Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Do you use a UPS with your projector / HT system?

Hi all:

So I am hoping to pull the trigger on a projector / screen combo. I'm wondering about people's perspectives on an uninterruptible power supply - especially as it relates to a projector and having that extra battery back up to help prevent a sudden power outage that might stop cooling of the projetor lamp.

I'm curious how many of you use an uninterruptible power supply, and if so for what reason?

Thanks!

I've had a projector for about 5-6 yrs now, and just have it routed to my AV closet going through my Tripp Lite surge/conditioner.

I've had an Epson projector for about 4 yrs now that's just plugged into the wall. The power has gone out about four times while it was in use and I'm still on the same bulb (~3800 hrs, rated for 3000).

On the other hand, you can get a low power APC UPS for about C$60 (the cooling fan doesn't require much juice) vs $400 for possible bulb problems.

I don’t use a power conditioner or battery backup. I have a dedicated circuit to the projector and 3 dedicated circuits to the AV closet. We usually have pretty good power here so I didn’t think I needed anything extra. But as soon as I say this we’ll probably get an outage. Has anyone here experienced an unprotected power outage while their projectors were on? I’m curios as to how much that may affect bulb life.

That's exactly why I bought a UPS. They cost less than a bulb.

I have a UPS for my AV stuff, but I have no projector. It's mainly for the TiVo.

Same here...UPS on all the AV except the monoblocks.. especially for the DLP bulb and Tivo. We have enough dips in power here in South Florida to warrant it.

Id, there's no real benefit to be gained from a UPS for the situation that you describe. This has been discussed here and elsewhere in the past and it's been pointed out that if the power goes off and stops the fan, the bulb doesn't get hotter, since it shuts off too. Without the fan running it simply takes longer to cool down, but this isn't significant.

I have an APC SmartUPS 1000 behind my DLP and other gear to condition power, to prevent damage from outages and spikes. When windstorms tend to blow trees across one's power lines, that's a good thing.

On my DLP, the bulb fan stays on for 2 minutes after the TV is powered down. If the bulb has plenty of hours on it, and outages are frequent enough (while the TV's on), it would certainly hasten the bulb's demise. When I first got the TV, I was visiting one of my accounts, a TV repair business. I told the owner about my new acquisition, and one the first things he said was to be careful of letting the TV shut down as designed, because of calls for early bulb failures due to non-standard shut methods (power strips, etc).
So, warranted or not, a UPS gives me that 'peace of mind' factor... and I can keep watching Boston Legal uninterrupted!!