JamesSy

Power Line Filter

Ok, I have a friend that's buying two Samsung DLP 61" TV's
the salesman said he needed a 400.00 Power Line Filter to
get a better Pic... I dont know about this I told him a good surge protecter. What do you guys say?
Thanks in advance.

Chad B

I haven't personally used a high dollar power line filter, but I bet the biggest improvement would be if he was watching analog cable and put the cable feed through the filter. Alot of the higher end filters have provisions for plugging in the 75 ohm coax cable feed, and from what I've read, that feed really needs cleaned up. Other differences, while entirely possible, probably wouldn't be as dramatic.

ISF Video Calibrator
Servicing OH, WV, and VA

SethH

I most cases I doubt he would see a difference. If his house and wiring are really old, then it might make a difference. One option would be to go to a place like CC that has a decent return policy. Plug it up to see if it makes a difference. If it does, keep it. If not, take it back and swap it for a decent surge protector.

Chu Gai

I think your friend's salesman is smelling some discretionary income seeing as how he bought two TV's. Have your friend consider a more modest plug-in surge protector as it'll have some EMI/RFI filtering built in. Out of curiousity, at the dealership, what did the store have their units hooked up to?

JamesSy

Hey thanks again. And good point Chu Gai, I will ask him.
His house is only 3 yrs old. Will have Dishnetwork for the feed. Should be fine with modest surge huh!

Chu Gai

I asked the question as to what the units were hooked up into in the store in a kind of tongue in cheek way. Unless the units are being displayed in their own little setting, apart from everything else, generally you'll find they just plug into a strip with a common signal feed. No special provisions.
A modest surge protector (modest in price that is) will be fine as a plug in device since it'll have additional outlets to hook his other gear into as well as the usual EMI/RFI suppression. You'll likely choose one that has coax inputs/outputs but you need to either email or call whomever you're considering to ensure the insertion loss is nominal (couple of tenths of a dB) as well as ensuring there are no bandwidth compromises with the cable signal. Some models explicitly state this but toll free numbers abound.
As the sole means of surge protection, plug in devices pale in effectives to the whole house approach but installing one of those is a judgement call...call it personal paranoia assessment. If you live in a part of Texas with a lot of cloud to ground lightning activity then it's an approach seriously worth considering. For more info, search the terms "whole house" under my name.
Properly installed, the dish will connect to a ground block before it enters the building. This, believe it or not, functions as a surge protector. The ground block is sold in Home Depot and Radio Shack for a few dollars - if that much. Now, by connecting the cable such that it is less than 10 feet to a central earth ground (the rod outside), you have superior protection for your transistorized devices. Further, the ground block is also
required by National Electrical Code (NEC) in Article 810 for another reason - human safety. Your friend may wish to contact the installer to ensure that is part of the installation. If not, pay extra for it.
For recommendations on comparatively inexpensive plug in devices, consider something like the Stratitec or TripLites Isobar or even the Panamax DBS units. Something at least over 2000 joules (more the merrier within reason). Buying expensive plug in devices makes two people happy. The accountant for the company you bought it from and the salesman who just got a nice commission. BTW, was a Monster unit suggested?