My digital video dream come true
Written: Nov 15 '02 (Updated Nov 15 '02)
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Pros: DVD Writer combo drive, fast, large hard drive, did I mention fast?
Cons: None so far
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend this computer to everyone, whether your in to digital video and photography or just ready to update to a newer computer.
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| KayGeaLady's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Pavilion 763n (P9853A#ABA) PC Desk... |
A year ago, we decided this would be the year we bought a new computer. Our IBM Aptiva was going to be three years old and it just was not capable of handling everything we wanted it to do, specifically digital video. Thus began my search for a new computer match for us. I narrowed the search to three brands- Gateway, Dell and Hewlett Packard. All three had models which would meet our needs but only HP had a model with all the bells and whistles I wanted and a price tag that did not send me into sticker shock. The clincher was the DVD writer combo drive in a computer we could comfortably afford.
In the box
HP Pavilion 763n Computer, keyboard, optical mouse, power cord, modem cable, speakers and documentation. I've listed the manufacturer's specifications at the end of this review.
Documentation
hp pavilion home pc quick start guide- Your basic guide to setting up and using the computer. Sections include Setting Up the Computer, Using the Computer, Setting Up and Using the Internet, Doing Common Tasks, Getting HP Updates for the PC, Resolving Problems and an Index.
hp dvd writer- Explains how to use the combo drive and the basics for the included software- MyDVD, Windows Media Player, HP RecordNow, Windows Movie Maker, InterVideo WinDVD, HP DLA (Drive Letter Access) and ArcSoft ShowBiz. Compatible discs include: DVD-ROM, DVDplusR, DVDplusRW, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW and audio and video DVDs and CDs (VCD). Note- the dvd writer cannot record to DVD-R, DVD-RW or DVD-RAM discs.
Windows XP- Very basic. The more you use the program, the more you'll come to like it.
hp pavilion home pc support guide- Tells you where to get help, warranty and license information, declaration of conformity, operating specifications, regulatory and safety information.
hp pavilion home pc guide to connecting the computer to a Television- exactly what the title says.
Out of the box
Can a computer get any easier to set up? The connection poster tells you exactly what goes where. My husband is our house's designated gadget setter-upper and had this up and going in 10 minutes. All I had to do was push the power button. Forty five minutes later, I had all registrations and installations completed and was ready to start exploring exactly what our new computer was capable of doing.
What I like most
DVD writer/ CD writer combo drive- this drive does it all. This is the drive you will use to watch DVDs, burn data onto a DVD or CD, burn a music CD or, my favorite, burn those home movies onto a DVD. Of course, you can also use it to read your software discs. The computer also has a 48X CD-ROM drive and I use that for regular CD-ROM software discs. I 'save' the combo drive for DVD watching and burning. Woe be the person who dares to use it for playing a game. As for the DVDs burned, we have three DVD players- one JVC and two Panasonics (I've previously reviewed the JVC and portable Panasonic)- the home DVDs I've burned play in all three of them without a hitch.
Front USB and FireWire ports- These have proven to be great time savers. The two USB 2.0 and one IEEE 1394 make connecting scanners, digital cameras, camcorders and anything else that can be connected through them a piece of cake. As often as I connect and disconnect our digital camera and camcorder, the very thought of having to keep reaching behind the computer every time is frightening. Not to mention how tedious it would eventually become.
Speed and storage space- With a 2.53 ghz Intel Pentium 4 processor, this baby zooms right along! The 512 MB DDR SDRAM memory (upgradeable to 1 GB!) and 80 GB hard drive provides more than enough space for running and storing our programs. On our old Aptiva, installing MicroSoft Picture It! Publishing took almost an hour and a half. When I installed it on the 763n, it took less than 10 minutes from start to finish. If you're into MP3s, 80 Gigs will store hours of music.
Sound- Frankly, this is the one aspect of the HP Pavilion 763n that I have a love/hate relationship with, maybe it's my 40 year old ears. The volume level indicator is a series of bars. The higher the volume, the more bars you'll see. I have yet to have it higher then three bars ( example: III). I'm afraid to have it any higher. Again, if you use your computer to store your MP3s and play them at parties, this could be an advantage. The sound is great and the included Polk Speakers are fantastic.
Compatibility- I have had no problems with my HP Photosmart 1215 printer, Panasonic DV-PV51, Olympus C-720 digital camera or KOGi Flat Panel Monitor. All three have worked right from being plugged in to the computer. No drivers to hunt down or calls to be made for tech support.
Optical mouse- You've got to love this mouse. No ball to have to worry about cleaning and my 6 and 4 year olds think the red glow is too cool.
Included Software-
Windows XP isn't as daunting as it seems. It does take some getting used to but then you'll love it. It also gives you the option to run your older programs in the Windows version they were created for. Simply right click on the program icon, click Properties then click the Compatibility tab to choose which version you want to use to run the program.
ArcSoft Showbiz (computer currently ships with HP Memories Disc Creator instead of ShowBiz) and MyDVD make creating your home movies fun and easy. ShowBiz is my favorite of the two. I love the choices for transitions and animations to enhance video footage.
InterVideo WinDVD is the program you'll use to watch a DVD on the HP Pavilion 763n.
There are more software titles included but those are the ones I use the most.
Bottom Line
I love this computer! I highly recommend it and it should be at the top of your short list when considering buying a new computer. The gray/black tower is a nice change from the dreadfully depressing beige tower as well.
Specifications (from HP website)
microprocessor Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 2.53GHz
frontside bus 533MHz
memory 512MB DDR (Double Data Rate) SDRAM (exp. to 1GB)
hard drive 80GB Ultra DMA
DVD-Writer Combo drive 2.4x max. DVD write; 2.4x max. DVD re-write; 8x max. DVD read; 12x max. CD-write; 10x max. CD re-write; 32x max. CD read
multimedia drive 48x max. speed CD-ROM
video graphics NVIDIA® GeForce2™ MX420 graphics card with 64MB DDR (Double Data Rate) SDRAM video memory w/TV out
sound Integrated AC-97/Polk Audio Stereo Speakers with Power Port technology
network card Integrated 10/100Base-T networking interface
data/fax modem ITU V.90 K56flex modem, data/fax only (33.6Kbps send/download up to 56Kbps/14.4Kbps fax)
total drive bays External (1) 3.5", (2) 5.25"; Internal (2) 3.5"
available drive bays Internal (1) 3.5"
total expansion slots 3 PCI; 1 AGP 4X
available slots 1 PCI
total external ports 6 USB 2.0; 1 Serial; 1 parallel; 2 PS/2; 3 IEEE 1394 ports
available external ports 6 USB 2.0; 1 Serial; 1 parallel; 3 IEEE 1394 ports
total memory slots 2 DIMM (184-pin, DDR)
available memory slots 1 DIMM (184-pin, DDR)
memory speed 2100 MB/sec (PC 2100)
primary cache (L1) 8KBytes of Data Cache Trace Cache containing 12,000 Micro-Op entries
secondary-level cache (L2) 512KBytes advanced transfer cache
MPEG MPEG2 for full-motion digital video
keyboard hp Internet Command Center; one-touch Internet keyboard
mouse PS/2 Optical Scroller Mouse
front mounted ports 2 USB 2.0 and 1 IEEE 1394
diskette drive 3.5" (1.44MB)
bundled software
Microsoft® Windows XP Home Edition
Arcsoft Showbiz
Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service Online (with 1 year free subscription)
My DVD (powered by Sonic Solutions)
WordPerfect® Productivity Pack including WordPerfect® 10 and Quattro Pro® 10
HP RecordNow
Game Channel: try all 16 titles, get 2 full games free
HP Picture Toolkit includes: Arcsoft™ PhotoImpression™, Fun House™, and Greeting Card Creator
InterVideo™ WinDVD SE
Internet solutions:
AOL® (Dial-up, DSL, and Satellite) (U.S. only)
MSN (U.S. only)
CompuServe® (U.S. only)
DirecTV DSL (U.S. only)
EarthLink (Dial-up & DSL) (U.S. only)
MusicMatch® Jukebox with 50 free MP3 selections from EMusic.com!
post-purchase promotions:
HP Center Toolbar - provides timely support updates and compelling offers
HP Learning Adventures (from Pre-school to Adult titles); 1 click access to 15 newly released software titles. Choose one title for free!
HP Club - www.myhpclub.com - the destination website for HP Pavilion desktop PC owners
productivity and finance:
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™
Intuit® Quicken® Financial Center includes New Users Edition 2002 (U.S. only)
service and support: Norton Antivirus™ 2002 includes 90-days of free updates
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1249.00
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
KayGeaLady
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Location: Kailua, HI, USA
Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
Wife, mom, cook, laundress, house cleaner, yard technician and experienced shopper!
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