mgold,
I've got a lotta experience in Karaoke Shows, but kinda short on technical knowledge (Computer Challenged!). I have about 900 cdg's that I have collected (Bought!) over my 13 years in the business, and have tried to evolve with the industry.
I went with MTU about 4 years ago when I determined that Computer Karaoke was going to be at least as dependable as the disc-based show I was doing, and at my age (56 now), I was considering the ease of carrying around a Laptop, as opposed to the 900 cdgs, and two players ( 6 disk magazine- since have become obsolete ). I made a leap of faith with no one in my town that had gone computer for Karaoke. I was one of two KJ's in a small rural community of two or three small towns, so I was to be my own Guiney Pig. I had seen a DJ using a computer based program once while I was doing a private party with him as the DJ and Me as the Kj.
I had searched the internet for Computer Karaoke, and luck have it, I stumbled onto MTU website. I dove in head first, and purchased the laptop and Hoster/Suite combination from them, as well as a cdg burner. Best move I've made since I came into the business!
Most of the discs I had were pristine, because I didn't have to handle them individually because of my 6 magazine players. The program will copy a scratched disc, that I didn't use in the show because my player would show garbled graphics. So, if some of your discs show a little wear from handling, this program will make a great copy, without a lot of the noise lines you get when playing scratched or slightly overused discs!
Computer Brand, I've found out doesn't make much difference, get one of the big brands, and the tech service might help you if you are computer challenged. Get one that has XP for now, Hoster 4.0 will tame some of the complaints that I'm hearing about Vista operating system. Get a fast processor, max out the RAM, a great soundcard (check the video out! I found the s-video out will adapt to most TV or Monitor applications) , and a Hard drive big enough for your cdg collection. I outgrew my original 60 gb hardrive, and transferred my music to an external hardrive. I bought a couple of the 160 gb WD Passport external hardrives that I travel with, since I had to replace a failing hardrive in the original laptop I bought from MTU, I now have a backup laptop that I use at home, for internet, songbook program, KJPro, that is about 15-30 minutes away, if I have a failure of the replaced hardrive. I still use the original MTU laptop for my shows, and only hook it up to the internet to update Hoster.( Afraid of Viruses! )
I use the Bose PAS classic for speaker system ( light weight, and sounds great, was well worth the price tag for my situation), it has a built in amplifyer that is more than enough for most small venues, and I've done several outside parties, with no complaints from the youngsters! Ha! Add a small Mixer and you have all you will need to do a decent show!
The main thing to remember as a Karaoke Host, you are not the entertainment! Let the customer be the star, make him/her sound the best that you can, and have a lot of fun doing something that is unique every night! Change it up, experiment, and let us know how to improve our shows!
My Karaoke Motto:
It's been a business, doing pleasure with you!
Rick
Rikki Tikki Karaoke