Karaoke Forums

what is a good computer that will do a good job

Laptop with s-video out..

Some newer ones have HDMI out, tougher to use..

You can still find a few new computers with s-video out.

Dell Insirion 1525

There are handful of Toshiba models.

Well this is a tough question to answer since you've given really no information. Most Windows laptops on the market today or even in the last 5 years could run Karaoke software. What do you plan to use for the lyrics monitor? A TV? If so what kind of inputs does it have? If it doesn't have s-Video input, then an s-Video output on the laptop does you no good. IF the TV needs RCA then you either will need a converter or a laptop with RCA output (not very common anymore). If your TV only has an RF (Coax) input, you'll need an RF modulator. If you use an LCD Computer monitor, then as long as the laptop has a VGA out you'll be fine.

Here's what I'd look for assuming you're buying new. Get a Windows laptop with a minimum of 1GB RAM, preferably 2GB. Personally I'd recommend using an external drive to store your tracks on so the internal HD capacity won't be much of a factor since all laptops seem to be coming with 80GB drives or larger. Other than that, find the features you want if you plan to use it for anything else.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Not really true, if the laptop has s-video out and the tv doesn't have s-video in then all you would need is a RF modulator (less than $20) that has s-video in and both coax and rca outs.
S-video out from the laptop and a RF Modulator as described above would cover most all bases as far as hooking up to TVs.

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Music speaks to the heart in ways words cannot express.

Agreed, did you see the rest of my post where I mentioned converters and RF modulators? There are options to convert either the S-Video out or the VGA out to all sorts of other formats, most are pretty inexpensive.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

There are even HDMI to S-Video converters, although pricy!

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Again thanks to all, i will be using it primarly for the software and connecting to a mixer and using a flat panel monitor .

Computer with flat panel (LCD) monitor is my main party setup..

(I don't need much at a small party)

The same will work in a small club, but the TV connection allows TVs around the room to be used.

The TV signal splits easier..

The s-video to RCA dongle is $5.00 at the electronics parts store..
and $20.00 @ a big box store.

many thanks again i am not the computer guru so i have no clue .

so would a vga output on the laptop and a vga input on the moniter work?

Yes.. That's what I use..

Today, Office Depot has a MSI laptop for $319.99

15.6 screen, 3 gig ram, 160 gig HD Windows 7

Grab it..

Yes, and it's probably the best option

I love my HP DV2000 laptop, screen's kinda small, but it runs like a champ.

well i decided to go with a gateway t6600 core duo.

The best $599.00 you can spend.. (@ Best Buy)

Thanks JD, one of the guys at work said this would do the job.

Just don't expect the Dell with both the HD and Svideo outs to work properly. A friend of mine has one and it will NOT address the Svideo out at all... after many hours on the phone with dell and tech support, even Dell gave up...

Sony makes some good laptops too..

The few I've bought had dedicated video ram, freeing up main memory..

+ firewire in/out and composite out. (TV)

If the system is older, (With S3 Video) the Windows update kills the TV out..

I wouldn't buy a floppy from those crooks let alone spend hundreds. Worst service after the sale in the civilized world!


I have 2 laptops, spend just about $500 for the two of them combined (ebay). One is toshiba and one is dell. The Toshiba is my show computer. It is 17". The 15" dell is my back up. I don't use them for the internet other than to download compuhost. Never had a problem running my show with the toshiba, I have the dell hooked up at home to my home set up and no problems with it. External hard drives are very cheap nowadays. A 500 GB EHD will hold about 50,000 karaoke tracks and 50,000 regular tracks or more. This is the route I have chosen, some buy a big drive in the computer and put their music there. My little 160 gb WD Passport takes up next to no room in my set up.

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