3

Why can't somebody make something like this (unless there is one I don't know about) with a full-size PCI slot built in? I'm sick of having to lug around a laptop this size + a Magma expansion box that houses a proprietary fiber card for data acquisition.

w00t!

My local Wal-Mart does indeed have a whole stack of these things for $200 on an end-cap - but no HD-DVD discs anywhere.

ill take one - this is a best buy store brand right - anyone know who the manufacturer is?

i wants one too!

it would be hotter with 8gb, but i wouldnt kick it out of bed

@ navstar

I've got a 42" screen that is 720p. I just moved out of where I was staying and my roommate who had grown fond of it decided he needed a big TV and bought a 50" with 1080p. After he got it set up where my TV used to sit and with all of the seating still the same, I can only tell a difference between his display and mine from the closest recliner which is about 5-6 feet away. Anything further and I can't tell the difference between the 1080p (from a PS3 on both Blu-Ray and Ninja Gaiden Sigma) and 720p, and I consider myself fairly picky with detail. I wouldn't bother spending any extra money just for 1080p. What you might notice, though is that the new crop of sets that are 1080p might have better contrast ratios and color reproduction which could be worth the extra cost.

@ Eddie: Sony proprietary format? Maybe, but WB put out the 300 HD-DVD on its own even more expensive proprietary hybrid DVD/HD-DVD format - so they actually have only themselves to blame, not Sony.

@Smee: You need to take an economics class. The only reason the PS3 is cheaper is because Sony is selling it at over $200 below cost because game and accessory margins make up for it. Their standalone player that is the same price as the PS3 actually costs less than the sale price, so the actual cost difference is likely well over $200. Meanwhile, Toshiba (this Onkyo and the XBox drives are the only non-Toshiba ones that exist) are subsidizing players as well, or they would cost almost as much as this Onkyo (which is just a Toshiba wrapped in a different box with a premium tagged on because consumers think Onkyo is a "premium" brand). Fact is, the retail prices lie. The two formats cost essnetially the same to the manufacturers. Also why the hate for DRM and region coding? These things keep disc prices low by fighting piracy.

Sorry you're a cheapskate. You create a convuluted rant because you're really afraid Blu-Ray will win and you won't be able to pirate things as easily. I prefer to purchase my movies legally. People making arguments like yours only drive up the cost for honest consumers instead of helping things. Technology isn't free. Movies aren't free to make. I want an HD movie player for $100 tomorrow with unlimited free movies, but its not going to happen, and the format war isn't going to make it happen either.

no dvi = deal breaker... shame really - you think it would be mandatory on something costing this much even if they had to go the apple route with one of those mini-dvi ports requiring an adapter to keep the size down.