# Advice on a UPS or Surge Protector for new HD system?



## Guest (Jan 2, 2009)

I have ordered a HD DVR system (it hasn't been installed yet) from DirecTV and was just looking around for a surge protector or UPS (especially for the DVRs).

Do I need one with coaxle connections? (The dish should be grounded when installed and I've heard some filters screw up receiving some HD channels.)

I have 40" and 32" Sony's being delivered this weekend. If I get a UPS, what size do I need? 500VA? Do I connect the TVs to these UPS boxes (maybe just the surge protection part and not a battery plug?).

I've been recommended the Tripp Lite HT10DBS but that is only a surge protector. I see that UPSs are less expensive. (What's the deal?)

Help! I this HD home theater stuff is confusing! :help:


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

First of all ... Welcome to the forum :wave:.

I own a TrippLite UPS, you really don't need a battery backup (but if you can afford them is okay); what you really need is protection in case of power changes ...so any surge protector will be fine; connect everything through it to be safer, if it has the coax I think it will be okay too; there's a discussion going on about the grounding of dish antennas (they don't do it properly, do a search on the forum for more information).

Take a look  here


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## Guest (Jan 2, 2009)

Thanks for the welcome!

I had a Tivo before and it worked like a champ but I've heard that the DirecTV HD DVRs are more sensitive to power fluctuations.

And frankly, I'm worried more about frying my Bravia XBR 40".

Another forum recommended a UPS with at least 1500VA... those suckers are over $200 each! I was hoping a 350VA would work. Oh well.

Thanks for your feedback.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

You might want to read this:

http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...information/15037-protecting-your-system.html


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## KalaniP (Dec 17, 2008)

lcaillo said:


> You might want to read this:
> 
> http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...information/15037-protecting-your-system.html


While the information in that thread is sound, I think I'm going to have to disagree with some of the recommendations in it, at least, with respect to a DVR.

A DVR is essentially a small, dedicated-purpose computer, complete with a spinning hard drive. BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN to a hard drive if the power is yanked out while it's being written to. I have personally lost shows from the one DVR in my house that I did NOT have protected by a UPS when a power outage struck (I'd guess we have outages once per year or so, here in SoCal). I DEFINITELY recommend having a UPS to protect your DVR from power issues.

Having said all that, consider how small a "computer" a DVR is... it just doesn't suck the juice the way a full computer system does. Unless you really need to run it from battery power for hours on end, a simple 350va unit (for relatively low cost) will protect you from the vast majority of power problems that could otherwise cause issues. Personally, I use a pair of somewhat older 350va units (that are no longer made, sadly) by APC (widely considered top of the UPS heap by computer pros) ... the current lineup starts at 500va, which is still not a bad place to go. Price direct from APC is $120, and Buy.com has them for $115, either of which which seems reasonable investment to me, considering how annoyed I was last time I lost a hard drive.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

There are specific components that may lose data, programming, presets, etc in the event of a power outage. In these cases, I see no problem with a UPS. My position is that for most systems it is not needed, and when consumers are misinformed about protection issues, many end up with compromised protection while spending many times more than they need to.

We really don't differ much at all on the matter, I just prioritize protection and consider backup power to be a secondary issue.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

My $.02?

I have 5 DirecTV DVRs - 2 HD-DVRs and 3 SD-DVRs. I have had the power go out on all of them and have had several of them accidentally unplugged, even while watching shows. And I have never had one break due to the sudden loss of power. And I've never lost any recordings. Keep in mind this is just my experience. Others may not have had the same.

I'd just go with the TrippLite surge protector. I have a UPS on both of my computers.

mech


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2009)

mechman said:


> I'd just go with the TrippLite surge protector. I have a UPS on both of my computers.


I just went to Staples and found the CyberPower 425VA on clearance for $25 each! :yikes: I grabbed two. I'll use those for the DVRs.

Now I'll just get some surge protectors for the TVs. onder:

Do you all run your coax through a surge protector?


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

Always run the coax through a protector unless you have a unit that is not compatible with your signals. This is a very important part of protection, IME.


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## Anthony (Oct 5, 2006)

On the units, they usually say what the bandwidth is on the protection circuits. Old ones were less than 1 GHz and HD signals from cable and satellite may have suffered. I had an embarassing super bowl party once where we ended up watching in low def becasue I thought the HD feed was town. Turns out the protection circuit filtered out that channel accidentally (but the ones around it weren't affected, weird).

But newer ones are 2GHz or higher bandwidth and that should be enough for DirecTV. I'm sure you could find out exactly what it needs via an internet search (or maybe someone here knows), then you can compare it to the specs on the surge protection unit. My Panamax 5100 and 5400 both pass the full Fios HD signals, for what it's worth.


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## Guest (Jan 6, 2009)

Well, I broke down and got two Panamax M10-HT-PROs. I hope they work with DirecTV HD. raying:


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