Review: HP Pavilion Entertainment Laptop dv4t
Admittedly, I have been living a happy life in Appleland for the past few years and haven’t stopped to check out what’s been brewing in the PC world. Now that I have been tinkering with the HP Pavilion dv4t laptop that I am going to give away, I was a bit surprised by what it could do and what it was packing. I’ll start off with the basics. The dv4t notebook line is aimed at the student crowd. It starts at under $1,000 for the base model and features a glossy 14.1-inch screen.
Fortunately, the model I am going to be giving away is far from the base spec. It boasts 4GB of RAM, a 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Windows Vista Ultimate (if it was mine, I’d wipe it and go with Ubuntu), GeForce 9200M GS graphics, a blu-ray drive, a 320GB Western Digital hard drive and a 250GB Hitachi hard drive expansion if you slide out the blu-ray drive. In addition, the dv4t sports an external Serial-ATA port and HDMI output - pretty spiffy. I’ve heard of entertainment-oriented notebooks, such as the Voodoo Envy, coming with HDMI and eSATA ports, but not from such a mainstream manufacturer as HP. eSATA makes it very easy to connect a large external disk and retain the speed and minimal overhead of a Serial-ATA connection. The dv4t also packs in a web cam and fingerprint reader.
Aimed at the student slash entertainment crowd means that HP built this computer well-aware that most students use their computer as their only media device. That means it takes the role of TV, internet device and so on. Windows Media Center is at the heart of these functions. When not using the ExpressCard slot, you can stow away a tiny Infrared remote control that can manage Windows Media Center features as well as HP’s own “QuickPlay” center, which takes over Blu-ray playback.
I tested the HDMI output by hooking it up to my 50-inch Samsung HDTV and it was recognized quickly. When I tried to play a blu-ray movie through the dv4t I ran into a snag saying that the protected media was not allowed to play on the screen, when I know that my HDTV is HDCP-compliant. Then I made the HDTV the primary screen in the Nvidia settings and it worked.. a bit. I kept getting digital distortion as the blu-ray played. See video below:
Further investigation proved that the dv4t created such distortion even when not connected to any other display. I only own one blu-ray disc so it’s hard for me to tell if this is a disc issue or a dv4t issue.
Usability
What good are all the aforementioned beefy hardware components if you can’t use the computer effectively? The dv4t weighs in at a bit over 5lbs, making it a direct competitor to the Apple MacBook, which has been a top student notebook recommendation by various publications since its release. It’s also a bit thicker than the MacBook.
The biggest drawback of the dv4t is the trackpad. It is impossible to use. It has a slick, fingerprint-loving surface that almost feels sticky. The small trackpad gets in the way of typing and often auto-scrolls when my thumb touches it a little bit. To combat this oft-occurring mishap, they included a button right above the trackpad that allows users to turn the trackpad off when not needed. Couldn’t they written a smart driver that detects accidental touches? My MacBook Air never has an issue like this and it’s trackpad is so huge that part of my palm always rests on it when I’m typing.
Other than that, the recessed keyboard works well. Keys have a bit more travel than a MacBook’s keys and seem to require a bit more force to activate, but not by much. The headphones jack is appropriately placed in the front of the laptop, albeit directly under where your right wrist usually rests.
The removable drive bay is by far the best feature of the dv4t. Don’t need a blu-ray drive right now? Swap it out for a few hundred gigabytes with a hard drive expansion. Don’t need anything and would rather have a lighter laptop? No problem, just put in the filler slot.
One last nitpick I have with the dv4t deals with the display bezel. It’s extremely reflective. I have no complaints about the glossy display itself; it’s a great choice for a media PC with vivid colors and truer blacks. However, the reflective bezel is quite distracting.
Performance
Windows Vista rates this particular dv4t a 3.5 Windows Experience Index, with the graphics performance holding the system back. Otherwise, it would earn a 4.7.
A cold boot takes a whopping 3 minutes and 36 seconds. This is definitely a mixture of Vista being a resource hog and the default configuration of the dv4t launching a lot of taskbar applications. Shutdown takes only 29 seconds.
Finally, there are the integrated Altec Lansing stereo speakers. They’re good, for a laptop. Considerably louder than my single-speaker MacBook Air (although that doesn’t say much), they can fill a small dorm room with sound and pump out enough punch to vibrate the laptop itself. However, at the highest setting the speakers lose all clarity and a considerable amount of noise is introduced while mids are washed out. That being said, there did come a time while watching a blu-ray movie that I kept raising the volume only to find out that they were already on the highest setting.
Overall
Technically-speaking, this particular dv4t is stellar. 4GB of RAM, a 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo, a blu-ray drive, loads of storage and the promise of more with an eSATA port. That’s nothing short of impressive. With the provided 6-cell battery, I clocked in about 2 and a half hours of battery life on a full charge. That’s about what I would expect with something sporting its high-end hardware.
On the other hand, Vista sucks and is a nightmare to use. As with most OEM laptops, it comes pre-loaded with a bunch of junk software like a NetZero trial, MSN dial-up trial and an annoying Yahoo! toolbar. HP takes up 11.2GB with its own restore partition instead of providing a restore DVD. The dv4t is also quite bulky, but I am definitely biased as I’m typing this on my MacBook Air.
The HP Pavilion Entertainment PC (dv4t) receives 6.5 out of 10 Stammys. (8 if it shipped with a respectable operating system)
Very nice…
I really am curious to know what the culprit of the blu-ray issue was. I would definitely use that feature - and by that I mean connect it via HDMI to an external screen.
Informative and good review Stammy.
Great review! The swappable drive bay is a great add. Not to discredit you or anything but sometimes I can’t tell whether this is a bias review because of you fondness of mac or if it’s really how you feel. Other than that it was a very informative review thanks!
By the way, how much was the laptop under this configuration?
@Jonathan - that’s the thing, I’m not sure how much this configuration costs. I’ll have to ask my HP contact.
Damnit Paul, now I don’t know if I even want to enter your contest.. is this really a prize??
All jokes aside. The blu-ray playback is a shame. It could be the disc.. but I just think it’s the video card not able to keep up. Out of curiosity, how hot does that beast get?
Loved the ending “8 if it shipped w/a respectable operating system”
Sounds like a good laptop, but it’s pretty ugly :\
Hi & hello
“The HP Pavilion Entertainment PC (dv4t) receives 6.5 out of 10 Stammys. (8 if it shipped with a respectable operating system)”
That’s just a joke right? Or are you really holding it back due to the operating system?
What, is the OS not part of the computer? It is. People buy computers for the hardware and the software, so I have to take both into account.
Just “hack” it into another os, then stop whining.
@ayanglyph/antipaul - The point isn’t that it can’t be done. The point is that when you pay for this, you get Vista as the OS. I’m reviewing it as it comes. You can’t review something and take into account things it doesn’t have. Likewise, what would happen if Jeremy Clarkson reviewed a Gallardo as if it has an extra pair of turbos that it didn’t come with.. it wouldn’t be true to the review of the Gallardo, since it was modified.
@Paul Did you know that your the #1 on search term “HP Pavilion Entertainment”? Nice.
<b>"What, is the OS not part of the computer? It is. People buy computers for the hardware and the software, so I have to take both into account."</b>
I get what your saying, anyways it’s your review.
Bah! why must companies put speaker/headphone/mic ports at the front. I despise that especially when your using speakers at your desk alot.
I agree that the mousepad/trackpad is unusable on HP/Compaq notebooks. I don’t know why they use that type of surface. I wouldn’t buy one for that reason alone.
Paul, you are talking nonsense. Normal people ask for refunds when they don’t want to use a particular version of the Windows OS. Now, if you want to compare the easiest to break into (OSX: you don’t even need a password to change the root password LOL) to Vista through such a review, it will be your undoing. Not to mention that I find your continuous whining review a comparison to macbooks, insulting to your readers. The title says : review, not: comparison.
Where are the hardware tests? Where are the benchmarks? If I was the company, I would sue you for being biased and not thorough in your review, but then again you always say “hey, I am 22 years old”. The cunning stunt you pull to avoid this is to say: “this is stellar etc, but still isn’t good because I can’t cut the boot time down”. Yeah, right. Any windows guy knows how to do it.
Are you reviewing hardware, or software? Because no matter what, the hardware in that laptop beats the crap out of your macbook air.
Of note, I use debian. And you are living proof that everything that comes out of google results is not gold.
Paul, you got pissed. That’s cool, I can be indifferent with a reason now.
@AntiPaul - “If I was the company, I would sue you for being biased and not thorough in your review,”
And that’s why I love the First Amendment.
“..because I can’t cut the boot time down”. Yeah, right. Any windows guy knows how to do it.”
Thing about the target market. Not every college student is a Vista pro. Statistically speaking, most Vista users leave every application that launches by default and comes with the computer, in place.
“Are you reviewing hardware, or software? Because no matter what, the hardware in that laptop beats the crap out of your macbook air.”
Well naturally, pretty much everything can beat the MBA in terms of strictly performance. :-P But one has to take into account the whole package, hardware, software, etc, which is why I often compared to its direct competitor in the same price range, the Apple MacBook. And if you go to some computer forums like Notebook Review, that’s a valid situation faced by prospective consumers.. decided between the dv4t and similar laptops and the MacBook, thus why I so heavily mentioned it in this post.
Anyways, thanks for the comments. It’s great to see people that don’t agree with my viewpoints, and get a different perspective.
As for Debian, I see you’re using Iceweasel 3.0.1. You should upgrade to 3.0.2.. not sure if it’s in the main repos yet, try devel. 3.0.2 addresses some fairly big vulnerabilities. I’ve got Debian+Fluxbox on one of my machines as well.
@Paul
This last reply to you, is well - meaning in the same diplomacy of your “I enjoy reading your comments blah blah blah” phrase. I will attack your arguments given your kind effort to scorn, not you. After this, I will apply the live and let live policy.
“And that’s why I love the First Amendment.”
The first amendment does not protect you when you repeatedly cause harm (as you do in your “reviews”) and/or misinformation, should your malice be proven by anyone feeling misjudged or being submitted to damage due to “good enough to post” information. You don’t only have the First Amendment, you also have some nice lawyers to go with it. The only thing that saves you and several other bloggers of your kind, is that you are trivial for them to spend their time on.
“Thing about the target market. Not every college student is a Vista pro. Statistically speaking, most Vista users leave every application that launches by default and comes with the computer, in place.”
Statistically speaking, every college student is considered a future scientist. Not everybody makes it. Add this reason on top of the list: thinking with your brain than letting somebody else do the thinking is hard. Any serious college student knows his / her way around computers. It is 2008. Those who don’t, just google and find the right answers. Too much iPod, kills braincells.
“As for Debian, I see you’re using Iceweasel 3.0.1. You should upgrade to 3.0.2.. not sure if it’s in the main repos yet, try devel. 3.0.2 addresses some fairly big vulnerabilities.”
Do you _really_ trust what the headers of a browser give you? Just take a walk towards a Konqueror browser and you will see. Probably you are not careful enough. I hope that this does not come from a guy who thinks that OSX is pretty much better in security compared to all other oses, out of the box. I wonder where the pwnie awards go… By the way the “devel” is called “unstable” in debian parlance.
Yes, I own a Vista box, a Mac Pro (the ones with the anti - college student price tag on) and I am a proud Debian user on a heavily modified debian box in production mode. What was your point? What grieves me about your blog is that its content is shapeshifting in something different from the good old paul power. I don’t want the old “Digg” paul surfacing again…
By the way you admitted that you did not review an HP product, but compared it to a MBP… (Of note I don’t own HP hardware, but your review seems to me incomplete and misleading).
Do with this comment as you please. I am sure that you will read it before others do, if ever. Now, live and let live. This is your own ground after all.
When someone chooses to report their name as being “AntiPaul” when they decide to leave a critique or a complaint with a review, they truly lose all credibility from the get go.
One big problem I have with this laptop is that HP’s design department doesn’t seem to get it. The PC manufacturers hear that people like Apple products because of their aesthetics and their first instinct is to start decking their products with ultra gloss and metallic reflective finishes. These notebooks are BLINDING in certain lighting situations. I personally just want a notebook that looks classy with high-quality finishes - not one that necessarily looks “pimped out”.
On that note, I feel bad for companies like Dell and HP. They could invest millions in creating technically-magnificent, aesthetically stunning machines, but as long as they are offering them with Vista pre-installed, all that work would pretty much be for nought!
@AntiPaul - What world do you live in? Please let us know about this magical place where every college student is a computer science major who runs Debian instead of Vista or OS X.
“Statistically speaking, every college student is considered a future scientist. Not everybody makes it. Add this reason on top of the list: thinking with your brain than letting somebody else do the thinking is hard. Any serious college student knows his / her way around computers. It is 2008. Those who don’t, just google and find the right answers. Too much iPod, kills braincells.”
The average college student is not a scientist, and unlike your claim, I actually have some stats to back it up.
“Of the 1,439,000 bachelor’s degrees conferred in 2004–05, the largest numbers of degrees were conferred in the fields of business (312,000), social sciences and history (157,000), and education (105,000).”
Source: National Center of Education Statistics
In the typical college world, MBA stands for Master of Business Administration, not MacBook Air. The average college student isn’t going to be optimizing their Windows startup time. They’ll either leave it as is or ask geeks like us to fix it for them.
@Broke Grad Student
“The average college student is not a scientist, and unlike your claim, I actually have some stats to back it up.”
I said:
“Statistically speaking, every college student is considered a future scientist. ”
Learn to read. Or just stay broke :)
AntiPaul
You’re an ass. Grow up and get a life.
@Brandon Naw, he doesn’t lose credibility. It’s called he doesn’t want contact from Paul via email if he was to put a valid email in. In addition, knowing who he was from his name.. looking him up, yada yada. He’s going against a large % of the site that would go on Paul’s “side” of the matter… nobody likes to be harassed, not to say that it would come to that.. but there are some crazy people out there. Nothing wrong with having privacy or anonymity, one could throw the same kind of thing @ you for not supplying your last name .. same with me. (My last name is a dead giveaway in the email I supplied though).
My major complaint in the review is the comparison’s that are used of the Apple laptops towards this HP laptop. Would like to see a lot less comparison, seems a bit unprofessional. Not to say it was directed to be of such or not.. but it’s just my opinion, in what I’d like to see. Also towards the whole thing with thinking Vista sucks.. that’s cool.. your opinion.. but try keeping personal preference out of the review in that type of aspect? Then again mate, your site, your review. Just as a reader/commenter, this is what I’d like to see; my opinion on the matter.
This would run amazing under Ubuntu though I might leave Vista on it for a while and trim it down. (take off any bloatware, tweak the boot setup, programs running etc).
Otherwise I think this is a very good review, very much geared towards the specs/hardware side of things but I agree with the 6.5 Stammys, the OS is a major part, though some may say it doesn’t matter since if it’s Vista you can wipe it and put on Linux no problem.
I’m really looking forward to the competition but I’m doubtful that you’ll ship to the UK.
I am on my second HP Pavilion notebook, a warranty replacement. The first began exhibiting bizarre behavior about 30 days prior to warranty expiration. Random errors, crashes, failures, contrary to popular believe this doesn’t happen on Windows normally.
When I reported the problem under warranty I was sent a box to ship it to them, and then received a phone call asking me to authorize a $1500 charge on my credit card for replacement as the machine was unsalvageable. Um, WTF? Oh, the problem is the water damage, which is not covered. The machine had no water damage when it left my home. While I was on the phone with them, fedex dropped it off outside with a no fix tag! When I opened it it was indeed SOAKED with water.
After several weeks of ugly phone calls, I was sent a replacement notebook. It has been one year, and guess what is happening…
This is about the 10th Windows laptop I have owned, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the OS and everything to do with HP’s extremely poor quality standards, poor service, and outright dishonestly.
Smart kids don’t buy HP.
Posts in moderation que now? ..
@Ryan
Probably in moderation, who knows. This is his own ground after all and he can do as he pleases.
Yes, I agree with you. Paul did a “slightly” biased comparison of vista vs osx again to the point that even a mainly linux user finds it odd. That’s all there is to it. It is perfectly ok to be an Apple fan for Apple does a great os for its niche, but it is not ok to compare apples to oranges, unless you think that all fruits are the same. By the way, my headers identify as GoogleBot 2.1 right now. I hope that this doesn’t hurt the scripts.
I really hope that Paul gets better. I am less AntiPaul than he thinks. But I don’t like this all mu-ha-ha spirit “me cool, else suck” mentality in current high profile blogs.
Now, I have to get back at writing drivers that he is using in all his boxes, OSX included.
Cheers.
@AntiPaul - no scripts, just some log grepping on my part. Also I spotted some Lynx in your recent requests.
Curious, what types of drivers do you contribute to?
NDA covered ones.
This thing deserves better than a 6.8, even with vista…If you’re too stupid to change os, don’t buy such an expensive computer or go buy your DRM infested machine. This is a great machine, especially at the specs it has.
This laptop is so awesome. I agree with your thought to use Ubuntu unstead of Vista. Some doesn’t understand or even to try the beauty of Linux.
Вообще классно.