New Portable Computing Solution Wanted

[bravo 35]

I know this is a car forum (duh!) but there's alot of tech-savvy people on here that might be able to help me out with my latest IT prob.

I used to have a Sony VAIO (less than a year old) and a PS3 with external storage which was my computing/entertainment solution.

Both have gone south (don't ask), and I need to replace them.

My needs:

The ability to play DVD's

The ability to play digital video and music files through my entertainment system and tv

I don't have an HD tv, but I do have a fairly decent home theater with all the bells and whistles Phillips AVR with HDMI inputs and outputs, but obviously without an HD tv I need video via composite or component.

The ability to surf the web, share digital media, organise digital media, etc

This must be mobile (ie notebook, netbook, or tablet).

Wi-Fi

The ability to work from home - Microsoft Word/Excel or compatible software. I don't need the rest of the office suite, but I would like to be able to edit and format word/excel docs without too many limitations. Being able to convert to PDF would also be good. I have a windows version of Acrobat (full version) but wouldn't want to have to buy another copy for a different platform if that's my only option as it cost enough the first time!

The ability to use an external wireless keyboard.

Email (preferrably a built-in client, not webmail).

Notg a must-have, but a like-to-have would be an optical drive capable of transferring my current DVD's to digital files to store on the media/server or whatever I end up with.

I don't play games. I don't need masses of computing power. I want good battery life, portability, and ease of use with the home theater, preferrably by remote control.

I'm going overseas for a bit soonish, so would prefer to spend more on the portable bit and less on the fixed bit at home.

So.... Do I get an ipad and some sort of media server?

Do I get a notebook/netbook and a media server??

I don't want or need to spend mega bucks, but don't really know where to start. Maybe some people can tell me what they do?

Cheers.

[simke 0]

I'll describe my setup, probably close to what you're after.

Acer Inspire One (?) netbook, connected to LCD tv via VGA (HDMI would be nice, but its a netbook )

1GB ram, windows 7 starter, works perfectly fine as a media server. 2 1.5TB external drives connected to it for my media, can also stream to ps3 and xbox360.

I've also installed XBMC media center onto netbook, and can control it using XBMCRemote for iPhone - quite cool.

This netbook sits behind tv and is not used for anything else. Picture is good (as good as VGA can be) and sound is not too bad - yes it using in-built audio card, but the output goes to marantz amp, can't really complain about the sound quality.

And lastly, to control media server remotely, I use VNC.

As a main computer I've got sony vaio, well nowdays only used for development and "real" work, got a macbook pro a month or so ago to use as a main laptop - highly recommended if you can live without windows.

Edited April 12, 2011 by Simke

[Mark 178]

Sounds like you just need a good mid to high range laptop.

Even basic laptops these days have HDMI outputs so you can plug them in to your TV setup for watching movies etc. If you don't have HDMI inputs on your TV, you can buy converters to the required plug setup.

Converting to PDF simply requires a piece of software. "Open Office"(basically a free open source version of office) can convert any Office compatible document to a PDF in two clicks. All docs created in Open Office can be saved as Microsoft compatible formats as well.

Likewise with an email client, you will find a suitable piece of freeware that can retrieve emails from a web-based account and store them on your computer. Honestly though, who needs it when you have Gmail?

As for having a media centre, you can run software on your laptop for when it's connected to your TV, or you can buy an external media centre such as a Popcorn Hour box. These allow you to retrieve media files from your laptop via your wireless network and navigate around all the files on the network using the built-in on-screen interface. This saves you having to plug and unplug your laptop every time you want to watch a movie or play music through your home theatre.

Edited April 12, 2011 by _Mark_

[5amchris 45]

Very fast and future proof

14" http://www.dse.co.nz/dse.shop/4da4019c0381...uct/View/XC7799

i did see noels and bond and bond selling a 13" acer with i5 4GB ram 500GB HD for $1249 just cant find it online.

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2132]

didnt read most of what you wrote, i just skim read to see if you wrote ipad and seeing as you did, i read a bit deeper and from what i can see you will be very dissapointed if you got one. if it has to be apple get a macbook

[kiwi535 538]

honestly just go to any one of the chain stores and see what they have..one of em will be sure to have a laptop on special that will do all that you require.i was in DSE one day and they had a laptop that was so cheap i had to buy it,it was 200 cheaper than anywhere else with equal specs and a free upgrade of double the ram.....

Edited April 12, 2011 by kiwi535

[Sick Puppy 1]

Anything by Asus or Toshiba - my Asus was purchased fron DSE five years ago, it's still going strong. It has and s-Video connection (similar to / better than composite leads, well back then... [shrugs]), and I'm pretty sure they have HDMI sockets now.

[camera doctor 25]

At the risk of being called a fan-boy, I would suggest you look at a Apple MacBook.

I have gone thru the whole Windows thing with regard to connecting to TV, and even with HDMI which is meant to be automatic etc, it is always a pain, either the sound does not work, the TV has to be turned on in the right order, I need to go into control panel and dupicate the monitor, force the sound, etc etc.... drives me batty !

I have never had a Windows laptop last more than 2 years, and by then it is running REALLY slow ....

But, a year or so ago I bought a Macbook - it is as fast today as it was then, and to watch movies on my TV I plug in the cable and drag the video window over to the TV, and hey, it works !!

It may cost you more at the start, but in the long term, it works out cheaper ! And you will love using it in the meantime!

[polley 916]

It may cost you more at the start, but in the long term, it works out cheaper ! And you will love using it in the meantime!

Explain

[E30-323ti 66]

At the risk of being called a fan-boy, I would suggest you look at a Apple MacBook.

I have gone thru the whole Windows thing with regard to connecting to TV, and even with HDMI which is meant to be automatic etc, it is always a pain, either the sound does not work, the TV has to be turned on in the right order, I need to go into control panel and dupicate the monitor, force the sound, etc etc.... drives me batty !

I have never had a Windows laptop last more than 2 years, and by then it is running REALLY slow ....

But, a year or so ago I bought a Macbook - it is as fast today as it was then, and to watch movies on my TV I plug in the cable and drag the video window over to the TV, and hey, it works !!

It may cost you more at the start, but in the long term, it works out cheaper ! And you will love using it in the meantime!

Ditto, a 13" MacBook Pro.

I've had a 13" MacBook since early 2007 and is still going strong, used as a media type server connected to HD TV via mini-DVI to HDMI cable, also run a Elgato Hybrid HD Tuner / PVR (which is awesome).

Only gripe is, mine is an early model and has the weak case (where your right hand sits on the case using the track pad) and the DVD drive went south.

Still gets an easy +3hrs running simple stuff off the battery.

[camera doctor 25]

Explain

Macbook is more expense at the start, but as it lasts longer you will not have to replace it as soon as you would a Windows machine.

[5amchris 45]

Macbook is more expense at the start, but as it lasts longer you will not have to replace it as soon as you would a Windows machine.

+1 batteries last a lot longer as in amount of chargers

not having to pay yearly anti-virus.

also the mac wont slow down like a pc does once you load your all programs and sh*t onto it. [ie wont have to upgrade as soon]

But back on topic to keep it simple for yourself i would say with a windows based pc you will know how to use it already saving you a ton of time.

[bravo 35]

Some interesting comments. I'm still undecided. I want the serving of media content onto the tv to be pretty easy. ie I want to be able to flick the channel button to access my stored content, and then whiz through a menu with a remote to play the content. I don't want to be pugging or unplugging a notebook to watch digital content. maybe I need one of those WDTV or AppleTV thingamajigs?? But then I'd also need a separate DVD player???

The notebook would then be free to perform the other tasks (web, email, etc). I would have got an ipad, but I'm concerned about lack of storage space, whether the browser is any good (I use chrome with a few add-ons for now), and my ability to work on the odd word or excel document. Being able to play powerpoint slideshows would also be an advantage.

I don't need a heap of grunt as I'm not going to be running any overly hungry applications.

[polley 916]

Macbook is more expense at the start, but as it lasts longer you will not have to replace it as soon as you would a Windows machine.

How does a mac last longer? Is windows harder on hardware or somthing? So if I load linux or mac os on my laptop that previously had windows, is the hardware going to last longer? We have laptops here at work that are 6+ years old, still working fine and they are used everyday, outside in harsh industrial enviroments.

+1 batteries last a lot longer as in amount of chargers

not having to pay yearly anti-virus.

also the mac wont slow down like a pc does once you load your all programs and sh*t onto it. [ie wont have to upgrade as soon]

But back on topic to keep it simple for yourself i would say with a windows based pc you will know how to use it already saving you a ton of time.

Macs use the same LiPo battery technology as other laptops, your point is invalid. Funnily enough the batterys in the laptops I talked about earlier are still working fine. Of course they dont last as long as they were when new, but still provide 2-3+ hours of run time. The new eee laptops we have last all god damn day on one charge.

If your windows machine slows down after installing your bonzai buddy and "click here you are our 100th winner" software, then thats what you get for been stupid.

There are plenty of free antivirus solutions out there for windows, why pay for one? With that been said, I havent used a antivirus application on any of my personal computers for years and have had 0 problems. ZERO.

[polley 916]

Just get a notebook and a media player for your TV.

[bravo 35]

Recommendations for media player?

[Gaz 1060]

Does your TV or Home Thearte system have an USB port?

You may only need an External Hard Drive as most newer stuff plays straight from the HD without the need for a media player.

[bravo 35]

Yes but only photo and music files, not video.

[polley 916]

Do you want one with an internal HDD or do you want to use an external HDD? Stream files over network? How much storage space do you need? What format are the files you play?

I have a Apacer AL460, it plays everything except for files that have DTS audio. It has HDMI and also component out.

http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=524848

The AL670 supposedly plays everything. (incl DTS audio)

http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=602757

[5amchris 45]

Polley i was just pointing out what most untech savvy people would buy/want to know.

[bravo 35]

To answer your questions:

External HDD is fine.

Not imperative to access files over network, but I would use the feature if it had it.

As storage is external this is moot, but around 2TB would be more than enough. I'm currently making do with 500GB.

Format - well I have a range of formats from video in all sorts of formats d-loaded on the web to self-encoded H.264 video with Dolby Digital AC3 audio in a mkv container. I also have an increasing number of uncompressed DVD's in VideoTS folders - ie ripped straight from DVD including menus, etc. The playstation plays these fine but the menus don't work. VLC plays them as if they are the original DVD's. A player that could do this would be nice.

Looking at the Apacer units now...

[simke 0]

Have a look at this XBMC on Apple TV

As I mentioned earlier I use xbmc on my netbook and find it to be quite good.

[martyyyn 102]

Yes but only photo and music files, not video.

Its not a Samsung is it G ?

There was a model you could alter the 'internal' settings to make it think it was the next model up and play video aswell No firmware update, just get into the settings, change from series 5 to series 6 and job done.

Format - well I have a range of formats from video in all sorts of formats d-loaded on the web to self-encoded H.264 video with Dolby Digital AC3 audio in a mkv container. I also have an increasing number of uncompressed DVD's in VideoTS folders - ie ripped straight from DVD including menus, etc. The playstation plays these fine but the menus don't work. VLC plays them as if they are the original DVD's. A player that could do this would be nice.

This is going to be your problem. The uncompressed DVD's will be fine with pretty much every player and I would expect them to handle h.264 aswell, but the moment you start having to mess around with codecs for the downloaded content the 'out of the box' solutions can potentially cause you problems.

Having said that it would have to be something pretty obscure for the new WD boxes to not be able to handle it.

Have you thought about just getting a laptop with Win7 and just using MCE or whatever its called ? Or even building a very basic HTPC if it doesnt need to be portable right now ?

Get yourself an MCE remote and keyboard off trademe for $50 and your pretty much all done. CoreAVC and AC3filter will handle the video and audio then get a tv tuner card and your sorted for recording freeviewHD too.

Ive put together an HTPC for the garage which does all this for less than $150 with second hand parts and $100 of that going on a new power supply. To be fair there is no case, its just sitting in the open, which saves a fair bit of cash and I had 3Tb of disk to put in it already. But Ive done the above with P4's before and not had any trouble with HD content.

VLC has remote apps for iphone, ipod touch and android too BTW if you want to stick with that.

[e]

As for working from home, Thunderbird for email and OpenOffice for everything else and youre sorted. Ive used both on my work laptop for years and they are excellent. Why anyone at home would want to pay for Office is beyond me.

Also, if you went the laptop way, you could install something like ASIO4ALL and have your music being pumped straight to the amp and let that decode/play it. Its like taking cotton wool out of your ears if you remove the laptop from processing anything.

Edited April 13, 2011 by martyyyn

[w_elliot 7]

I just bought myself a cheap nasty toshiba from DSE, to replace my hp netbook which got the bash when it lost wireless signal one too many times while i was talking to the mrs via skype. it has some memory, some ram, a cd player and many other things, didn't seem too bad a buy for $650, cant comment on hdmi output because i don't know what that is. may be worth a look?

[antil33t 90]

Probook 4520s.