*HP HDX18 Owners Lounge*

I would love to pay $50 for a HDD kit. Now, if only a 3rd party vendor can make it happen!!

Someone in China must want to duplicate this?

 

I received mine just yesterday.I noticed a strange continous sound too.
I think it was the fan vibrating because it worked at high speed.It was not the usual fan noise.
I got in the BIOS and I disabled the "FAN Always On" option.

This helped a lot.Now the system is much more quieter but not as silent as the my old HP dv6000.Give it a try if you want.
I hope that HP fixes that with a future BIOS update.At least that was the case with the dv6000.

 

lancorp,

I think you have perfect aim on the situation, and I agree with you 100%.

To update everyone, YES I did get the 40% CASHBACK on my daughter's DV4T...... it's a shame I couldn't get back in for my HDX18 . She'll be happy though......

I literally sat here the entire 12 hours refreshing the page trying to get in...... was not a good experience. To all those who missed out entirely, I wish we all could have had the sale opportunity....... shame! THANKS MS!!! (NOT!)

 

Hey guys, just wanted to you let you know that I was able to play some songs and noticed some vibrations as well, so you're not the only ones.

Perhaps these Altec Lansing speakers aren't as great as they were told to be?


It's not a big enough deal to me to bring back since I don't think it's really a defect per se....I would just be getting the same speakers in another HDX model.

I also don't want to risk any other issues as mine has been perfect so far, no scratches, no screen issues, no keyboard issues, etc...

 

Well there's only so much you can do with a speaker that size, speaking as a bit of a speaker guy, with a friend who is an engineer at AL. I personally was not impressed in the least with my sound out of the box, after hearing quotes like, "filled up the room with sound". The very phrase 1" subwoofer is an oxymoron. That said, it's good sound fitting into a 1" thick panel that also has all this other good stuff. It was what I would imagine a few micro speakers would sound like, and that's why there are two headphone jacks.

VB, I just ran wall-e, a 12+ gig mkv high def file through my hdmi cable to my 50" plasma and it looked great, with no hesitations or artifacts, and the sound was perfect coming out of the TV. I didn't get out to buy a bluray today, kind of still in the post thanksgiving siesta mode. But the hdmi/hdmi sound drivers are 100%

EDIT - oh and yeah, the wall-e viewing was done using the wireless network, through a G router.

 

Great job! good to hear the HDMI works well for you.

So what exactly is left now on your list? It seems you have a 99% fully functioning HDX 18t with WinXP!!!

 

well, thanks,but i'm a bit off of my goal.

here's what we have that's bugging me mostly.

i need a known functional xp based software that will work with the validity sensor, and i also need a known functional xp based software that will work with the remote control outside of a mce environment. then i need to resolve this ridiculous sound driver issue once and for all. I know some programmers, but none in the driver racket. If I did I would definitely be willing to pay them to spend some time on this. But in the mean time I am still looking through competitors products trying to find similar components and hopefully we can get away with a modified inf.

but yeah, i'm pleased. if I can get the fingerprint and the remote tested and functional i will put up a new thread dedicated to the 16&18 instead of having to share dialog with the dragon.

 

Let me see what I can find for you...

 

hey i appreciate that, and remember, yars is on the road right now, he's probably gotten farther than me. we will get it.

EDIT- and the funny thing is, like in my main desktop here at home, I have a dual boot with 2 xp's. 1 with nothing extra, for the gaming/audio apps, and one with AVG internet security, Neatreceipts, office and all the bloat you can imagine. definately going to do the same here, so all the little things i'm working out now, are just do it. I'll probably disable most of them.

 

Some observations, with regards to software. After loading in Vista Ultimate. I noticed, that alot of registry options had already been tweaked. Using the Blackviper "safe" registry settings, not too many entries had to be changed. That's good. Try downloading the Dreamscene app, with Windows Update (Ultimate only). Instead of using the K-Lite codec, try using the CCCP codec. Remove the K-Lite codec, beforehand. MPC is my preferred player. It handles everything, especially the Matroska (mkv) files. NOD32 works, with no glitches. uTorrent works (static IP set). I left all the visual bells & whistles on. I keep Vista in the "new" mode. Sometimes, it takes a while to find things, but, I'll get used to it. To me, Vista is very intuitive. Try messing up a wireless connection. By using one of the guides, it does a great job of analyzing the problem, then repairing the problem. So far, so good. Next up, I'll play with Acronis (backup) and see what happens.

Al ..

 

I'm intrigued and confused at the same time. Please remember that most of us don't know what some of this stuff is, or why you are doing that you are doing. So, as I read your post, I'm not sure why you do what you do, or why I might want to try it.

Confused on:

• 
  Already tweaked registry options after loading Ultimate? What was tweaked and why?

• What is Blackviper and why would I want to use it?

• 
  Dreamscene is a resource sucker. What is the CCCP codec and why does it make Dreamscene better?

• 
  What is MPC player?

• 
  What is Vista "new" mode?

Thanks.

 

Update 2 on Black Friday: It's now approaching 36 hours since I got my Black Friday order completed with HP. So far, nothing has appeared in my MS Live account showing the purchase or cashback amount. Isn't that special....? I suppose I'll be spending the next week or two trying to figure out who dropped the ball, HP or MS. I'm pretty sure I went through all the right steps to get the 40%, but after pressing keys for 12 hours straight, who knows for sure? Cashback says it can take up to a couple days to have the rebate show up, but so many people on the forums have said their rebate have shown up already, it makes me wonder...

 

Update 3: I just noticed on another forum that the HP order seems to have 2 'front-end" phases; one is "Order being processed" and the other is "Order accepted". I have only received one email from HP so far, and this is the "Order being processed". So, the problem right now may be with HP being so busy that they haven't gotten to finishing up my order yet. Therefore, HP has not notified MS cashback about the order. At least that's what I'm hoping. As I mentioned earlier, I got my HP order completed at 6:56:30PST, so I'm most certainly at the end of the order list. It might take another day or two to get HP to confirm the order. I hope this doesn't indicate some sort of problem........what could it be, other than a credit card issue? I have great credit, but I don't use that credit card very often, so they (Visa) might be hesitating at a $3300 charge?

 

yeah, I just love how the live.com "stores" cashback works. No indication of your cashback during purchase. It's just hope and pray.

At least with cashback on ebay, when you commit to purchase, it shows you how much cashback you're getting.

Good luck.

 

Hey, in case anyone is still thinking of upgrading their hard drives, Newegg has the Hitachi 320GB 7200RPM drive for $68.99 and free shipping (after rebate). And, there is a FIVE drive rebate limit!! Time to stock up!!!

 

You two need to work together and put a doc up for XP. You know, it's the people who put the blood and sweat into downgrading into XP that makes Vista that much harder for MS to sell. hahaha.....

 

I'll try to answe a couple of these...

CCCP Codec I use on my other Vista when it had a hard time playing MKV and WMV files with VLAN player. When I installed the codecs, they ran much smoother and better and I believe comes with Windows Media Classic too. So it's really nothing more than just better support for codecs, and a small efficient Windows media player with better codec support.

MPC --> Media Player Classic


As for the other ones, I don't have a clue....

 

Thanks. Not to sound too retarded, but what, exactly, is considered Media Player Classic? Is that Windows Media Player, and if so, which version--10 or 11 or which?

Where does one get MKV files?

 

No this isn't Media Player 10,11 at all. Remember back in the days the old Windows Media player? I think from Windows98? It just had a very simple clean interface, nothing special at all...

Well it's basically that version, with all the latest codecs of today's...well codecs....some people just don't want the latest media player that looks more like iTunes and is all bloated....

MKV is a Matroska file. an open standard in trying to have one powerful media format. You'll find that most 720p and 1080p formats are in MKV format. It's less restrictive...well because it's open. I have hundreads of MKV files and the quality is just as good as anything out there.

What's also cool about MKV is if you create a sub-title txt file with the exact times people are speaking. It will show up while watching the movie in whatever language you wrote it in. So you don't have to wait for movie people to do subtitles...

 

Lancorp,

Check it out...

http://www.matroska.org/

 

OK, so I'm not judging or anything, but MKV files are basically "bootlegged" copies of movies (ripped from DVD or blu-ray or hd-dvd)? Otherwise, there would be some protection in the file.

What programs rip/save to MKV?

 

Yes that is what they are known for. Usually when you download TV shows they are in this format as well...of course you won't find any commercial products using MKV.

I think you have to use linux to rip and save in MKV. At least if you want to do it for free. I've seen commercial apps out there that will support MKV but of course you have to pay for them.

I'm sure someone here has more knowledge on MKV's than I do...

 

Anyone use the quick or the media doc? Are their many issues or benefits?

Is it true both require an addition plug, as the doc's connection plug doesn't power the notebook?
I see on the overview for the quick doc it will re-charge the battery but I've been told and have read a separate power plug still required.

 

I had the quickdock hooked to the HDX18t, and the power plugged into the Quickdock, and it appeared to be charging the notebook (at least the charging symbol was shown in the systray)...

 

Gang, quick question as my speakers on my hdx18t sounded a bit crackly and hp help suggested a driver reinstall which I'm not entirely sure has helped, but how can I test the subwoofer as in the IDT panel there's nothing relating to the subwoofer nor in the control panel sounds options?
Also, I had the hdx side by side with a Sony fw-21z, whose screen simply blew away the hp I'm sorry to say. The screen looked so much more vibrant and the colours on the hp simply looked washed out in comparison. Is there any way/has anyone got any settings which will bring the hp screen "more to life" so to speak?
Thanks for your help.
Cheers
Rick

 

That was one of the first things I wrote about when i got my HDX18t. For being an "UltraBright" display, it certainly isn't.

You can make some improvements with the nVidia control panel. It looks a little better after tinkering with that.

But, overall, the LCD lacks pizazz.

 

But isn't the Sony he's comparing to an LED with RGB?

 

As most are found, yes the mkv represents the typical newsgroup/torrent fodder. (avoid the torrents my friends)

Hardware formats are a big deal, but software formats, not so much... "you're a t-shirt of the week, at best!"

These codes change constantly and what makes free players like MPC so great is that they are very light on the resources, highly adjustable, and easily update able to the newest, most consolidating (highest quality, smallest size) codecs.

A typical blu ray file, copied straight to hard drive with clonedvd or something similar is huge, and the codecs make this more manageable (smaller) all the time. Now I'm admittedly just getting into the high def stuff as I am just now converting my media server to high def material.

I will be back in a few hours with a blu ray disc to test the 18. otherwise haven't worked on anything with it today.

"today i did absolutely nothing, and it was everything i hoped it would be"

 

I am new to the hidef stuff too. I was looking at clonedvd as well as anydvd.

I want to purchase one of these. I'd like to compare what a bluray uncompressed at 35GIG's versus a compressed copy at about 8GIGs and see if I notice any difference...

 

I've used both of these for a long time. Great product and great company. I have not used the HD-capable versions, yet, because I just got a PC blu-ray DVD reader, and haven't had the time to purchase and test using HD material.

But, for SD stuff, it's phenomenal for backing up my DVD's that I've personally purchased.

 

google blackviper, the guy's website will show you what services you can disable on your computer. My 18T virgin starts out at 77 processes. I can get it down to about 68, my old Visa single core laptop is at around low 40's. It does make the machine faster, you'll notice this on older machines.

 

yeah, I'm just not sure how these HD versions handle the bluray encryption etc....I guess I'll find out soon.

I bought Hellboy 2 and it allows a digital transfer to either your iPod or Media Player. So at first I was THRILLED.

But it turns out that my 1080p bluray copy of Hellboy only transfers the digital version in a small 800x600 type resolution which I found pretty dumb...

I was hoping to not have to carry around the Hellboy DVD..

Because I OWN this DVD, I feel it is my right to rip it and keep it on my laptop so I can watch it without having to lug around the DVD.

 

I haven't yet had a chance to go through all the services yet. I know on my tablet PC, I was down to the low 40's!!

I love fine tuning Vista....for example, most can disable your SSL encryption certificate service, you just don't need it!

And if you want to go further, you can even disable your DHCP service is you know you are using static IP. Or disable the spooler service if you know you won't be printing from the HDX...

 

Well I'm gonna order the quad and when it comes I'm gonna test it out and see how hot it is and whether it makes it too heavy. Also I want to make sure it the laptop doesn't feel too slow when I'm on the internet or have multiple things running at the same time.

If everything is a okay then I'll keep it. Otherwise I'm returning it and ordering another HDX 18t with the T9600 processor.

 

Highly unlikely!!!

 

I don't think so...this is from the Sony UK site (I couldn't even find this model on the US site):

Display Type X-black LCD with double lamp technology
Diagonal Size (in) 16.4
Resolution Format 1920x1080
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Resolution Type WXGA++ (1920x1080)


Double-lamp technology? Sounds like what the HDX18t uses. I don't see LED backlit anywhere there...

 

If that's the case, then that is pretty sad.

Of course I am happy with my LCD brightness, perhaps I don't know any better. haha...but as a programmer/web developer, I'm more than happy with it.

I'm sure when I pick up the HP 24" or even the HP 25" (which is new!!) I will be blown away...

 

Too heavy???

How much do you think each core weighs???

 

That 25" looks interesting. I just checked it out at hp.com. 2 HDMI and 1 DVI. Nice. "Vivid-color"? What kind of panel is this, the cheapy TN or one of the better flavors of panels, do you know?

This baby would have been awesome to get during the 40% off sale (that no one could get to).

 

It's so new, well 2 weeks ago when I was checking it out that it didn't have much specs on it. Perhaps by now they might have more info.

But I agree, it better be the latest and greatest...not old technology wrapped in a 25" screen...until I can know for sure, I don't want to purchase it just yet....

 

I apologize for the orange glow, my iPhone doesn't have flash.

This is my pinnacle TV tuner on the HDX running 64bit Vista. The pinnacle is meant for 32bit Vista but it still works.

This is NOT the built in TV Tuner with the HDX....

 

I ordered the new 25" monitor and the HDX 18t during the MS 40% deal. However, as mentioned in earlier posts, I have NOT seen any response from MS cashback yet. I'll be sure to let everyone know if I managed to get the deal. And, if the deal goes through and I receive the 25" monitor, I'll comment on that too (with tears in my eyes).

 

Awesome, please let us know.

25" is kind of a weird size. I thought that it was 19,22,24 THEN 27 inch, THEN 32 inch...

The 25" seems to be misplaced....I don't know if there are a lot of 25" screens out there? I wonder why HP decided to make a new model only 1" bigger?

 

I've used Slysoft's CloneDVD and AnyDVD for SEVERAL years and I have tried maybe a dozen or more other programs over the years and for me, NOTHING comes close to the quality and ease of use that AnyDVD and CloneDVD offer. Best of all, when you buy the software license, you are buying LIFETIME update support, and they update it frequently.

If you haven't used them yet, I recommend them. I know you can download a 21 day trial. I picked my licenses up around Christmas (about 6 years ago) and they were running some huge package discounts.

http://www.slysoft.com/en/

 

Actually it's 25.5".....does that make more sense!?

 

haha that makes it even worse!! So now we have some 20.1" monitors, 25.5"...what the heck?

Maybe it's my OCD, I always like things to be simple like 20,22,24...rounded off...

I hate these .5 and .1 added on inches...

 

LIFETIME support??? That's great!! How do they make any money with lifetime support?

I'll try out the 21 day trial....

 

Then gas prices at $xxx.9 must drive you nuts!

 

Ok so let me get this straight.

I need to purchase AnyDVD which will run in the background and decrypt bluray movies.

And then get CloneDVD to actually make the copy right?

If I just get CloneDVD without AnyDVD, then I won't be able to do anything with bluray right?

 

Yes, I hate when things are $9.95 or $99.99

i don't know why, it just bothers me. Just say $10! or $100....

Maybe looking at decimal points just hurts my brain....