Surge, UPS.

[Wi. Bearman]

As I live out in the boondocks we have frequent power outages. I would
suggest to everyone however no matter where you live to invest a few
dollars in a surge protecter for you HDTV whenever there is a power outage
and it returns quickly it could blow out your set and no warrenty will cover.
I have a Samsung 42 DLP and just love it.

[57U]

A UPS may be a better investment since it keeps the fan operating on "bulb" microdisplays. Most UPS also have a modest amount of surge protection.

Turn the TV off one minute after the power goes out, allowing the UPS to power the fan for a proper cooldown. (The minute is the usual time for a "reset" if there has been a fault on the electrical system - otherwise you could be in for a longer time without power).

[lcaillo]

The idea that lamp based sets need the fan to cool down to protect the lamp is a myth. I have discussed the matter with techs and engineers at a number of vendors and they all say the same thing...the reason for the cool down cycle is to allow the set to restart sooner if a customer decides to restart it. I know of no sets that will allow a hot restart. They have thermal cutoffs that prevent this, which would shorten lamp life. The advantage to a UPS is simply avoiding the restart at all. The problem with them is that unless you get one with a pure sine wave output, some power supplies don't intreract well with them. Also, the surge suppression is often limited compared to the better surge suppresors and all signal lines are not protected on some UPS.

[kevinw]

My thought on the UPS is, it protects the bulb from brown outs and fluctuations. Giving you enough time to shut the TV off

The idea that lamp based sets need the fan to cool down to protect the lamp is a myth
While this may be true, there are enough people selling UPS and battery backups saying that to allow proper cool down of the bulb and to prevent a premature demise of the bulb, you need one.

The Home Theatre UPS 500 for DLP, Rear Projection, Projection TVs and DVRs/PVRs from Monster-Power is a powerful surge protector and battery backup solution designed for owners of DLP televisions and other TVs with fan-cooled bulbs. The UPS automatically shuts off your TV in the even of a power failure, providing it with enough battery power to go through the normal cool-down period. Not allowing your TV's bulb to cool down can shorten its life span, leading to expensive replacement fees. This UPS and surge protector is a great option to protect your television.

Tripp Lite is one of the largest makers of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) serving the needs of both businesses and consumers alike. More recently A/V systems have begun to see the benefits of UPS designs, particularly with the new LCD and DLP digital projectors that require cooling when they are powered down. Failure to properly cool down these projector bulbs can result in shortened life and/or damage to the hardware. Normally this is not a problem, but in the event of a power failure the need for a UPS becomes apparent.

....a DLP projector in which its fan will remain on until the lamp is cooled, the unit features Automatic Voltage Regulation, Panamax’s patented over/under voltage protection, enhanced noise filtration and a user replaceable battery pack.

[dmathieu]

What about something like this:
http://www.apc.com/products/apcav/products/index.cfm?action=detail&base_sku=S10

[lcaillo]

My thought on the UPS is, it protects the bulb from brown outs and fluctuations. Giving you enough time to shut the TV off

While this may be true, there are enough people selling UPS and battery backups saying that to allow proper cool down of the bulb and to prevent a premature demise of the bulb, you need one.

Nearly all current displays use well enough regulated switching power supplies and most do not allow brown-outs to effect significant changes insecondary voltages without shutting the system down first. The cool down issue is a fallacy other than you don't want to restart a hot lamp and you want to minimize start cycles. Most damage related to brown-outs occurs when one leg of supply is lost or surges occur at turn-on or due to grid switching. A UPS MAY protect agains these, or may not, depending on how effective the surge suppresion is and how it operates.

Lots of people still say you need to refill the plasma in your PDP and Monster Cables cound better, too. This does not make it true, nor does it make it make sense to assume that conventional wisdom is a substitute for a clearer understanding of the technology and evaluation of the individual performance of each product.

[lcaillo]

What about something like this:
http://www.apc.com/products/apcav/products/index.cfm?action=detail&base_sku=S10

Nothing wrong with it, but unless you have frequent outages and want to keep using your system while the power is out, you can protect your system for a lot less. You migh also want to look at products from tripplite and cyberpower. You may find a better value.

[Kal Rubinson]

Nothing wrong with it, but unless you have frequent outages and want to keep using your system while the power is out, you can protect your system for a lot less. You migh also want to look at products from tripplite and cyberpower. You may find a better value.True but with so many microprocessor-based systems this is becoming an issue for some of us.

In NYC, I have not had any problems. In CT, we get frequent sags that sometimes briefly dim lights. However, without the AVR in the S-15, the cable box and, often, the prepro mutes and resets. Sometimes, it even switches to battery for an interval. This could be annoying without the AVR/UPS when listening to music or watching TV or DVD. Interestingly, the plasma seems oblivious to most of this.

Kal

[kevinw]

Lots of people still say you need to refill the plasma in your PDP and Monster Cables cound better, too. This does not make it true, nor does it make it make sense to assume that conventional wisdom is a substitute for a clearer understanding of the technology and evaluation of the individual performance of each product.
I am pretty sure you were trying to insult me. :sightv:

So answer this... why are various sources incorrect regarding cool down of the bulb?

Why is conventional wisdom incorrect and why has your suppostion not become conventional knowlegdge?

links please

[lcaillo]

No, I was not trying to insult you. Sorry if it came off that way. Perhaps the remards were too sardonic.

Why? Fear mostly. And misunderstanding. Confusing the details. The fact that there is a disconnect between the vendors and consumers and even techs regarding communication of accurate info. All of these contribute to the problem. Mostly it is fear and assumptions based on some related good information. The lamps definitely must be cooled. Insufficient cooling will shorten life. More frequent starts shorten life. The fans run after the set is off so it is assumed that the lamp needs to cool down. It is intuitive to assume that not keeping the fan running will adversely affect the lamp. Actually, in projectors where the airflow is restricted or limited space for cooling is present it is conceivable that there could be a thermal lag for a short period of time that causes the lamp to get hotter if the lamp and fan supplies are discontinued at the same time. This is the most speculation that I have heard regarding negative effects of not maintaining the cooldown fan operation. In the absence of such lag, which BTW would only be a matter of a few percent for a very short time, there is no damage to the lamp. This is from the lamp makers and engineers at several TV makers. The reason for the cooldown cycle is to allow for less delay in restarting the set. You can't restart a hot lamp without damaging it so the thermal protection will not let you restart until the lamp has cooled sufficiently.

Now, add to the above reasons that UPS is a profitable add on sale for most retailers and it is not hard to figure out why no one trys to really understand what is going on. I have had to dig to get any real information on the matter and even many tech reps and engineers don't know how to answer the question. It is easier to assume that the cooldown is important.

We sell lots of lamp based sets and have for quite a few years. We are in one of the worst places in the nation for outages, lightning, and surges. We do not sell UPSs except in rare cases where a particular item requires it due to memory or reset issues or a client is insistent. We do sell good surge suppression and make sure that our systems are installed and grounded properly. We have not experienced the horror stories of lamp failures that some report. It has been very rare that our clients see lamp life shorter than the rated life of the TV maker. Most of those that have were in sets that had ballast defects or were not on good surge suppressors like those we recommend.

Certainly, as UPS may be playing it safe, but we have not seen the need to add this cost to our clients' systems. Same thing with extended warranties. Nice add-on sales, but questionable value. Still, if you feel better using a UPS, go ahead. Just make sure that it produces a clean sine wave and has good surge protection for all lines connected to your system.

[gparris]

Yesterday our area had some electrical storms and the Tripplite UPS that Flashjeff in this forum advised me to buy worked like a charm.
It left the 70" Hitachi LCD RPTV on until I could turn it off and let the fan cool the bulb down on backup power.

As for me, I always advise clients and friends that the "bulb-based-sets" like todays microdisplays with their bulb-lighting (LCD-DLP-LCoS RPTVs) require UPS units to save bulb life with proper cooldown when power fails.

Many buy them, too, even if their extended warranty allows for a bulb replacement, too, just to eliminate the hassle of getting someone in to replace the bulb, etc. :)

[kevinw]

Thanks, a good explination goes a long way, assumed offense retracted. :thankyou3

[lcaillo]

I plead guilt to being a pedantic ******* and exhibiting excessive sarcasm at times. I'll try to reel it in... :)