New
#11
Dells can be fine, providing you pay for support.
That being said, the Vostro only has the older Intel HD graphics, so it doesn't Have Quick Sync, which I believe will be needed for HD playback. I have a Pentium G620, which is slightly newer graphics, and it can barely do 1080p.
How's this?
Newegg.ca - HP Pavilion G4-1137CA Notebook Intel Pentium B940(2.00GHz) 14" 4GB Memory 640GB HDD DVD±R/RW Intel HD Graphics 3000
It's $519 which is slightly over your price range, but it has HD 3000 which should handle anything you throw at it, Plus it has a fast drive and 6 hours of batterry life. And it's a Lenovo, which is known for being nice reliable computers.