To Pi or not to Pi?

[DonMegel]

I am looking to construct a low power system with a multitude of purposes. The question I have is should I go with a RaspberryPi or a small laptop? Maybe a third option I have not thought of?

Here is what I want the system to do:

Read Sensors (Two thermometers, a barometer, moisture/humidity, motion and maybe air quality)
View remote cameras (atleast two cameras, most likely web cams with USB or Ethernet interface)
Operate a Software Defined Radio using a Newsky TV28T DVB-T dongle (or similar R820T chip tuner) with appropriate software.
Conduct normal PC operations (Word processing, web browsing, music player, video player)
Must be able to offer remote access to monitor weather and perhaps camera feeds.
Must do all of this while using the least amount of power possible.

Now, I know a Raspberry Pi will do most, if not all of this, but is it practical? Does it make more sense to go with a laptop or netbook? Is there another option I have not considered?

Opinions welcome.

[paulrt5]

Most thinks are possible:
- GPIO or USB for the sensors
- office and normal webbrowsing is possible (I've some problems with flash)
- viewing pics is no problem
- playing music can be difficult because some codecs dont work
- full-hd video playing is possible if u use the right os

What do u mean with 'View remote cameras'? The Pi as the host for the cameras or as viewer?
As host the pi is really good but as viewer? Depends on which resolution and fps the camera has.

Hope my english is not tooo bad :?

[GTR2Fan]

With the possible exception of web browsing (you can do it, but it's still a far cry from PC browsing at the moment), you could most likely achieve all of the above if you're a hands-on type of person. Try typing your emboldened text headings into the search box here or into Google including the search term "Pi" and see what pops up.

[DonMegel]

Most thinks are possible:
- GPIO or USB for the sensors
- office and normal webbrowsing is possible (I've some problems with flash)
- viewing pics is no problem
- playing music can be difficult because some codecs dont work
- full-hd video playing is possible if u use the right os

What do u mean with 'View remote cameras'? The Pi as the host for the cameras or as viewer?
As host the pi is really good but as viewer? Depends on which resolution and fps the camera has.

Hope my english is not tooo bad

I want to host the cameras for remote viewing and be able to view the feeds from a monitor attached to the Pi.

[paulrt5]

Yes, thats possible I think. How is the resolution and the fps of these cameras?