Which Notebook for HDMI to TV & Surround sound

HDMI is capable of transferring both sound and video, but not all notebooks with HDMI ports actually are capable of this due to manufacturer priorities. Research is needed into specific notebooks to make sure that HDMI works for both. HDMI is capable of very high quality video resolution.

You're mixing Intel brands a bit when you said that people recommended the "Pentium I series." Intel's latest processors are called Core i3, Core i5, & Core i7, and they are the most powerful processors per clock speed which is why they were most likely recommended to you. I tend to recommend that people look for a notebook with one of those processors because they have the most current technology.

Something you will definitely want in a notebook is a dedicated video card, which allows faster and better quality video decoding at high resolutions than integrated video cards. Since the above-mentioned Core i3, i5, & some of the i7 processors have integrated video attached to them, more notebooks now have both integrated and dedicated video, and switch between them according to whether the higher-powered dedicated video card is needed or not.

All modern notebook have wireless cards capable of connecting to your home network wirelessly, as long as you have a wireless router.

Since you said you wanted something smaller, I would recommend something like the Asus U30Jc. You can buy it from GenTechPC, one of our official NBF resellers here. It has HDMI output along with a Core i3 processor and a dedicated video card that automatically switches on and off according to how it's needed via Nvidia's Optimus technology. You can also send Ken from GenTech a private message on NBF or an e-mail asking him about the HDMI port.

I second Djembe's advice. For the price it's hard to beat the performance of the U30Jc.

It sounds as though you want something like my setup, which is great while I'm in my Military dorm room. The HDMI allows terrific playback of HD/Blu-Ray content on my HiDef tv, and the small sound system connected to my tv makes for a great entertainment experience.

i agree with Djembe's opinion.

hi guys i didn't want to make another thread about the same question so i figured i just post it here.

Anyways i have a Acer 6920G with Full HD and a Geforce 9500M GS and i want to do the same exact thing as OP does. Will my laptop work. and if so will it work with any receiver or just certain ones only and which ones if so. I'm look at getting the Pioneer VSX-1020-K but i wanna make sure before i purchase.

Well your laptop has an HDMI port, which is great for connecting to an HDTV. Also the Pioneer VSX-1020-K has some nice specs, and with a good speaker system should serve you well.

So are u saying my laptop will work with an AV Receiver? i just need to be certain.

Also upon further digging i just discovered newegg has dropped the price of the SR608 to an unheard of $419 shipped on 3 day select. What is your take on getting the SR608 over the VSX-1020-K these were the two i was debating about. At that price it's hard to avoid not getting it and not to mention 7.2. If my laptop will work perfectly with the SR608 i can pretty much do everything that the VSX-1020-K can do with my laptop and iPhone plugged into laptop, i'll just be losing 10 watts per channel though. however the VSX-1020-K is now about $50+ more than the SR608. What's your take?

I just checked a few things concerning your 9500M GS card and according to DivX it can play back H.264 HD content. Also, after reading a review of the laptop the 9500M GS helps take some of the load off of the processor for playing back HD content, which is a plus.

As for the SR 608, it seems like a good deal as well. As you stated, you'll lose 10w per channel and if you can live with that saving money is always a good thing.