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    Samsung UA55C9000 3D LCD TV

    At $10,000, the Samsung UA55C9000 costs more than twice what an otherwise similarly specified, similarly sized, Samsung TV would sell for. So what’s so special about it? We reckon that several of the more extraordinary features justify that price.

Home Theatre

Protect your stuff

There are various levels of power protection you can apply to protect your sensitive home electronic equipment. The first line of defence against power fluctuations is a surge protector installed at the meter or fuse box in your home. You almost certainly have something like this already, probably a breaker switch or a fuse.

While these do a decent job of dealing with severe power issues such as shorts and lightning strikes, they don?t do much to stop the rather more common problem of in-home voltage surges caused by your other appliances. High-power electrical devices such as air conditioners, fridges and heaters tend to require a lot of energy to turn on and off. Switching them on upsets the steady voltage supply in your home, causing voltage and frequency fluctuations in the power supplied to the other appliances and electronic equipment in your home.

Single- and dual-plug protectors such as the Monster HT200 are useful for protecting isolated appliances that have microprocessors, such as coffee machines and microwaves.  An LED indicates that power protection circuitry within the plug is active.

Surge protection strips

This is where surge protection power strips become useful. Surge protecting power boards detect when excessive voltage hits the line, and will then try to divert that excessive power to a ground line, away from your electronic equipment. Get one (or more). They?re not tremendously expensive, and can add years to the lifespan of your appliances.

When you can?t hide the surge protector behind furniture, Belkin?s concealed surge board provides a flip-up/down housing for keeping cables neat and tidy. Due for release mid-2007.

Back Page 3 of 4  Next - Power protectors: what to look for  

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