Karaoke Forums

I am getting started to doing laptop karaoke so I don't have to carry all them discs. Can anyone tell me a nice and inexpensive laptop(under $700) that I can purchase? Also any additional accessories that I made need. And maybe a coulple of software programs. Thanks.

You should be able to get a good enough laptop for that price. Rather than suggest a specific brand, I suggest that you make sure it has a good sound card, a good video card, at least 2 GB of memory (to stop freezing while searching and playing), and a dvd burner (for ripping your discs). I'm sure any of the new laptops you can pick up will have a good enough processor for the purpose.
As for programs, I use autokdj and winamp which are both free programs.
Do a search on google for autokdj and it should come up.
You are also going to want a large harddrive, but I suggest getting a removable USB drive such as the Western Digital Notebook to store all your karaoke files on. I use the WD Notebook and have never had issues with it. I used another cheaper brand once and it failed 2 months in. NEVER AGAIN! With my WD, I've even dropped it (DON'T DO THAT!!!) and it still keeps working. It's the Timex of the USB removable drives, as far as I'm concerned.
You're going to want a rather large drive so you can expand your library later. I have a 500GB drive and it serves me nicely.
The reason you want it on a separate drive from your computer is to safeguard your files in case your computer crashes or dies in any way. It's a LONG time-consuming process to rip all your discs (but well worth it!) and you want to safeguard that work.
Good luck to you!

Thanks for your help. I already have 2 WD notebooks ( 500 & 640 gig) and music is already ripped to them. Any specifics on video and sound cards?

Sorry, I can't help you with specifics, but suffice it to say that whatever you can get these days should be good enough. I can run my system off an old Omnibook XE3 with almost no issues. The only problem with it is that I need more memory for it in order to search for songs and play the current song without it "hitching" every now and again. And because it's old, I'm already capped at the amout of memory I can add .
Glad you already have the HD's because I will stand by that brand through thick and thin. The one I currently use, I've had for 3 years and have dropped it a few times (the case even popped open a little) and like I said, it's a Timex.

for sound, I'd go usb out to either a mixer that accepts usb, or use the Behringer UCA202 usb device found at zzounds.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHUCA202

video is best done when the computer has a 2ndary display mode, or extended desktop. A separate window is created for the cdg screen. You click and drag that to the 2nd screen.

If you have S-video, then you can EASILY convert that signal to RCA for television screens.

THIS device is excellent. and you can't beat the price!

by the way, questions like this are best posted over at the technical questions forum!

Thanks for that! I was just going to ask about that very thing!
Cheers!

Just be careful... they have the FEMALE S-Video to RCA... and I initially ordered THOSE! Oh well, in case I ever have any cards that are so configured, I have a converter for it! heheheh

You're welcome. I like forwarding on the news as I get them... this is one that's had a lot of talk about it recently!