netbook/notebook for net+vga for movies

[Phillip]

looking for a basic portable notebook, for just internet (chrome youtube flash etc), and hooking up to a projector for divx/xvid

considering the following so far:

netbook
2Tb external hard drive (already own)
usb -> vga adaptor (does this exist? i assume netbooks dont have vga)
projector (already own)

or

a notebook with basic specs (1.5+ghz cpu, 512mb+ram, 40gb+ hd)

question would be. can i plug all those things into a netbook and is a netbook fast enough for divx/xvid, or, shall i just go for a cheap notebook, and what specs does the notebook cpu/ram need to be to play movies

thanks=)

 

[DaveSimmons]

Do you need Netflix HD streaming? That requires a fast processor since Silverlight is not accelerated by the graphics hardware.

Some netbooks now have HDMI out, does your projector support that? Many netbooks also have VGA out, so no USB -> VGA is needed.

For Flash videos you should be looking at one of these:
- Atom with nvidia Ion graphics -- Atom with just intel graphics will choke.
- AMD E-350 "Brazos" / Fusion, this is better than Atom+Ion

... or just go brute force and get a Pentium dual-core 2.x GHz laptop for software decoding. That should work for Netflix too.

The Pentium is probably the best choice except for the size and weight. All of these will probably cost in the $350-400 range. For a bit more (~$450) you could also get a Core i3 Sandy Bridge like the HP hot deal here, that would also let you do some light gaming:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2173551

 

[CrackRabbit]

I would say wait a short amount of time for the AMD A-Series (Llano) based notebooks to hit the market.
All of them will have more power than any netbook, and should be able to undercut their Intel counterparts on price.
Another option is to look at a refurbed Dell Vostro 3450 with a Radeon 6630 in it.

 

[Phillip]

thanks hmm. havent got a clue about the netflix (glossary links welcome), its just your average divx movie borrowed from a mate. probably thinking ebay, happy to get something that someone else is selling on. this will be a third pc so not too much money chucked at it, purely to go in the car for visits. pref sub £100

hdmi dont think so, mitsubishi SE2U projector, altho mgiht be able to get an adaptor for it ? flash movies only the kind on youtube pages

 

[wirednuts]

honestly, if you dont care about watching HD movies on netflix, then i think a $200 netbook will work for you.

this has vga out, and is actually a really nice laptop (i use one as my main laptop anyway!)

it will play most 720 divx movies and such too, so its not like youre just limited to SD.

add a good usb soundcard and another GB of ram and you have a nice little htpc for well under $300.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SKUSearch...tom%20N450%201.

 

[Keith1212]

I bought the $199 AcerAspire One D255E for this purpose. It has vga out and works perfect with my tv. I stream my media wireless over my homegroup in windows 7 seamlessly. Like others have said the HD netflix is choppy, BUT EVERYTHING else like normal SD netflix movies work. I can stream my 720p h264 movies perfectly also. This was even before i added 2g of ram.

Most ppl will say Acer is cheap, BUT this netbook it built VERY well. Plus u can just run to the local walmart and skip the ship times altogether.