I've been going back and forth on various surge protectors and am not sure exactly what I need. Can anyone tell me the minimum requirements I should be looking for? It seems that one of the major differences is in the number of joules. Is this what I should be comparing? The only equipment I have is a 50" plasma, a cable DVR and a DVD player. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

you might look at a line conditioner. they are specifically for audio video components. Part # AP20800fc08-BLK (http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=178339) these come in lots of flavors and are marketed towards your use. I think they are a bit better than just a regular surge protector, but other people might disagree. give them a look Belkin makes 2-3 flavors of this type of conditioner. Let me know if you have need for clarification.

I've been going back and forth on various surge protectors and am not sure exactly what I need. Can anyone tell me the minimum requirements I should be looking for? It seems that one of the major differences is in the number of joules. Is this what I should be comparing? The only equipment I have is a 50" plasma, a cable DVR and a DVD player. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.


I think a minimum you need are the specs of the P11VNT3 by APC.

See links for more details.

Connector_guy - Thank you for the advice. After reading Saturation's links, perhaps I should reconsider and go for more than just a surge protector.

Saturation - Thank you for the recommendation - the specs are exactly what I was looking for. I'm hoping to find something rather slim that I can fit behind this wall shelf I'm purchasing. Thanks also for the links - a wealth of info. Some of it is over my head, but I'm learning.

Thanks again.

Connector_guy - Thank you for the advice. After reading Saturation's links, perhaps I should reconsider and go for more than just a surge protector.

Saturation - Thank you for the recommendation - the specs are exactly what I was looking for. I'm hoping to find something rather slim that I can fit behind this wall shelf I'm purchasing. Thanks also for the links - a wealth of info. Some of it is over my head, but I'm learning.

Thanks again.

Hope it helps. Try this, its simpler:

http://www.epinions.com/review/APC_11_OUT_SURG_W_TEL_COA_EA_APNP11VNT3_Surge_Suppressor/content_453665328772

Saturation,

Thank you so much for the link to the last article. I think I learned more about power here than I did in EE 101! Then again, I don't remember too much from that long ago.

Thanks so much!

Saturation,

Thank you so much for the link to the last article. I think I learned more about power here than I did in EE 101! Then again, I don't remember too much from that long ago.

Thanks so much!

You're welcome :). A surge protector is like buying a fuse, you won't know its really up to spec until it blows, and it protected your gear. if you used a paper clip or a coin instead, it would do the same job but destroy your gear during an overload.

Bad surge protectors are like a paper clip or a coin, the hassle factor is its hard to tell because you have to know about how the fuse was made, which doesn't seem to make any sense, all we want is to use the thing. :(