With the advent of 4K TVs and 4K-ready peripherals (like DVD players) there’s now a need to have quality 4K accessories too. After all, if you’re using an out of date HDMI cable on a brand new 4K TV, you’re going to lose something in the transmission.
An easy way to get a bunch of your new and much-needed accessories at once is in the Monster Complete Ultra HD TV Solution Pack.
What’s in the kit
The Monster Complete Ultra HD TV Solution Pack comes with a 5-foot long Monster Ultra HD Gold HDMI cable which allows you to use faster video speeds and will support 4K resolution. Also in the package is a Monster power bar. It comes with six AC outlets, and fast-charge USB ports, plus surge protection. There’s also a 2-part cleaning and protection kit which consists of a screen cleaner and a protectant spray to keep your screens fingerprint-free.
Let’s look at each of the components individually.
Monster 4K cable is a must for 4K TVs
The Monster kit includes a high speed Ultra HD Gold HDMI cable which can handle the demands of higher quality video. This cable can push out 18.0 gigabytes per second (Gbps) which is what’s needed to view 4K video. But what does that Gbps number mean, and do you really need a new cable?
Getting a 4K-ready HDMI cable is critical with your new TV. Think of this cable as the runway for a new high-tech, larger airplane; without a runway that’s the proper length, you can’t take off or land. Similarly, not having the right HDMI cord for your 4K Ultra HD video components will leave you just circling the airport.
Do you need a new HDMI cable?
If you’ve just gotten a 4K TV, or it’s been a while since you purchased an HDMI cable, the answer is likely yes.
“Cables are rated by speed,” explains Jeff Park, Senior Technical Manager for HDMI Licensing in an article in Digital Trends. Original HDMI 1.0 Standard cables were designed for the first HD transition, to support 720p, 1080i, which is falling out of use fast.
There have been several phases of HDMI cables since that first version, but skipping ahead to today, there’s HDMI 2.0, which can process 18 Gbps and that’s enough to easily handle 4K video content at 60 frames per second.
Many of these new cables can also support HDR video which provides better picture quality by enabling greater detail for both the dark and bright parts of an image. (Read more about HDR and what it means for TV technology here on the blog. And to read more about the many incarnations of HDMI cables and what makes them different, I highly recommend this article.)
If you don’t have a high speed HDMI cable, you’ll need to upgrade in order to enjoy 4K video. But the kit makes it easy.
Power up and protect with Monster
I’m of the mind you can never have too many power bars. After all, they’re a safer and more organized way to keep your components powered up.
The Monster Power Bar included in the kit has a 6-foot cord, which makes it more versatile than the 2 foot power bar I have currently, plus it features six AC plug outlets and as a nice added bonus, two USB outlets. One will charge phones and the other is a high-speed port designed for getting tablets charged quickly. The power bar also provides surge protection, which is like an insurance policy for your fancy new toys.
What exactly is a power surge? If lightning strikes for example, excess energy can surge into your house, and fry your electronics. A surge protector absorbs that excess energy and then dissipates it as heat. Trouble is, that can also cause sparks or fire. By enclosing the power bar in a ceramic sheath, like this one is, the excess heat is contained, and is much less likely to spark a fire. 
As Tom wrote on the blog previously, “if you value your home entertainment system then you are crazy not to get a surge protector. Power surges can destroy your equipment, and electrical interference can negatively impact sound and picture quality. Monster … is in fact not at a premium price despite the fact it is a high quality unit with some excellent premium features.”
Check out the other Monster HDMI cables available at Best Buy and read more from Tom’s Monster cables review on the blog.
Still not convinced? Monster warranties this package to protect your components up to $350,000 if anything does go wrong.
Monster also sells power bars with surge protection separately, like this Monster Power Platinum 800 HT Surge Protector with helpful indicator lights, or the Monster PowerCenter 800 8-Outlet Surge Protector. But getting a power bar in the kit makes it easy and economical.
Clean screens & stops dirt before it starts
As an added bonus in the package, there’s a Monster Screen Clean 2.0 and Clean Touch Shield duo. The cleaning formula removes fingerprints, smudges, and dust as well as streaks, while the Clean Touch Shield formula provides a microscopically thin barrier which prevents future dust, smudges and gunk from accumulating on the screen.
I normally just use a soft microfibre cloth to clean my screens, and it takes a lot of elbow grease. Silly me that I’ve never bothered to try a proper cleaner before now. I was pleasantly surprised at how immediately messy fingerprint smudges and smears came off the screen, and what a big difference it made. Suitably obsessed, I started cleaning all the screens in the house, including phones and tablets.The Monster Screen Clean 2.0 made the job easy. Of course I followed up with the protective layer, so hopefully the cleaning will now need to be less frequent.
The Monster Screen Clean 2.0 is the number one best selling cleaner on the Best Buy website, so you know it’s going to be good. It and the Monster Clean Touch Shield are available separately too if you need a cleaning solution.
When you’re ready to make the move to 4K, don’t forget to take care of your new toys, and provide them proper protection for a long life.
The Monster Complete Ultra HD TV Solution Pack is available at Best Buy.
