Buying assistance for notebook/netbook 1

[JBellTek]

I offered to help someone find a notebook/netbook to buy, and feel like I've gotten myself in a little over my head, since hardware isn't my field.

They want to buy some form of laptop that they can plug into their TV, which is a Mitsubishi WD73733

From what I can tell, the best way to do this is with an HDMI connection, is this correct? And if so, what would you recommend getting that has an HDMI port? I've spent the last few days looking everywhere I know to (lenovo, newegg, amazon, ebay, asus, acer, Intel, lots of google searches, etc.), but I feel like I'm just running in circles. Any assistance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[ll60630]

I can personally vouch for the Dell XPS line of laptops. I got an M1330 a while back and it has a HDMI port that was pretty easy to hook up. I just got an HDMI cable and connected it to my TV and there was picture and sound!

If you're still digging around online for a good deal, I'd like to offer a shameless plug for my web store. I've got laptops and Netbooks at reasonable prices.

http://www.ShopVoyagerEnt.com/

Jeff
_______________________________________
SourceSafe Help | ClearQuest Help | PC Hardware

 

[vacunita]

This:

http://www.alienware.com/products/a...M15X-AI1&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT&tab=features_tab

Of course there may be cheaper alternatives with s-video outs or even just RCA type video outs.




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Phil AKA Vacunita
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Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[JBellTek]

Thank you for your input, ll60630 and vacunita. I stopped off at Staples and took a look around, I was surprised to find that most of their laptops/netbooks had HDMI ports. Their tech guy was surprised too, oddly enough. Is this becoming industry standard? That would be pretty cool. I wasn't blown away by Staples prices, though, so I am still looking.

 

[hawkdaddy]

Is the TV a Flat panel? Then it may also be a monitor.
Do they want to play DVD's?

 

[JBellTek]

If I understand right, the Mitsubishi WD73733 is a rear-projection TV.

 

[ll60630]

That's a pretty cool DLP rear projection TV. I don't think your friend will have any issues hooking up any laptop with a HDMI connector.

Jeff
_______________________________________
SourceSafe Help | ClearQuest Help | PC Hardware

 

[JBellTek]

Thanks for your input. Yeah, I was impressed when I looked behind the TV at all the plugs back there.

 

[kjv1611]

If this is the t.v. we're talking about:

http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-WD-73733-73-Inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/tech-data/B000P5A8D4/ref=de_a_smtd

Then:
1. Drool
2. If he/she could afford that thing, then 1 of 2 things are true:
a. They are now out of money, or on a low budget.
b. Price doesn't really matter - quality is what counts.

So, depending upon the budget, there are all sorts of options.

Basically, get a laptop that supports at least HDMI 1.3 (I'd say one that certainly has the HDMI port on board, not just "supports")

For the processor, I'd make sure to get an Intel Core 2 Duo whatever... At least 2Ghz preferable.

Get at least 3GB Ram.

Windows Vista a must (with Windows 7 free upgrade if possible), as it's got arguably the best, or one of the best media centers currently available. I'm not 100% sold on it, but I've not had the time to delve much into which one is better/best.

For brands, Toshiba, HP, and Dell generally sell fine models to use. You can get Alienware or any other niche laptops, but it seems you usually pay a little more, and it's not always worth it.

What you could do is pick out a model you think will work, and check for reviews on that mode. One place that has in depth reviews is

http://www.notebookreview.com.

As far as HDMI compared to all other connections, in my opinion, with an HD set, it's a no brainer to go HDMI over any other options currently available. Price really isn't forbidding on HDMI over RCA video, S-Video, etc. ,but the quality is HUGELY different over HDMI.

But also, I'd want to ask - is the laptop ONLY going to be hooked to the t.v., or is it going to be just occasionally connected? If ONLY to the t.v. - all the time connected, then I'd suggest a mini desktop instead. I know that Acer has a line of mini desktops that have HDMI out, etc, all built on board, and they're pretty cheap, too.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[JBellTek]

I asked the same question, and portability is a must, so a mini tower is out. That was my first question too.

Thank you very much for your input, I appreciate it. I have had some bad experiences with Dell and actually with Toshiba too, though I know some people who swear by Toshiba. I really don't have much experience with HP laptops, though I love their printers (I have an HP LaserJet P1006 for all my B&W printing, that thing is a beast, and cuts my printing costs by a huge amount, look into it).

 

[kjv1611]

Toshiba - overall, I'd say Toshiba has been about the best in terms of their machines staying with it.

HP - When they were putting Athlon XP processors in their laptops, I'd of not touched one myself "with a 10 foot pole". But their current offerings seem VERY nice. The only other problem I've known of was not HP's fault, but rather nVidia. Some of the nVidia 8 series dedicated graphics cards had problems and needed to be recalled or replaced under warranty, mainly due to something that caused thermal issues.

Dell - It does seem (to me) that quality has progressively gotten worse. It seems they've put more into marketing and trying to be more flashy, than they're putting into engineering and design anymore.

HP Printers - same as Dell for computers. I don't know if they got lazy, or if they started just cutting too much for the prices, but oftentimes, their printers aren't the best anymore. I'm not saying they're bad, but for the first time, if I were going to buy a new printer, I very well likely might purchase a Canon over an HP. Of course, the final decision would be made on a model by model comparrison.

From a multimedia perspective, I think HP generally has the best offerings. Of course, there's always Sony and Asus. But for Sony, unless you find a great deal, they are usually overpriced. Asus seems to be good from the reviews, but I've never tried one.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[kmcferrin]

KJV1611, that wasn't just HP. Apple, Dell, pretty much everyone got hit with the bad nVidia chip issue. It's just that HP actually addressed it. If I'm not mistaken there was one manufacturer who said "it's out of the 1-year warranty, we won't support it." Another one published a BIOS update to fix the issue with the nVidia chip. If that sounds fishy, it was. All the BIOS update did was cause the laptop's fans to run at 100% all of the time, which really helped the cooling but had the unfortunate side effects of making the laptop sound like a jet engine AND killing the battery life.

At any rate, most of the newer models of consumer laptops (even in the $500 price range) now include HDMI ports.

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[kjv1611]

True on the nVidia deal. I was just stating it as an issue they did have, though otherwise I think they are good all-around laptops (currently).

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me