Does your TV have an HDMI or DVI slot? I'm assuming it doesn't if you're looking for an S-Video laptop, but it's worth checking. It's also worth checking that your TV is actually capable of receiving and outputting video from a laptop/PC. I recently discovered that my HDTV wasn't built with that in mind and I wasted a whole £3 on a cable to connect my laptop to it It's tempting to assume that an LCD or a plasma telly can be used as a standard computer monitor, especially if it's HD, but it's not always the case.

S-Video cables only carry video, so you'll need separate analogue cables for the audio unless you plan to just use the laptop as a hub for your speakers or whathaveyou.

Do you have any requirements from a new laptop besides video connectivity? What do you plan to use the laptop for? Gaming, recording music, graphics editing, general computing, etc.? If you've got $500 to spend I'm assuming you'll be doing more than just browsing Twatbook!