would something with superior line conditioning work better? One of the main reasons I chose this unit is that it will fit behind the TV without being seen.

KrisJ:

I think your unit will work well, the only thing I didn't like on the spec's, were the effiency of the unit. For example a full load on your unit is 500 watts with 3 minutes runtime. I don't know what your total wattage draw is, but would 3 minutes be enough time to cool your lamp? Another thing you need to check is that if indeed you are close to 500watts hopefully your under a hair to allow for current in-rush when the untility power kicks back on.

 

[KrisJ]

KrisJ:

I think your unit will work well, the only thing I didn't like on the spec's, were the effiency of the unit. For example a full load on your unit is 500 watts with 3 minutes runtime. I don't know what your total wattage draw is, but would 3 minutes be enough time to cool your lamp? Another thing you need to check is that if indeed you are close to 500watts hopefully your under a hair to allow for current in-rush when the untility power kicks back on.

The max draw on my TV is listed at 210w. The TV was too be the only item connected as I already have a monstercable power conditioner for the other gear. The PDF on the TL web site listed the run time at 210w at 20 minutes which I felt was a safe time.

By the way I will probably cancel my order through Dell as I found the same model at my local Costco for $99.

That APC unit is still the one Id like if I had the cash. When I first saw the ad for it in HT magazine I went to and registered to win that unit in the APC sweepstakes.

 

[HookedOnSound]

APC for me

You don't have to get the HT models from APC, just get any suitable SMART-UPS model (meant for Servers) sized accordingly (Watts/VA). These units offer Sine Wave output unless mistaken. Their workstation/home models are cheaper because they offer stepped sine wave which is not as accurate (but perfectly acceptable for most applications)

Check this link
http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SUA750

That should be more than enough for your TV.

Good Luck

 

[Link127]

m3Ch,

i sent you the PM. i need to check the max draw of my TV as well.

my primary concern is to protect the TV, all other HT components are secondary in importance. if needed, i could just protect them with my Monster PowerCenter 750 line conditioner. the components are my receiver, dvd player, source selector, and the three game consoles.

 

[sk60]

Line Conditioner / Power Cleaner?

Is ther any value to a line conditioner like Panamax or a Power Cleaner like Monster for a home theatre setup? Do I need to spend the $300-500 or is the $100 Tripplite/APC surg3e protection enough? My system is a Panasonic 50" plasma, Denon 2805, Sony 400 disc CD, Sony DVD/VCR combo and a Cox cable box/DVR. I still need to select speakers. Thanks for the help.

 

[Link127]

i would like to know if when there is too little power, sags and brownouts, how power is added with a unit that does not have a battery.

 

[Magoo]

Is ther any value to a line conditioner like Panamax or a Power Cleaner like Monster for a home theatre setup? Do I need to spend the $300-500 or is the $100 Tripplite/APC surg3e protection enough? My system is a Panasonic 50" plasma, Denon 2805, Sony 400 disc CD, Sony DVD/VCR combo and a Cox cable box/DVR. I still need to select speakers. Thanks for the help.

Same question here.
I am really having a tough time understanding what I *should* get for my system (Pio plasma, Pio 74txvi, satellite-tivo, dvd player).
Dealer wants to sell me Monster HTS 2600 or Panamax Max 5100. Now I see APC H10, and the Audiohalics recommended Tripp Lite HT10DBS....
Is there FAQs on this subject somewhere? Or can someone give me a quick edumacation so I can make a good decision on this....

 

[chicagomd]

Same question as Magoo...

Is there a good FAQ on this somewhere? It seems more like marketing than anything else that the various APC products with almost identical specs have that much price variation. Reminds me of the eternal speaker cable debate.

I don't want to be the guy who spends three or four times as much money as he should just for a name or a look.