I was wondering if anyone would recommend using a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) with a home theater system and if so which size would be decent? Thanks

I had thought about it but decided against it. The only piece of equipment that would have benefited was my HD receiver.

I use two Belkin Office UPS's.


http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatSecti...&Section_Id=76

#1 (Enterprise Series 1100VA UPS) is for Satellite Receiver & DVD Recorder. They are connected to battery backup & surge protection outputs. This way I don't miss scheduled recordings if the power goes out briefly. My receiver and regular DVD player are connected to the surge only outputs

#2 (Office Series 750VA UPS) is solely for my projector. I did not want the power to go out while it was on and it not be able to cool down properly with the internal fan.

I got a great deal on them last year when Office Depot was running a sale and I had coupon codes.


Sonic

I use one, a Belkin brand... it's nice, though I don't think I've actually had to use it's feature yet.

I've enjoyed that feature with mine several times. Most recently, I was watching a DVD the other night and the power went off for about 30 seconds. It was pretty cool to not be interrupted. My guest freaked out though. Everything in the house went off except my HT system and my computers.

Sonic

Thanks for the input. I have a APC 500 UPS on my PC now, so I was assuming I would have to go with a bigger UPS for my Home theater. I will check out the 1100.

Just look on the back of all the components you want to connect and look for the wattage. Add them all up and that's what size you need to consider buying. Mine was overkill, I just got a great deal on them.

Sonic

There have been a few threads on this topic but I have to admit I just don't see the need. The UPS was invented to allow a computer to power-down gracefully (to avoid data loss) in the event of a power failure. A home theater does not have a data loss problem. So what if the power goes out? Is it really important that you not miss anything? A UPS by it's very nature is extremely inefficient (changing AC to DC and back). You are just paying for a heavy box that uses electricity unecessarily. Add to that the need to replace the battery every few years and you're just fueling the environmental problem.

It is for me for several reasons that I have already stated above. I live in an area that is notorious for frequent, brief power outages/surges/sags/etc. (crappy utilities company & storm-ladden area). Add that to my wish to protect my equipment investment & not to miss recording programs (happened many times prior to adding UPS) & you can see that it really IS important to me.

Everyone has their own needs & desires. I (personally) have a true need and a desire to use them. After losing several computers and various other electronic devices over the years, I willingly spend extra to protect my purchases. Since doing this, I've not lost one piece of equipment due to a powerline mishap.

BTW, some people now have media center PC's in the entertainment center!

Sonicflood

Like Sonicflood said, everybody's needs are different. The lamp in LCD or DLP projection devices can go bad if not cooled down properly. That's why I need one.

I use it for my TiVo. That way if there's a blackout I don't miss any shows. The TiVo doesn't use a lot of power, so it lasts quite a while.

A surge protector and a UPS are two completely different things. If you only want to protect against a surge, don't waste money on a UPS. But if you want to keep a recorder going during a power failure, then a UPS is the only choice.

None of the replies ever questioned that or seemed to be confused, but thanks for clarifying. Mine are both surge & battery backup. Most UPS's include one or more surge protected outlets.

As for the environment, anyone who owns/uses non-life supporting electrical equipment for entertainment purposes is "fueling the environmental problem".

Sonic