Power Bar (UPS, Surge, Etc) Info and Discussion

[RNAChemist]

The new cables etc being pushed by Best Buy ( here in the US anyway) are called "Rocket Fish". Trade mark of Best Buy and Distrubuted by Best Buy. They look nice, like high end Mon$ter at about 1/3 the price. Probably still a rip off. I guess Mon$ter and others are getting phased out?

[Siggy77]

I wouldn't say they're beinig phased out, but that there's some people who will absolutely will not/can't afford to buy cables at that price, but would afford/buy the "more economical" Rocketfish brand. The retailer is just trying to get every last dollar they can out of you.

My last experiance with a salesman pushing Monster cables was at London Drugs when he tried pushing a 150$ monster HDMI cable when I bought the Bell ExpressVu 9200 kit. He flat out lied, and kept insisting that it did not include a cable of any type, when it does come with a DVI/HDMI cable & adaptor.

He finally only stopped when I pointed it out, "It's listed right here as included on the side of the box."

[I_Want_My_HDTV]

Stores Pushing Monster Power Bars: Why?

Three reasons:
1. High markup
2. High markup
3. High markup

Margins are low on electronics so they push high markup products like cables and power bars. They probably make as much on a Mon$ter cable or power bar as they do on a HDTV on sale at 10% off. Cables from Monoprice_com are good enough as are power bars from Tripp-Lite, APC or Belkin. I Like Tripp-Lite power products but they are hard to find in Canada, probably due to reasonable prices and low markups for retailers.

[meecha]

the apc one is on sale at bb this week

[marsilians]

tigerdirect.ca or their B&M stores carry a lot of tripp-lite products. I use them specifically because their warranty are for the life time unlike many others are applicable for a limited time period.

[kingpin111]

Originally Posted by Roadhouse

That's the one from Cyber Power I was thinking of. Do you find it cuts down on "noise"? Does it make your video any cleaner or sharper? I bet it makes cord management a little easier with the "in rack" design.

Cheers,

RH

To tell you the honest truth I didn't notice any difference with either audio or video. It is a nice looking unit though and with things like showing you how much power you are using and if your ground is o.k. it was worth the 100 bucks from tiger direct.

I just bought this from tiger direct.

Tripp Lite Smart1200 LCD mostly for my DLP. Kinda worried about the area I am moving to soon with regular power outages and what seems to be irregular voltage. Even though I am installing a couple of 20 amp lines with a surge protector in the main panel this unit does a whole lot more.

-LCD display indicates input voltage, battery capacity and a variety of operating conditions
-1200VA/700 watt line-interactive 2U rackmount shelf/tower UPS system
-8 UPS-supported AC outlets, dataline surge suppression for tel/DSL or network Ethernet line
-DB9 serial and USB ports with HID protocol support and complete cabling
-Corrects brownouts as low as 75V and overvoltages to 147V back to 120V nominal levels
-BATTERY MODE: PWM sine wave 115V +/-5%

I can tell you with this unit I noticed that my HP tv seems to run quieter(fan). Maybe it's just my mind playing tricks on me.

Mike

[RNAChemist]

Tigerdirect Canada has that unit for $225 or so? The cheapest I could see was like $145 USD. How did you get one for $100?

[Roadhouse]

Thanks Mike;

I got the APC mentioned earlier for now. The main thing is that the equipment is protected. When I upgrade, the APC won't go to waste as I can use it elsewhere in the house.

Nice unit from Tripp Lite!! I don't think I need the UPS part though with the LCD TV, and my power here is pretty good. Still thinking of the final solution and the Cyber Power is right up there on the list.

RNAChemist...I think kingpin111 was talking $100 for the Cyber Power unit, not his new one.

Cheers,

RH

Edit;

On another look, Tripp Lite also has a SMART 1000 LCD which offers Coax surge protection too. Hmmmm...maybe this is the way to go for me. (UPS would be an added benefit!)

[RNAChemist]

Hey Road House, check out the Belkin PF30. Nice units and can be had at a fair price.

[Roadhouse]

Hmmmm. Looks like a nice unit and the specs on-line sound like it's up my alley. Now just have to find one for sale around here. SS has one in stock, but they are notoriously over-priced.

Thanks!

RH

[RNAChemist]

I just ordered one from PCNAtion. I got it yesterday but havent had time to hook it up yet (can comment later on that). But you may want to try a US vendor. PCNAtion was amazing and got the order to me via FEDEX in two days (and Monday here was a holiday).

[Roadhouse]

Unfortuneately, PCNation doesn't ship to Canada. Too bad because even with exchange and duty, it would be about half the price of what I've found here.

RH

[Roadhouse]

Funny thing...you look all over the internet for a deal when there's a solution sitting right under your nose. There's a retailer here that stocks Tripp Lite and I think I might go with the UPS solution similar to kingpin111. Retail price is the same bottom line as ordering online from Tiger Direct when factoring in shipping. The company I work for does a lot of business with this retailer and I can get at least 10% off sticker!

Cheers,

RH

[RNAChemist]

I hooked up my Belkin PF30 today.

Not sure it made much of a difference. But I did notice that running the cable through the unit created more snow on SD channels than going direct to the STB. And I did notice that the power problem in my apartment (if I listen to CDs for example and turn on the light switch by the front door the CD cuts out for a couple of seconds and then resumes) is completely fixed. The unit looks good and fits nicely into my stereo cabinet and is protecting my stuff, so bottom line I am happy with the purchase.

[Roadhouse]

Thanks for the feedback on your setup RNAChemist. I've found a PF 30 on e-bay for a decent price so I'll either go with that or the Tripp Lite UPS once I get a price on that.

Cheers,

RH