A Review of the HP Pavilion DV6871US Entertainment Notebook

Entertainment notebooks have become wildly popular since the drastic price reductions of high definition televisions. Unfortunately because of their great versatility and performance the prices of the high end entertainment notebooks have stayed at a premium. With the HP Pavilion DV6871US this isn't the case as it has dropped below $1000 and as a result it has been flying off the shelves. I've taken this opportunity to get my hands on one and give it a review. I'm going to let you know if it really lives up to its hype or if it is a bust. Let me get started by popping the hood.

Hardware

Processor: 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5550

Storage Space: 320GB hard drive

RAM: 3GB RAM (expandable to a 4GB maximum)

Optical Drive: CD R / RW with and integrated dual-layer DVD +/- R RW drive

Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS graphics (up to 1535 MB of shared and dedicated video RAM)

Weight and Dimensions: 14" x 10" x 1.5" and weighs in at 6.14lbs

The first thing you notice when this 15" beast comes out of the box is not only the wave imprint on the bezel but that it is relatively light for such a large notebook. It weighs in just over 6lbs which is impressive when you consider most comparable multimedia notebooks are around 7lbs. The 1280 x 800 WXGA widescreen 15.4" LCD is the next thing that stands out. The screen is bright and glossy giving it a crisp look.

The performance is great with the relatively strong Intel processor backed with the 3GB of RAM and the large 320GB hard drive. I love the high end mobile graphics card which when combined with a large high definition LCD television really makes games look great. This notebook can replace a number of components in your living room starting with the DVR (thanks to integrated features in Windows Vista which comes preloaded). While all of that is fun, it also does a great job with word processing, making PowerPoint's, and even operates Photoshop flawlessly.

Connectivity

3 2.0 USB ports (These are used to connect things like MP3 players, printers, and digital cameras)

1 FireWire port (this is used for high speed data transfer between things like digital camcorders and other PCs)

1 HDMI port (so it can be connected to high definition televisions)

1 VGA output (a typical computer monitor port)

1 S-Video output (this is used to connect the laptop with projectors and some compatible televisions)

1 ExpressCard (so you can add other devices like a cellular modem)

2 audio out and 1 mic in

1 IR receptor (for the included remote control)

5 in 1 memory card reader (so you can remove the solid state memory card from your digital camera and directly insert it into your notebook)

Integrated Wireless

Integrated BlueTooth

1 Ethernet port (to connect to wired LANs)

56K modem port (so you can dial up with this notebook)

The connectivity of this notebook is great and has everything I would expect from a high end entertainment notebook. The HP Pavilion DV6871US is a great deal at just under $1000. I don't foresee it dropping in price much below $1000, if anything it may fluctuate above that figure from time to time. This notebook would make anyone happy. It is mobile enough to go on the road pleasing the student or business professional, yet it is also powerful enough to take its place in your living room entertainment center.