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Old 05-19-2010, 10:19 AM
 
Location: I'm gettin' there
2,666 posts, read 7,340,772 times
Reputation: 841

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Hi Guys,
I am looking for suggestions to buy a mobile computer (laptop / netbook / whatever else is out there) to play HD quality streaming video to my Samsung HD TV.

The computer will use WIFI internet from my home network and I think it needs a HDMI port to output in HD right ? Can I use VGA to output HD to a HD TV ?

The ASUS 1201PN looks like a good fit, but its not available yet, and I do not want to pre-order it unless I am convinced.
I am open to any suggestions (no Ipad's please)

Thanks a bunch folks !!

Note: Anything around $400 and under only please.
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Old 05-19-2010, 11:20 AM
 
2,884 posts, read 5,935,240 times
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HDMI ouput would be required, I think.

Do you need BluRay playback? If so, you just blew your $400 budget.
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Old 05-19-2010, 11:43 AM
 
Location: I'm gettin' there
2,666 posts, read 7,340,772 times
Reputation: 841
Quote:
Originally Posted by scarmig View Post
HDMI ouput would be required, I think.

Do you need BluRay playback? If so, you just blew your $400 budget.
No I do not need Blu-Ray.
Can you suggest some models I can look at ?
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Old 05-19-2010, 02:24 PM
 
2,884 posts, read 5,935,240 times
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Anything with HDMI video output!

Beyond that it depends on your other requirements. I would get as close to that $400 mark as possible, concentrating on getting at least 4gb of RAM.
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Old 05-19-2010, 06:22 PM
 
Location: Kūkiʻo, HI & Manhattan Beach, CA
2,624 posts, read 7,265,005 times
Reputation: 2416
Quote:
Originally Posted by zulu400 View Post
Hi Guys,
I am looking for suggestions to buy a mobile computer (laptop / netbook / whatever else is out there) to play HD quality streaming video to my Samsung HD TV.

The computer will use WIFI internet from my home network and I think it needs a HDMI port to output in HD right ? Can I use VGA to output HD to a HD TV ?

The ASUS 1201PN looks like a good fit, but its not available yet, and I do not want to pre-order it unless I am convinced.
I am open to any suggestions (no Ipad's please)

Thanks a bunch folks !!

Note: Anything around $400 and under only please.
Western Digital's WD TV Live HD Media Player might fit the bill. I picked up a few of them at Sam's Club for $119 apiece and they work quite well with my home network.
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Old 05-19-2010, 08:16 PM
 
269 posts, read 911,452 times
Reputation: 167
I think if you want a portable computer you will be quite limited. Netbooks will most likley come with Atom processors which have a hard time playing full screen HD content but if you can deal with 480 (dvd) or maybe 720 (HD) you can get pretty reliable results. Laptops at that price point wouldn't be ideal for 1080P but again if lower resolutions work let us know.

I found a pretty good deal on a Dell which may fit your needs if you can get an extra 150 bucks.

Dell Inspiron i1764-5826 17.3" i5 Laptop $539 at Microsoft Store - Google that and you can get the coupon code if you are interested. Online deals from some sites like bens bargains (where I got that) and slickdealz (or slickdeals can't remember which) plus bing cashback may be able to get a good laptop down to the 400 range if you are willing to wait and keep searching daily.

------
VGA can get you high resolutions so it depends on what your computer is capable of, but HDMI will do HD audio and video so it will be a better choice for most options. Otherwise you will limit your audio capabilities or have to use optical/digital out and run the risk of audio/video sync issues.
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Old 05-20-2010, 08:48 AM
 
Location: I'm gettin' there
2,666 posts, read 7,340,772 times
Reputation: 841
Thanks for the replies guys.

Jonah.... That media player sounds cool. Can I browse the internet with that ? It seems like there are some pre-determined options that you can go to from the menu. I would need to google stuff and then play music and/or video. Is that something we can do with the WD device ?
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Old 05-20-2010, 01:28 PM
 
Location: Kūkiʻo, HI & Manhattan Beach, CA
2,624 posts, read 7,265,005 times
Reputation: 2416
Quote:
Originally Posted by zulu400 View Post
Thanks for the replies guys.

Jonah.... That media player sounds cool. Can I browse the internet with that ? It seems like there are some pre-determined options that you can go to from the menu. I would need to google stuff and then play music and/or video. Is that something we can do with the WD device ?
For the most part, you can't really browse the internet with the Western Digital WD TV Live. For what you want to do, an Apple TV in conjunction with aTV Flash might fit the bill.
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Old 05-20-2010, 03:22 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
3,683 posts, read 9,868,502 times
Reputation: 3016
WDTV Live is the cheap, ghetto version of the Syabas-based devices like the Popcorn Hour (actually Syabas itself) devices, DragonTech IOBox, etc. No self-respecting AV enthusiast would let one of those devices in their house.
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Old 05-21-2010, 11:44 AM
 
Location: Kūkiʻo, HI & Manhattan Beach, CA
2,624 posts, read 7,265,005 times
Reputation: 2416
Quote:
Originally Posted by MediocreButArrogant View Post
WDTV Live is the cheap, ghetto version of the Syabas-based devices like the Popcorn Hour (actually Syabas itself) devices, DragonTech IOBox, etc. No self-respecting AV enthusiast would let one of those devices in their house.
Sometimes, so-called "cheap and ghetto" solutions are better and more user-friendly than more expensive and highly-regarded ones.
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