HDTV - Filter Box Needed

[AnnaS]

Hi Everyone -

My son convinced us to buy an HDTV - which according to him, the whole world has it, except for us - I could not care less.

Anyway - question is we did buy one and the sales person in Circuity City (had gone here first) and Best Buy both said we need the filter box (HTS 1600 Power home Center - not sure exactly what it is called).

My dh went into JR World (electronics store in the city) and was told it is really not necessary. Did we buy something we really do not need? Does it help some? Just want to feel better - or better yet, don't want to feel like we were sold something that does nothing.

Also - will it leave the impression on the tv (plasma) if he plays the xbox all the time? Sorry for the silly questions (he was told this also - but we heard this many years ago with our "old" tvs and have not had any problems.)

I thank you in advance.

I thank you in advance.

 

[DawnCt1]

Hi Everyone -

My son convinced us to buy an HDTV - which according to him, the whole world has it, except for us - I could not care less.

Anyway - question is we did buy one and the sales person in Circuity City (had gone here first) and Best Buy both said we need the filter box (HTS 1600 Power home Center - not sure exactly what it is called).

My dh went into JR World (electronics store in the city) and was told it is really not necessary. Did we buy something we really do not need? Does it help some? Just want to feel better - or better yet, don't want to feel like we were sold something that does nothing.

Also - will it leave the impression on the tv (plasma) if he plays the xbox all the time? Sorry for the silly questions (he was told this also - but we heard this many years ago with our "old" tvs and have not had any problems.)

I thank you in advance.

I thank you in advance.

It sounds like a MONSTER product which Best Buy sells. Monster products benefit Monster and their retailers. You can do fine with a good quality surge protector. Look on www.monoprice.com. Great prices for good products. I would definately have a surge protector. Also, you can play video games on a plasma and if there is one image that remains constant, like the score in the corner, it may burn in for a while but will eventually go away. They have improved most plasmas so it isn't a permanent problem.

 

[AnnaS]

Second try in replying -

Thank you Dawn. My dh was also told he could get a good surge protector for about $25 - not sure if this guy was also trying to sell him another product - he said they all get commission and try to sell each other's products.

I printed this out to show my ds and my dh. Perhaps this is all we need and I can return the box on Thursday when we pick up tv.

Will post if I can find this thread on Thursday.

Thanks again.

 

[Charade]

You don't need anything BUT a good surge suppressor. "JOULES" is the rating that determines the ability for it to block surges. The higher the number, the better. You do not need an expensive power conditioner. You should be able to get a decent (most have $$ power protection warranties) for way less than $50.

 

[AnnaS]

okay Charade -

just showed my ds and dh these two replies.

What number do I need - and exactly what is it called a power surge? or supressor? or are they both the same thing. I looked at the mono website also - do I do a search and type in these two names?

You can pm me dawn or charade. Thank you.

 

[Carl]

Circuit City tried to sell me one of those, also. No, you do not need it. The one Circuit City was trying to sell me was a "kit" with an HDMI cable, surge suppresser and a cleaning kit for $250. No thank you. I already have an APC power supply with a built in surge suppresser in it. The salesman was trying to tell me that I still needed the kit.

 

[bicker]

The power filters are definitely over-the-top.

Folks shouldn't neglect surge protectors though, and make sure they've heavy-duty. Cheap surge protectors will do you little good, and you could end up saying a premature goodbye to your multi-thousand dollar purchase.

I would suggest one other upgrade for folks who plan on having a cable-company provided HD DVR. The Motorola brand of DVRs happen to store program listings data in memory, so every time the power goes out it loses all its memory. You might want to look into a surge protector that has a battery backup. It'll prevent some little annoyances with the DVR. I have something similar to this.