does any one know if i can use a pc base unit on a laptop so i can edit from my comfy sofa and just use my laptop as a keyboard/monitor and have the base unit behind the sofa doing all the work?

VNC, but the actual realtime video playback won't be as smooth. I doubt there is any simple way to do this. HP charges thousands of dollars for their remote graphics solution, which essentially accomplishes the same thing, but with full performance.