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    leaning toward the XPS 15z, but no Blu-Ray is a huge turn off

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by kevjen888, Jun 19, 2011.

  1. kevjen888

    kevjen888 Notebook Guru

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    why even opt for the 1080p screen if they don't have Blu-Ray drive as an option? i'm in the market for a laptop with a budget around $1000, my final choices are: HP DV6T Quad with all the bells and whistles: 2nd gen i7, 6g ram, blu-ray drive, 1080p screen. Dell XPS15 with the same configuration as the HP. and finally the XPS 15z. so far the no blu-ray option is the only deal breaker for me on the XPS 15z. i don't want to buy it now and couple month later Dell comes up with a blu-ray equipped 15z. anyone else shares the same sentiment?
     
    kevjen888, Jun 19, 2011
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  2. CUDA.

    CUDA. Guest

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    Why don't you just install a blu ray drive yourself? That's what I did. You can pick one up off ebay for between $100-$150.
    All you have to do then is buy a copy of PowerDVD and your good.(Which you would have to do anyway, even if your new lappy did have a blu-ray drive installed-They very rarely give the software free as part of the deal!)
     
    CUDA., Jun 19, 2011
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  3. Nigel8600

    Nigel8600 Notebook Evangelist

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    Find a BR drive for the 15Z?????

    Those are not regular tray load drives like you have (SONY BD-5730S) and slot load for a 15Z are not as easy to find as you think.
     
    Nigel8600, Jun 19, 2011
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  4. funky monk

    funky monk Notebook Deity

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    Slot loading drives are perfectly easy to come by. Also, with the internet it's not like if only one place has it in stock that you'd have to travel to the other side of the earth just to get it, you just order it like you would anything else. The magic that is google does wonders in these cases.
     
    funky monk, Jun 19, 2011
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  5. coldcase

    coldcase Notebook Consultant

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    For laptop designs driving for maximum thinness, the 9.5mm form factor helps achieve that. Unfortunately none of the optical drive manufacturers offer a 9.5mm slot load drive that support Blu-Ray. Both the XPS 15z and Alienware M14x include a 9.5mm slot load optical drive and none are blu-ray. The MBP is another example.
     
    coldcase, Jun 19, 2011
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  6. Nigel8600

    Nigel8600 Notebook Evangelist

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    Really? Then please, show us where someone can get a reasonably priced slot loading blu-ray that fits a 15Z. And please, use your magic tool you call "Google" lol.
     
    Nigel8600, Jun 19, 2011
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  7. blaster

    blaster 1 tequila, 2,3,4,5, floor

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    I'm afraid you missed the post above you, At the moment no one manufacturers 9.5mm blu-ray slot load.
     
    blaster, Jun 19, 2011
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  8. Nigel8600

    Nigel8600 Notebook Evangelist

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    Thx blaster, no, I didnt miss it, I'm just adding salt to the wound of funky monks misinformed putting me down on a forum without actually doing research first. :spinny:
     
    Nigel8600, Jun 19, 2011
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  9. kevjen888

    kevjen888 Notebook Guru

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    so no blu-ray for the xps 15z is because of the thinness of the laptop itself, not because Dell playing marketing trick on us? if that's the case, then why opt for the 1080p screen if you can't even watch any HD movies other than streaming.
     
    kevjen888, Jun 20, 2011
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  10. CUDA.

    CUDA. Guest

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    Then the answer is simple,
    Opt 1. Buy an external Blu-ray drive or
    Opt 2. Find a laptop that has Blu-ray* or
    Opt 3. Buy a laptop that doesn't have a slot drive but instead has a real drive so you can install a Blu-ray drive yourself. (A laptop with slot drive would be more of a turnoff to me then not having a Blu-ray drive. I should know, I bought a laptop with a slot-load 4 years ago and it broke after 10 months- slot loads are very unreliable!)

    *so why would you rather have the Dell over the HP ? (Quote; HP DV6T Quad with all the bells and whistles: 2nd gen i7, 6g ram, blu-ray drive, 1080p screen) Sounds like the HP has everything you want to me!
     
    CUDA., Jun 20, 2011
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  11. kingp1ng

    kingp1ng Notebook Evangelist

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    Opt 4: Oh just download a blu ray rip from one of those places on the internet! *cough cough*

    There are other reasons to get the 1080p screen. It's not always about entertainment. Some people get it for art/design work. Some people get it for more productivity space so they can fit 2+ windows side by side.
     
    kingp1ng, Jun 20, 2011
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