Do you guys know of some good UPS's? He stressed that I make sure it has certain functions, but I can't remember what they are (I'll e-mail him).
All of my HT gear runs through a Belkin PF60. This isn't a UPS, but it is a "power conditioner".
http://www.belkin.com/PureAV_detail.process?Product_Id=178925For $600, it's probably a rip-off. But watch for sales on these. I found mine for about $150 a couple of years ago from eCost. At that price, it was only slightly more than a 'good' surge protector, so I bit and bought it. I've been very happy with it. Purely from a convenience standpoint, it's very handy to be able to plug everything in at one place, and the readouts of amps & volts are entertaining and informative. And telephone + cable surge protection. And the assignable triggers are cool too, though I don't use them.
As far as functionality, it's tricky find hard conclusive evidence that things like this really make a difference. I can say that all of the gear connected through this hasn't experienced any sort of power-related problem. No reboots of my DVR from close lightning strikes, for instance. But hard to say if it's because the PF60 is doing something, or if it just is because it is.
I have, however, noticed one improvement with the PF60. Before it, when using a normal run-of-the-mill sort of surge protector, I would get a light click/tick through my speakers whenever my wife fired up the clothes dryer or a microwave, or when our neighbor's central air kicked on (we share the same transformer). I don't ever get that now. The power 'event' is still there (room lights flicker a tiny bit), but noting comes through my HT system.
Bu anyway, that'd be my nomination for a 'decent' surge protector for anyone's system.
