Laptop vs PC

[xxyzz]

I have been using a beautiful small form factor computer that has worked great for me. Lately I have been thinking about switching to a Laptop but I am worried about sound quality issues. Since laptops typically use on board sound how is that going to compare to using a desktop that has a very good sound card? Will my customers notice, will I?

Do you use a laptop or a desktop?

[ddouglass]

I know I have stated my opinion on this several times throughout these forums, but to me laptops are too much trouble in a small space.
I use a small form desktop as you do, that I put together with the best quality sound card, the best motherboard for what I wanted, and even have two video cards ( because of the motherboard I use) which allowas me to split my screen desktop into upto 4 screens. I can put the Singers Name Display on one screen and the lyrics on another so I never cover up the SND. I can then put an advertisement on the big screen for the bar or our company and more.
Another point is if something breaks in a desktop I can replace that part myself. Try that on a laptop.

[billyo]

Originally Posted by xxyzz

I have been using a beautiful small form factor computer that has worked great for me. Lately I have been thinking about switching to a Laptop but I am worried about sound quality issues. Since laptops typically use on board sound how is that going to compare to using a desktop that has a very good sound card? Will my customers notice, will I?

Do you use a laptop or a desktop?

i have 3 desktop pc's..2 of the small factory form pc's from dell, which i used for microstudio. and 1 pc from gateway for everyday use and 3 laptops,,i have been using my 2 laptops doing my show 1 for main and the other as a back-up ..mainly to save space and not to carry a monitor..i guess it depends on what kind of a soundcard you have and what kind of speakers and mixing board..i use a the 6" krk studio monitors with a 10" sub-woofer for my pc's , and mackie board and powered mackie speakers for my show..and they do sound great..

[lmcmains]

I agree with Dale, I use two small factor Shuttle Computers. If you are using a laptop and you have problem with the video card or sound you have to replace the motherboard. With a PC you can just replace the card.

[horseshoe]

I currently have two laptop P4s and a Shuttle AMD64 in my system. I have the shuttle as a backup, but have not had one second's trouble out of the laptops in over three years of use. I use a pcmcia Echo Indigo soundcard in them to get the best sound, and they sound great.

Like some of you, I have two video cards and two sound cards in my Shuttle, but since I don't often use it, I keep it at home.

I also have a cheaper laptop to use in a emergency. It does not have the external sound card, but can be used if I need it. This stays with the karaoke stuff when we are setting up for the night.

I really prefer the Shuttle, but it means more cables and an extra monitor, and that takes up quite a bit of space on the tables I use. Some places don't have the room to use it, so my karaoke ladies prefer the laptops. They are also quite a bit easier to set up and use without the monitor and keyboard to worry about.

I also have a three disc player and a karaoke machine, but that is another story.

[ddouglass]

I can see that space may be a problem in some places, but I have always carried my own foldup table. My mixer/equalizer /amp rack sits on one end and computer with a 15" LCD monitor sitting on top set at the other end with mouse and keyboard in front. Fits nicely. I also found and use a flat, flexible (I can roll it up for storage) silicon keyboard with backlight that works great. The table I use is only 2'x4'.

[admin]

We have sold Laptops for several years now, and we haven't had any problems reported. Yes, if an audio or video section fails on a "all in one" board, such as on laptops. it will require a factory replacement. Never happened once so far to our customers. Also, you can use and external audio pcmcia card if you want.

As has been said here, the Laptop is much, much easier to set up, and requires less support "boxes" and cables around it. Since Hoster 3.316 uses most CD/DVD drives now, you don't have to have an external USB Plextor drive with a Laptop any more. That... was a major improvement we worked hard to obtain.

[computex13]

My test system is an HP desktop and my show station is an HP laptop. Both work great, it is just less hassle with a laptop. Like Admin said, when they got the built in cdrom's to read cd+g's, it made it an easy choice.

Good job MTU!

[xxyzz]

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far to this post, I think I will give a laptop a try and keep my current desktop as a backup.

I want to make sure I understand the license agreement please correct me if I am wrong. I can install Hoster on the Laptop without buying another license. The laptop will be my main Hoster computer and my current system will be my backup.

Since we now get our Hoster updates via e-mail instead of the accounts page, how can I get a new copy? I am currentely running version 3.316.The last version I have a copy saved is 3.314, I must not have saved the the 3.316 version.

[mindonstrike]

Originally Posted by xxyzz

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far to this post, I think I will give a laptop a try and keep my current desktop as a backup.

I want to make sure I understand the license agreement please correct me if I am wrong. I can install Hoster on the Laptop without buying another license. The laptop will be my main Hoster computer and my current system will be my backup.

full Hoster yes. HosterLite is only 1 machine.

{quote]Since we now get our Hoster updates via e-mail instead of the accounts page, how can I get a new copy? I am currentely running version 3.316.The last version I have a copy saved is 3.314, I must not have saved the the 3.316 version.[/quote]Unsure of the procedure for this.

You might check your recycle bin and see if maybe it's still in there.

Sam

[bobcox- with the Lord]

setup with a sff desktop is. no setup at all if you mount it in bottom of your roadcase it stays conected to your mixing board, and my 17" monitor is mounted perminitly on top (just fold down at end of night). also speaker jacks and video jacks are mounted in back of roadcase.
so you just set it on table, plug it in, boot up, and plug in speakers and tv.

[bryant]

I do the same setup with my shuttle as I once did with the laptop, pretty much. Much more reliable, too.

[Ernie]

You should have taken a poll.. Desktop, Laptop or both.