HP Pavilion dv1000 Series Entertainment Notebook

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_series.do?series_name=dv1000_series&catLevel=2&category=notebooks/hp_pavilion&storeName=computer_store' target='_blank'>http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_series.do?series_name=dv1000_series&catLevel=2&category=notebooks/hp_pavilion&storeName=computer_store</a><br /><br /></div><i>"The perfect blend of mobility, style, and performance, this notebook PC will become the center of your digital entertainment universe, whether you're home, at school, working, or on the road...The dv1000 series' 14" high-definition widescreen display brings your photos and movies to life with amazing color and clarity. While this notebook is actually as wide as standard 15" displays, it has the same form factor as a 12" display, so it takes up less space on your desk or in your briefcase. Even more impressive, its high resolution provides 25% more information than standard 15" XGA displays."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/dv1000.jpg" /><br /><br />If you're looking for an entertainment-focused notebook, this looks quite interesting. A 14" widescreen is something I haven't seen before - 1280x768 is a decent resolution, although at 14" I think they could have gone a bit higher. CPU power is decent at either 1.6 Ghz or 1.7 Ghz, based on (I think) the new Dothan CPUs. I hate Intel's new naming scheme, I can't figure the chips out any more. Maximum PC published a little cut-out cheat sheet that I'll have to keep next to my PC now. :roll: Anyway, this new dv1000 has the ability to play DVDs and music without booting up into Windows, which is pretty cool. What's not so cool is that they only offer 4200 RPM hard drives - you'd think 5400 RPM or higher would be more appropriate for a laptop like this - and they don't offer a DVD burning option, only CD-R/DVD-ROM. Still, overall a compelling little unit. I look forward to checkout out a review or two!

[Mojo Jojo]

Interesting, I wonder what the battery life is like when it is in DVD/Music mode. Other then that the rest of the specs aren't too impressive to me. The price isn't too bad though.

[Jason Dunn]

Yeah, this is a "budget entertainment" unit, not a digital media editing powerhouse. The base unit comes in at $1099, so it's not surprising tha the specs aren't awe-inspiring. Still, I think they should at least offer DVD burner/faster hard drives as options for someone who wants to turn the laptop into something more powerful. It looks strangely retro, but I like it!

[Suhit Gupta]

Well, it is nice to see that the unit weighs about 5.5lbs. Unfortunately, I don't see battery life/capacity stats.

Suhit

[mcsouth]

Initially, this looks kind of interesting - but I'm put off by the specs, and end up questioning the overall purpose. In the end, I think this is intended to be as much an entertainment unit than an actual 'working' laptop - this is not the kind of unit that I think you'd see corporate America lining up for. That being said, the lack of a DVD burner and those slooooow hard drives seems a bit ridiculous nowadays.........I think I'd just as soon splurge on something a bit more functional, even for that price.

[Suhit Gupta]

Initially, this looks kind of interesting - but I'm put off by the specs, and end up questioning the overall purpose. In the end, I think this is intended to be as much an entertainment unit than an actual 'working' laptop - this is not the kind of unit that I think you'd see corporate America lining up for. That being said, the lack of a DVD burner and those slooooow hard drives seems a bit ridiculous nowadays.........I think I'd just as soon splurge on something a bit more functional, even for that price.
Yeah, that slow HDD is definitely sucky. What is worse is that they don't appear to even offer a higher speed drive option even if more money were thrown at the laptop. I guess it must have something to do with how hot the notebook runs.

Suhit