which lap top

[Hughes 66]

I;m looking to renew my 5yr old laptop.Iwould like to buy one which will transfer my old 8mm film via video camera and transfer VHS.Idont use comp for games mainly for photos and letters and the net of course.Last night on the Gaget show they said a Mac was a good bet.Not having any knowledge of Pc against Mac what should I buy.

[Ethel]

With the release of Vista, I would strongly advise you to hang on for at least 6 months if you can. Prices will continue to fall, and any bugs in Vista will hopefully be sorted by then.

In the meantime, read a few computer review magazines and on-line sites - see what you can get for your money, the minimum standard spec and so on.

Mac owners love their Macs! I know very little about them, except they are more expensive than pcs, there is less compatible software available BUT they are better for the sort of video editing you want to do.

Also, they work differently to pcs - so it will be a whole new learning curve for you. Having said that - they are far simpler to use than pcs.

You will be investing a lot of money whichever you decide. So take your time.

[fo3nix]

If you want to look into gettting a mac (it'll do everything you want and a lot more), then check out the macbook:
http://www.apple.com/macbook

[vehelpfulguy]

You would be far better transfering your 8mm film on to DVD rather than VHS tape.

The VHS technology is now "old hat" and it is becoming harder to buy a VHS player. Plus DVD is digital, and DVDs will last far longer than a VHS tape.

Plus you can play a DVD on a PC or Laptop as well as one linked to your tv.

Also, if you have DVD writer on your laptop you can copy the image direct from the laptop onto a DVD disc.