Where the green home theater begins
As a home theater enthusiast, there's a pretty good chance that you've got several remote controls lying around. Gather up a few of them and you'll notice something curious: most of them have a "Power" button instead of an "On/Off" button. Now, while the difference might seem like a simple matter of semantics, the distinction is actually telling. Here's a little-known fact: Most A/V components don't actually have an "Off" mode. Instead, when you press the Power button to turn them "off", you're actually setting the device to a stand-by mode that allows the TV, receiver, DVD player, or whatever to remain ready for fast initialization the next time you turn the device on. Now, while stanby-by modes are great for getting movie night started in a flash, they do have a downside. Unlike a true "Power Off" mode, stand-by modes continue to draw power from the outlet — between 10W and 25W, in most cases. As you can imagine, such pesky stand-by modes are a serious blemish on your attempts to fashion an energy efficient, "green" home theater area. Until now . . .
The key is control
Well, one obvious solution to cutting back on the unnecessary power consumption incurred while your A/V electronics are in stand-by mode is to simply unplug them whenever they aren't in use. Now, while that might be a perfectly functional solution, it's not all that practical. But it does hint at the solution offered by the Panamax PM8-GAV power management unit. Combining a variety of outlet types with Control Sense technology, this power-management/surge-protection device allows you to customize your home theater's power sources for optimal energy efficiency by actually cutting power to devices that you've turned "off. " Sporting eight total AC outlets, the PM8-GAV offers three outlet types. First, a single Current Sense outlet fully powers on or off depending on your use of the connected device. Second, four switched outlets power on automatically when the Current Sense outlet is activated. Finally, three always-on outlets never power off completely, ensuring that devices like DVRs and satellite boxes don't lose power when scheduled to record. Rather than get technical, however, let's try an example . . .
The PM8-GAV in action
Imagine that you have a home theater with the following components: HDTV, satellite DVR, home theater receiver and speakers, Blu-ray player, and powered subwoofer. Since it's the natural hub of your home theater system, plug the home theater receiver into the PM8-GAV's Current Sense outlet. Then, plug the HDTV, subwoofer, and Blu-ray player into three of the four switched outlets. Because you will only be using these three components when you're also using the receiver, they will only power on when the Current Sense outlet switches on to power the receiver. Finally, connect the satellite DVR to one of the always-on outlets. That way, you can be sure that this device will never fully lose power, guaranteeing that your favorite programs are recorded for later viewing.
Remember the green
Now, let's not lose sight of the true purpose of the PM8-GAV — energy efficiency. By fully powering off A/V devices connected to the Current Sense and switched outlets (rather than setting them to "stand-by"), the PM8-GAV helps reduce unnecessary, daily power consumption. Not only do you help minimize the use of natural resources, but you also trim down your power bill.
Stop surges dead in their tracks
Chances are, you were impressed — if not dazzled — by some of the features offered by your new flat-panel HDTV. Picture quality aside, however, you enjoyed learning that your $1,500+ investment offered a panel life somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 hours. In other words, you could expect to enjoy clear, sharp, detailed HD viewing for somewhere between 32 and 54 years at 5 hours of viewing per day. However, there are forces in this world that are out to sabotage your new home theater, and not just your HDTV, but everything from your receiver to your telephone. What are these dark and insidious foes? Answer: power surges. While they look sturdy on the outside, on the inside all electronic devices are constructed of delicate electronic components — parts that can be easily damaged by power irregularities. Luckily, any risk of damage can be easily avoided by regulating the power source fueling your home theater. Here's where the PM8-GAV surge protector enters the equation . . . As soon as a power irregularity is detected, Protect and Disconnect technology instantly and automatically disconnects your equipment from the power source, impeding any infiltration. The last, but maybe the most important investment you'll make.
No matter the source
Now, surges don't just attack your devices using power cables. Power irregularities can enter and damage components via other connections like cable/satellite cables and telephone lines. Thanks to its diverse array of connections, the PM8-GAV protects a wide range of devices. Eight AC outlets protect everything from your HDTV to your DVD player, two coaxial input/output pairs protect cable and satellite boxes, and one telephone input/one output protect phone lines.
