Desktop replacement for video editing (under $1000?)

I'm going to be leaving soon for a yearlong internship in D.C., and I'd like to find a good, solid laptop to replace my desktop while I'm away. I use my computer for casual video/audio editing, so a fast processor, decent hard drive size, and nice screen resolution would be ideal.

A DVD and/or Blu Ray drive would also be nice, as well as an output to hook into an HD TV (doesn't matter if it's HDMI, mini-HDMI, or micro-HDMI)

Here are a few more specifics if it helps (though the things mentioned above are really the most important things I'm looking for):

1. Budget: Under $1,000. $6-700 range would be fantastic, $1,200 would be pushing it.

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? Probably around 15-17 inches, although this isn't a primary concern. Weight doesn't matter so much either, but if all other specs were the same I'd go with a lighter laptop/notebook.

3. What screen resolution do you want? The higher the better.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Both.  

5. How much battery life do you need? Not a top priority.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? I don't do a lot of gaming, so as long as streaming video is fast, I'm good.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) I'll be using this for video editing (Sony Vegas), as well as audio (Samplitude), & photo (Photoshop), etc. Definitely going to want a fast processor (i5 or i7).

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? Approx. 500gb would be nice. I do have an external hard drive, so if necessary I can make do with a smaller hard drive.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. Newegg, Amazon, the usual...

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? As long as it will continue to work...

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc? A Blu Ray would be nice, but I definitely at least want to be able to watch DVDs.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. No particular brand in mind.

13. What country do you live in? USA.


Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!