Freddie - I agree with MaryLis re: getting the Centrino chip in whatever laptop you choose. I got one & love it. If you're primarily interested in photos & DVDs, Sony may be a very good choice because of picture quality. The Toshibas also get high marks.

I've got a two and a half year old compaq with the wireless connectivity, the centrino chip, the 15 inch screen and the firewire port. I do more data work than picture work on mine and simply love it. Screen is OK and speakers are pretty basic. My aunt has the Sony & there's a noticeable difference between the two for videos. The only negative is it's heavier than I would like. The keyboard is closer to full-size, so that's a big plus given the amount of typing I do. I got mine at BestBuy and found they were a little more helpful than CompUSA.

I might be bringing mine along for PIP; if so, I'll be happy to give you a demo. Bring a DVD along & I'll show you how it works. Cheers, Anne