tv surgeprotector

[Krashnicki]

My brother has a HD plasma tv and is looking into buying one of those high end surge protectors. They have filters built in that are suppose to help to improve picture quality by cleaning the power. He cannot decide which of these models to buy because he does not know how much of an improvement 3, 4, or 6 filteres will make. Are extra filters worth the extra money on high a high end tv. Ayone have a opinion on which one to get? Also will purchasing a unit with a ups have any bennifits for a plasma tv?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6821111&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08201&id=1091101516804

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6831146&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08201&id=1091101882207

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6831164&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08201&id=1091101882323

[z0n3]

According to what I have been told those things don't really do anything.

[Dell_Axim]

Just buy a good APC unit. In all my years of experience with IT, APC never let me down.

[shellshock]

Just buy a good APC unit. In all my years of experience with IT, APC never let me down.


agreed, those APC's are also alot cheaper, depending on the model

[jamesavery22]

APC has its own home theater lineup. They have some line cleaners and UPS all-in-one units. For a plasma TV or any other digital device that has its own powersupply and regulator a line cleaner isnt really going to do much. For something like an amp its another story. that belkin one looks to be aiming at the same crowd

Big features are the low and high trim and sine wave output stuff. Never read up it much. The auto-voltage-regulation stuff sees if the voltage goes too high or too low from 115v it will regulate it or bump it up. So you have no spikes or brown outs. Not all UPS's have these features. Even some of APC's 1000-1500va units dont have both the low trim and high trim features. They will go to battery if the voltage goes too low but nothing it they go too high. The AV ones actually regulate it to the proper voltage, not just fall over to battery. Course APC has some very expensive UPS's that arent in their home theater line up that do the same. But I dont know of any off hand. the pure sine-wave output is also a feature I only see on APC's 750-5000va rackmount UPS's. They advertise it as getting rid of noise on AC lines. Not really sure about its worth.

The other big thing is APC warranty. Usually more coverage with the home theater units. Normal SmartUPS's by APC carry around a $150,000 coverage in the US. All of their home theater ones carry an Unlimited coverage.

All of the technologies they use in the home theater ones have been around for awhile. So Im guessing you just pay for the warranty.

[Dell_Axim]

The truth is, display devices are not very sensitive to power variations. I have several LCD monitors plugged into basic APC UPSes, and the display quality is great. Virtually every monitor made today have regulated PSUs.
BTW, most digital PSUs (used in a lot of modern electronics) can work with DC as well as AC. I have a car adapter for a laptop that's just a 12v to 150v DC/DC converter. Works just fine.

[jamesavery22]

The truth is, display devices are not very sensitive to power variations. I have several LCD monitors plugged into basic APC UPSes, and the display quality is great. Virtually every monitor made today have regulated PSUs.
BTW, most digital PSUs (used in a lot of modern electronics) can work with DC as well as AC. I have a car adapter for a laptop that's just a 12v to 150v DC/DC converter. Works just fine.

... yeah I dont think there is a psu that doesnt try to regulate its output :shrug:
And as far as "digital PSUs working on DC as well as AC" what are you talking about??? Your laptop doesnt have a "powersupply." It might have some caps just for regulation on the DC in. A PSU in our world is something that takes AC and turns it into various DC voltages. If the AC input is too far out of wack its not going to work and might fry. That goes for anything that converts AC to DC. Period. Which includes every kind of electronics you can think of.

And the real truth is, minus decent computer PSUs, power supplies in electronics are pretty crapy in terms of protection. Most of them don't care what comes in, they try to convert it to DC no matter what. Too high or too low voltage or frequency can kill just as easy. If you get down to the nitty-gritty components in any PSU (display, dvd player, anything) that takes AC you'll notice the range of voltages are pretty broad, like 90v to 140v. While the entire PSU wont opperate at these voltages atleast it wont fry, most of the time :D. And if you talk to someone thats been an electrician or around a lot of house builds they'll tell you how crappy AC is in certain areas. Finding a house that puts out 130v+ isn't a weird thing in a lot of towns.
Thats why quick spikes or dips are usually what causes damage. Components are designed to be given a wide range for a long time. Just not too wide of a range. And as I said before only some UPS's handle this.

So if Krashnicki's buddy is in an area that gets a lot of brown outs or lightning storms or surges or strong winds or on a coast or "insert common power company problem here" I'd say go the extra mile and get a nice UPS designed for what he wants to protect. Don't know how much plasma's are these days (stopped reading about them when their R&D was dropped) but Im pretty sure its a few grand. 300-400$ doesn't seem like too bad for a lifetime security policy for anything any everything you plug into it.

[Dell_Axim]

yeah I dont think there is a psu that doesnt try to regulate its output
Those cheap analog wall warts...
And as far as "digital PSUs working on DC as well as AC" what are you talking about??? Your laptop doesnt have a "powersupply." It might have some caps just for regulation on the DC in. A PSU in our world is something that takes AC and turns it into various DC voltages. If the AC input is too far out of wack its not going to work and might fry. That goes for anything that converts AC to DC. Period. Which includes every kind of electronics you can think of.
Have you ever seen the design for a typical laptop PSU (or even a desktop PSU, for that matter)? You'll find that the AC is rectified (directly) and then stepped down by the flyback circuitry.
Also note that every laptop PSU I've seen can take anywhere from 100v to 250v. The same is true with many PDA PSUs. Even some of my monitors have 100v to 250v input. My $20 hard disk enclosure has a 100v to 250v input PSU, too.
If you look around, you'll find a lot of stuff that can take a very wide input range (monitors included). Many companies have found that it's often cheaper to make one PSU that will work in all countries rather than design different PSUs for different voltages. In the case of equipment that is often carried between countries (e.g. laptops, PDAs, cell phones), that offers automatic worldwide power support.
BTW, digital PSUs actually like higher voltages as long as the voltage is still within specifications. The current will be lower and therefore reduce heat.

[jamesavery22]

Those cheap analog wall warts...

Have you ever seen the design for a typical laptop PSU (or even a desktop PSU, for that matter)? ...


No, I'm not an EE :shrug: And yes I know most AC adapters take 100-240v just for manufacturer and compatability. But no that doesn't apply to computer PSU's. Nor does it apply to any TV or home theater electronics Ive ever seen. Don't believe me though go look at the back of your PSU or TV. Yeah it can take 115v or 230v. Only if you flip a switch. If you leave your PSU at 115v and you get a 200v spike I'll guarantee you'll see blue flames or smell smoke (without something that will trim it :D ). Not really sure what numbers you'll see or if there are switches for voltage compatibility if you are in a place that doesnt take 115 or 230. But there isnt a personal computer powersupply that will operate without a hitch when the AC input fluctuates from 100v to 200v...

[Dell_Axim]

No, I'm not an EE And yes I know most AC adapters take 100-240v just for manufacturer and compatability. But no that doesn't apply to computer PSU's. Nor does it apply to any TV or home theater electronics Ive ever seen. Don't believe me though go look at the back of your PSU or TV. Yeah it can take 115v or 230v. Only if you flip a switch. If you leave your PSU at 115v and you get a 200v spike I'll guarantee you'll see blue flames or smell smoke (without something that will trim it ). Not really sure what numbers you'll see or if there are switches for voltage compatibility if you are in a place that doesnt take 115 or 230. But there isnt a personal computer powersupply that will operate without a hitch when the AC input fluctuates from 100v to 200v...
Some really good PC PSUs can take 100v to 250v, without a switch. Take a look at the high end PC Power & Cooling units, or just any unit with active PFC.
But you're right. Most desktop PC PSUs do have a switch. But all the laptop PSUs I've seen don't have a switch. Neither do my LCD monitors.
BTW, my Cisco switch has a universal power supply, without a voltage selector switch. I've even opened it up and noted that it's just a PSU with a wide regulation range. I also have a Netgear router (consumer grade) that has a universal PSU.
Regardless, though, it's still a good idea to use a good UPS.