Dell releases sub-$900 USD Blu-ray notebook

The giant personal computer manufacturer Dell has announced that it will begin offering its Inspiron 1525 notebooks with an option for an internal Blu-ray drive, and that configurations will start at $879 USD.

The only hitch is that customers will need to select a processor that is non-Celeron and at least 1.83GHz processing power. Of course, if you are trying to add Blu-ray to your configuration you are most likely looking for a nice computer.

The base price for the line is $499 USD and adding the cheapest eligible processor and the drive adds $380 USD to the price. Be noted that the drive can only read BD and if you want burning capabilities then the price jumps another $200 USD.

Besides the drive the system has a 15.4 inch display that has up to 720p Resolution. Also notable, the system has an HDMI port.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 28 Mar 2008 18:52

Advertisement - News comments available below the ad

16 comments

nobrainer

You need a DRM crippled HDMI, or at least a HDCP compliant DVI i/d or you will get NO signal when you plug your equipment into your new LCD/Plasma, because the MPAA says if its not crippled with DRM you will not be allowed to view the content.

Any HD device without this DRM is a very expensive paper weight.

also its worth noting that any dell without vista (linux) will not play blu-ray media because linux is open source, the MPAA are refusing to give the OS a licence.

A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection
Originally posted by Prof Peter Gutmann: In fact examples of this Windows content lock-in are already becoming apparent as people move to Vista and find that their legally-purchased content won't play any more under Vista (the example given in the link is particularly scary because the content actually includes a self-destruct after which it won't play any more, so not only do you need to re-purchase your content when you switch from XP to Vista, but you also need to re-purchase it periodically when it expires. In addition since the media rights can't be backed up, if you experience a disk crash you get another opportunity to re-purchase the content all over again. This is by design: as Jack Valenti, former head of the MPAA, put it, �If you buy a DVD you have a copy. If you want a backup copy you buy another one�). It's obvious why this type of business model makes the pain of pushing content protection onto consumers so worthwhile for Microsoft since it practically constitutes a license to print money.The DRM was forced on M$ by the MPAA. A great article from the EFF can be found; Here (Why Microsoft Sold Out Consumers in Vista)

The BPI Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.

The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.

The IFPI Are: The same anti consumer lot as listed above!

The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.

How do you stop anti consumer = its easy purchase only second hand media and avoid their propertarian hobbled by DRM hardware! http://www.boycott-riaa.com/

28.3.2008 19:13 #1

Ryu77

Quote:The only hitch is that customers will need to select a processor that is non-Celeron and at least 1.83GHz processing power.Of course! I seriously doubt that even if you did choose a 1.83Ghz CPU that it would have enough power to decode Blu-ray, unless it's a dual core? The article doesn't state either way, so I am not sure what Dell is offering.

It's not really a hitch as Dell are making sure that you don't choose a CPU that wont even play Blu-ray content smoothly. :-)

28.3.2008 20:06 #2

error5

There's extra processing power in the form of a Broadcomm Media PC accelerator located in a mini-card slot.

http://gizmodo.com/373304/dell-marks-end...d-inspiron-1525

28.3.2008 20:10 #3

Ryu77

Thank you error5... That clears things up. :-D

I certainly hope this technology enures no skipping or frame dropping occurs. 1080p material can be a heavy load for the CPU at times. Example... Video=25Mbps, Audio (5.1 LPCM)=4608Kbps... So that's about 30Mbps (sometimes more). Add the complicated algorithms of h264 and it will easily stun any single core CPU.

I'm sure Dell has thoroughly tested this set-up before releasing it to the public.

"Dream... Believe... Achieve"

28.3.2008 20:44 #4

core2kid

I run HD DVDs externally with the Xbox360 HD DVD player on my E1505 with a 2GHz Core2Duo and 2GB RAM with a ATIx1400 and it doesnt stutter at all, though it does put the CPU at about 80% constant. This is only at 1080i via VGA. I would suppose BluRay would require serious power and emmit a lot of heat, probably nothing you want to do on battery.

BTW, HD DVDs stutter on my 3.6GHz P4 HT with 1GB RAM and an X1650 running at a resolution of 1680x1050. Just proving that any single core will not handle an HD DVD or BluRay.

28.3.2008 21:21 #5

xaznboitx

I hope other company adds blu ray. I don't like dell brand.

29.3.2008 04:23 #6

nobrainer

@ core2kid

average ppl don't purchase notebooks for usability any more it's about the new "cool" feature and this is why the customer will never ask about battery life until they put in a blu-ray and the notebook dies after 25mins, on the tiny 15.4" screen. very high resolution on a tiny little screen, well 720p so not that high! pointless product dell, stop making hardware for the "keeping up with the joneses" wannabe morons.

29.3.2008 06:50 #7

core2kid

Originally posted by nobrainer: @ core2kid

average ppl don't purchase notebooks for usability any more it's about the new "cool" feature and this is why the customer will never ask about battery life until they put in a blu-ray and the notebook dies after 25mins, on the tiny 15.4" screen. very high resolution on a tiny little screen, well 720p so not that high! pointless product dell, stop making hardware for the "keeping up with the joneses" wannabe morons.
That's another reason I bought my HD DVD player, just to say I have one amongst all my friends :)
I can play about 1 entire HD movie on my battery while hooked to a 1080i LCD probably because my screen is disabled and I have the 9 Cell extended battery. When I bought my notebook, I thought mainly about battery. Then processor power and finally gaming. The E1505 was the only notebook to offer me an excellent battery @ 6hrs, An excellent processor for the time (2GHz Core2 for 1 1/2 ago) and an x1400 which isn't a great video card, but works for the small games I play when on the go, such as Guitar Hero (which drains my battery in about 1/2 hour)
I think Dell is doing a good thing by giving the option to Blu Ray in notebooks, but I think consumers should also know that a DVD burner is probably more usefull. I know it would be for me.

29.3.2008 08:10 #8

nobrainer

@ core2kid

a burner is far more useful but eh, idiots will purchase this kit. Maybe, in 5 to 10 years if blu-ray is still about it will be cheap enough to replace my dvd DL burner in my m1710 but until then i think i'll hold onto my cash.

but isn't there an AACS licensing issue relating to playing BD r media in many blu-ray players, so a blu-ray burner even atm is pointless if you are unable to play them home movies ect.

and before the flame, btw fanboys i do know the ps3 will play bd r media but i'm talking about blu-ray stand alone players as many ppl just dont want an ugly console in their atacama rack!

29.3.2008 09:27 #9

error5

Originally posted by Ryu77: Thank you error5... That clears things up. :-D

I certainly hope this technology enures no skipping or frame dropping occurs. 1080p material can be a heavy load for the CPU at times. Example... Video=25Mbps, Audio (5.1 LPCM)=4608Kbps... So that's about 30Mbps (sometimes more). Add the complicated algorithms of h264 and it will easily stun any single core CPU.

I'm sure Dell has thoroughly tested this set-up before releasing it to the public.All the video and audio decoding will be done by the Broadcomm card so a lot will be offloaded from the CPU/GPU. It also comes with a slim power travel adapter and an IR remote.

29.3.2008 10:11 #10

escalante

Quote:and before the flame, btw fanboys i do know the ps3 will play bd r media but i'm talking about blu-ray stand alone players as many ppl just dont want an ugly console in their atacama rack! Dude...the PS3 is pretty darn sexy, especially when it's vertical.

29.3.2008 15:53 #11

canuckerz

Good to see that they are being introduced into PC's quickly, if it stayed as an entertainment media only it will die fast to solid state technology and then we'd have another format war on our hands within a year.

@nobrainer
Why must you troll anything that has to do with new technology and shoot off about it, its ridiculous. The only thing drm does is make it a little bit harder to pirate, boo hoo cry me a river you gotta use one more program when you steal something. DRM is here to stay whether we like it or not so live with it. Almost everyone by now knows about DRM you don't have to make a 2 page rant whenever something as simple as someone making a cheap laptop comes out.

29.3.2008 20:24 #12

core2kid

Quote:Quote:and before the flame, btw fanboys i do know the ps3 will play bd r media but i'm talking about blu-ray stand alone players as many ppl just dont want an ugly console in their atacama rack! Dude...the PS3 is pretty darn sexy, especially when it's vertical.
I like how the PS3 looks. May not be the smallest thing, but it looks shiny and sleek, especially with the gloss black. No Blu Ray player to my knowledge has a gloss black finish.

29.3.2008 21:05 #13

Ryu77

Originally posted by nobrainer: a burner is far more useful but eh, idiots will purchase this kit. Maybe, in 5 to 10 years if blu-ray is still about it will be cheap enough to replace my dvd DL burner in my m1710 but until then i think i'll hold onto my cash.Is that a sign that he is finally seeing the light? Is it true?.... Do my eyes serve me correctly?? It can't be.... It is! nobrainer said one day he might actually buy a Blu-ray drive. Am I hallucinating? I think somebody slipped me something! **feeling faint** I need to lay down now...

Originally posted by canuckerz: @nobrainer
Why must you troll anything that has to do with new technology and shoot off about it, its ridiculous. The only thing drm does is make it a little bit harder to pirate, boo hoo cry me a river you gotta use one more program when you steal something. DRM is here to stay whether we like it or not so live with it. Almost everyone by now knows about DRM you don't have to make a 2 page rant whenever something as simple as someone making a cheap laptop comes out.I am with you 100% on that. Which is why I have decided to ignore anything that he whinges about from now on. I have been using tools that get past Blu-ray's DRM for quite some time now. You, I and many others know the truth. Some people just like to complain, and prefer to have a negative outlook on everything.

nobrainer wants all of us to boycott Blu-ray... I vote let's boycott nobrainer. Ignore it and it will go away (I hope :-P). Let's not give him fuel to feed his crazy Sony hating fetish. Let's completely ignore anything negative he posts about. Who's with me on that one?

"Dream... Believe... Achieve"

29.3.2008 22:33 #14

cyclone

To the first poster, my guess is every LCD and plasma television manufactured in the last three years has HDCP support on HDMI / DVI inputs, as do most of the ones older than that. In fact if I'm not mistaken every display device with an HDMI port will support HDCP. It may be inconvenient if you want a digital copy of the content, but HDCP isn't going to prevent many people from viewing.

To the poster regarding BD-R support, every standalone player except for the first LG combo HD-DVD/Blu-ray player and perhaps the Sharp player fully supports BD-R media.

30.3.2008 15:27 #15

core2kid

I ran my HD DVD player on an old Epsom projector in my school which had a maximum resolution of 800x600 or 1024x768 and it ran fine. I am going to try to see if I can run the HD DVD player on my 1998 CRT and I'll post back. My HD DVD player does need HDCP to run because if I hook it up via DVI to my Dell 21" Widescreen, it doesn't run, but works fine via VGA.

30.3.2008 16:13 #16

AfterDawn: News