Performs as advertised
This item works well and gives me good peace of mind with respect to power surges and unfiltered AC power affecting my plasma display. Installation is simple and using it is trivial, truly plug and play.
The only glitch is that the adhesive for the velcro patches that secure the item to the wall are not strong enough. The optional (but included) wall mounting...
Worth It or Not?
I purchased this product to protect and compliment my Sony 55" TV. I can't say if I recommend it or not because I cannot see any difference in the picture quality from the previous surge protector I had. If I had it to do over again, I'd spend the money on one of the larger power centers with mulit inputs and outputs.
This review is from: Monster Cable MP HTFS 500 Monster Power High Definition Video HTFS 500 PowerCenterTM 2 AC Outlets for Flat Screens (Electronics)
This item works well and gives me good peace of mind with respect to power surges and unfiltered AC power affecting my plasma display. Installation is simple and using it is trivial, truly plug and play.
The only glitch is that the adhesive for the velcro patches that secure the item to the wall are not strong enough. The optional (but included) wall mounting brackets are actually necessary to keep the item up.
Solidly recommended
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This review is from: Monster Cable MP HTFS 500 Monster Power High Definition Video HTFS 500 PowerCenterTM 2 AC Outlets for Flat Screens (Electronics)
The product review (and others) state that this PowerCenter aids in providing for a better picture by managing the quality of power to any HDTV. I can't refute that as my picture is amazing and have never experienced any problems with the picture due to power fluctuations.
But I am confident that this PowerCenter saved my TV from a close lightning strike as my neighbors HDTV got fried because he did not have it power protected. Based on what you probably spent on your HDTV, for the money for this unit, how can you risk not getting one?
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This review is from: Monster Cable MP HTFS 500 Monster Power High Definition Video HTFS 500 PowerCenterTM 2 AC Outlets for Flat Screens (Electronics)
As with all surge protectors, it is impossible to know if this product does what it claims until you get hit by a surge and/or lightning strike, so I can only really comment on the functionality of the product rather than the effectiveness.
First of all I should be clear that just because it says "Monster" on the product does not automatically make it any better than any other surge protector on the market. In fact, having such a name brand typically indicates it is merely overpriced, and anyone who pays the full list price of $199.95 clearly has more money than common sense. Honestly this isn't worth much more than the $40 I paid for it, so don't be fooled into thinking you need to pay full MSRP.
Monster has a habit of overcharging for cables ($70 for a 4ft HDMI cable isn't unheard of) but anyone who knows anything about electronics will tell you "Monster Quality" is not worth the price premium. You would be well served to buy cables from an outlet such as monoprice where they can be had for less than 1/10th the cost with equal quality, but that is another subject for another day.
As to this specific item, there are a few glaring issues with the design. First of all it is marketed as a surge protector for flat screen televisions, and even the product material lists the thin profile as making it suitable for installation behind a television which is mounted to a wall. However, there are several reasons why this isn't all that practical.
First of all, it comes with a cord that is roughly ten feet long. For installations where the power outlet is actually behind the television as it should be, this leaves the user with about nine extra feet of cable to try and wrap up and contain. In addition to the Monster Power cord, there will be the power cord for the actual television itself which can be another six feet. Obviously wrapping up an extra 15 feet of power cord behind the television will be difficult if not impossible for televisions on low profile mounts.
Second, not only is the cord extremely long, but it is very, very thick as well (more on that later). This makes hiding the cord much more difficult due to the sheer bulk of it.
Third, the end of the cord (the plug) is a low-profile design which is meant to keep the cord from coming directly out of the wall and instead bends at a 90 degree angle so the cord sits flush against the wall. This will be a positive for anyone with a flush mounted receptacle or for someone using this for a television that isn't wall mounted, however for those of us using it to protect a TV mounted on the wall, it simply will not work with a recessed outlet. You see, most outlets used behind televisions are recessed to allow room for the plug. Because of this recess, the Monster cord plug simple isn't compatible and thus requires the outlet to be changed.
Fourth, the method for mounting the Monster PowerCenter is questionable. The unit comes with Velcro mounting tabs, but if mounted on a wall these wouldn't last long due to the sheer weight of the device. The picture you see showing the four mounting holes looks ideal, but in reality the unit does not have these mounting holes and instead comes with two metal brackets that are supposed to fit over the tabs. This seems fine in theory, but because Monster applied some thick labels near the outlets, the mounting plates don't fit properly. In short, it would have been much easier for them to simply drill holes in the tabs like they show in the image. I can only assume they are now selling a newer revision that doesn't include the holes and in my opinion this is a mistake.
Now all of that being said, there are some good features of this PowerCenter.
First, as I mentioned earlier the cord itself is very, very thick. I'd say this is a 10 or 12 gauge cord, so Monster obviously didn't cut corners here.
Second, the flat design of the unit makes hiding it behind an entertainment center easy. There are only two outlets which keeps cord clutter to a minimum.
Third, the unit is made of metal....not some cheap plastic like so many others. It is clear based upon the weight alone that this is a quality unit and isn't just a cheap plastic shell. For someone who is very critical of Monster products in general, I'm impressed with the attention to detail on this one.
In summary, this seems to work fine, but unfortunately it isn't very useful for the intended purpose. I wasn't able to utilize it for my wall mount LCD, so I have used it in the living room where the LCD sits on a small stand. The PowerCenter is useful for those who have only a TV and one other device, but if you have more than two devices this simply won't suffice since it only includes two outlets.
All things considered I feel there are numerous other products out there designed to protect wall mounted flat panel televisions that work better than this one including some other Monster products. If Monster would make a few minor changes to this I think it would be worthwhile, but as it sits I couldn't recommend this to anyone with plans to wall mount their TV as it just doesn't function as designed.
One final note - anyone who claims the picture of their television has improved after installing this PowerCenter (or any power conditioning equipment for that matter) is being unrealistic. These types of devices are good for one thing and one thing only....protecting your equipment from power surges. If you spend any time research such "power conditioners" you will find out that for the most part they are ineffective and unnecessary. The people pushing them are the same type of self-described experts that promote such idiotic concepts as gold plating on optical connecting cables and believe you need to purchase ultra high end USB and HDMI cables that serve no other purpose than to lighten the purchaser's wallet.
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This review is from: Monster Cable MP HTFS 500 Monster Power High Definition Video HTFS 500 PowerCenterTM 2 AC Outlets for Flat Screens (Electronics)
This flat screen power device provides protection from power surge. The quality of this product is comparable to other Monster equipment, as expected better than most. The PowerCenter is so streamline that it easily fits behind a typical mounting configuration for any flat panel screen. I have rated this product a *five* for its compact design, high quality construction, clean looking design and great price from Amazon (vs. other retail options).
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This review is from: Monster Cable MP HTFS 500 Monster Power High Definition Video HTFS 500 PowerCenterTM 2 AC Outlets for Flat Screens (Electronics)
It is hard to tell how much it help improve the picture, but even if it doesn't, it is worth it to me to protect my Sony LCD tv.
It seems well made, it is fairly heavy (given its size), and has two outlets, one for a tv, and one for something else (dvd player in my case). The cord seems to be of good quality too.
I think it would be ideal with three outlets and a voltage display (or some led type indicator - so you know it is doing something).
For the price here, I would most likely buy it again - in part because I know it will last a long time and I hope it would protect the tv in the event of a power surge.
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This review is from: Monster Cable MP HTFS 500 Monster Power High Definition Video HTFS 500 PowerCenterTM 2 AC Outlets for Flat Screens (Electronics)
Last month this Monster surge protector saved my "Honey, this is the last TV I will every buy, I promise," plasma TV. A thunder storm with tornado force winds tore thought our neighborhood in southeastern Pennsylvania, knocking down trees and powerlines. Some unprotected electonic devices in my house fried, but my precious TV was safe. This device did exactly what it was created to do. To my relief!
I am not sure that this device improves the picture quality of my TV. But, to my way of thinking, if the TV doesn't have a picture, what does it matter?
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This review is from: Monster Cable MP HTFS 500 Monster Power High Definition Video HTFS 500 PowerCenterTM 2 AC Outlets for Flat Screens (Electronics)
This PowerCenter works great and fits nicely behind my 50" plasma and 32" LCD. I agree with others in that the cord is too long, too thick, and not compatible for those with recessed outlets. I don't have a recessed outlet so the 90 degree plug works great for me, but I would think the engineers at Monster Cable would have come up with an adjustable cord plug.
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This review is from: Monster Cable MP HTFS 500 Monster Power High Definition Video HTFS 500 PowerCenterTM 2 AC Outlets for Flat Screens (Electronics)
I wanted a power filter to use behind my new 46 inch Z series Sony HDTV and this product fit the bill. I am very pleased with the performance of the television and the peace of mind provided by the power center. I am using it with a recessed electrical outlet. The power center mounts directly to the wall and allows the television to be mounted on the wall with no cords in view. I am not a Monster brand "junkie" but this provided the best value for the money via Amazon compared to anything I could have purchased elsewhere.
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