jnelsoninjax Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 I'm looking into purchasing a Chromebook for my friends disabled son. All he needs is a laptop to watch videos on. Currently he is using an old laptop that needs to be plugged in at all times, and is really slow. My question is how up-gradable is the hardware i.e. the internal storage (SSD or HDD) most of the Chromebooks in the $200 range all seem to have around 150 to 200 GB SSD's inside. Would this be enough storage for video files? Also could the Chromebook 'stream' video files off an NAS? Again nothing fancy is needed, just a simple device that can playback videos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted September 23, 2018 Moderator Share Posted September 23, 2018 How much space does he need? He can always use an external HDD. If all he is doing is watching video, why does he need a Chromebook? You could do the same with a tablet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick H. Supervisor Posted September 23, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted September 23, 2018 Upgrading a Chromebook - can't comment on that. Is 150-200GB enough storage for videos? Depends on the videos. I would argue that you could get over 100 videos on that, depending on compression and quality (SD, HD, 4K...) Streaming would be an issue for your network, not for the Chromebook. It should be able to stream fine if you have a decent network in place (signal and the like). Mindovermaster makes an interesting point: if the laptop is only going to be used for streaming videos might it not be cheaper to get a tablet? Mindovermaster 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnelsoninjax Posted September 23, 2018 Author Share Posted September 23, 2018 25 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said: How much space does he need? He can always use an external HDD. If all he is doing is watching video, why does he need a Chromebook? You could do the same with a tablet. He is a non verbal autistic, and has major mood swings and when he is at the peak of his major meltdowns he tends to throw things and if he has a tablet it would not take long before it is damaged. As it stands now the laptop sits on a stand in his bedroom and he is able to start a movie and then sit on his bed and watch it, or get up and move around and still be watching his movies. I just figured that a Chromebook would be a better choice due to its ~$150 to $200 range, but if you could suggest a tablet that would be able to withstand the abuse of a child (his mental age is about a toddler, but he is physically almost 18) I can suggest it to his mother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick H. Supervisor Posted September 23, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted September 23, 2018 1 minute ago, jnelsoninjax said: He is a non verbal autistic, and has major mood swings and when he is at the peak of his major meltdowns he tends to throw things and if he has a tablet it would not take long before it is damaged. As it stands now the laptop sits on a stand in his bedroom and he is able to start a movie and then sit on his bed and watch it, or get up and move around and still be watching his movies. I just figured that a Chromebook would be a better choice due to its ~$150 to $200 range, but if you could suggest a tablet that would be able to withstand the abuse of a child (his mental age is about a toddler, but he is physically almost 18) I can suggest it to his mother. Tricky...that's one of those things where I would leave the decision to the mother. If the laptop is still standing despite its old age, why can't a tablet survive a similar situation? But let's forget that for the second and focus on the question at hand. To answer that question, yes a Chromebook should be adequate for the situation. As mentioned, Chromebooks have USB slots in them so it should be able to take an external HDD if the main HDD doesn't have enough space. As for streaming videos, it should be able to handle it; that's more a question about the network connectivity though, not the computer itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnelsoninjax Posted September 23, 2018 Author Share Posted September 23, 2018 9 minutes ago, Nick H. said: Tricky...that's one of those things where I would leave the decision to the mother. If the laptop is still standing despite its old age, why can't a tablet survive a similar situation? But let's forget that for the second and focus on the question at hand. To answer that question, yes a Chromebook should be adequate for the situation. As mentioned, Chromebooks have USB slots in them so it should be able to take an external HDD if the main HDD doesn't have enough space. As for streaming videos, it should be able to handle it; that's more a question about the network connectivity though, not the computer itself. OK, thanks for the input. The network would be able to handle it with no trouble, so that is not going to be an issue at all. I will talk to his mother and see what she thinks about a tablet, realistically a tablet could be put into a protective case and with a screen cover that should prevent most damage. Nick H. 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc302 Veteran Posted September 23, 2018 Veteran Share Posted September 23, 2018 Tablet/iPad with an otter box defender is a parents best friend. It doesn’t protect from elbows or knees to the digitizer but it can handle being thrown a bit. Try it with a used one a few years old. If streaming, most will handle that task esp if they are capable of running the latest version. Kids are rough on tablets, it doesn’t matter if they are a special needs kid or not. I don’t know one child that doesn’t mistreat their electronics. I recommend the otter box, gum drop, or griffin cases. jnelsoninjax and DConnell 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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