Binding: Personal Computers Brand: Sony CPU Manufacturer: Intel CPU Speed: 1.83 CPU Type: Intel Core Duo EAN: 0027242712201 Feature: Futuristically styled round, white multimedia PC for use in your living room/entertainment center Hard Disk Size: 300 Label: Sony Manufacturer: Sony Model: VGX-TP1 Processor Count: 1 Publisher: Sony Studio: Sony System Memory Size: 2000 System Memory Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Features
Futuristically styled round, white multimedia PC for use in your living room/entertainment center 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 processor, 300 GB hard drive, 2 GB RAM (max), dual-layer DVD/CD burner Integrated NTSC (standard) and ATSC (digital) TV tuners, HDMI audio/video output 54g Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), 10/100 Ethernet, Intel GMA 950 video card with up to 224 MB shared memory Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium (with Media Center capabilities)
With the presence of high-def TV screens capable of displaying 1080p HDTV resolutions (1920x1080, typically), the home desktop PC is no longer restricted to, well, the desk. It can be connected to a your living room widescreen TV if it has an HDMI port. Imagine browsing the web on a 40 to 60 inch TV screen, and also streaming (and downloading) audio and video files straight from the web. That's the concept of the Sony VGX-TP1 VAIO(R) Living Room PC, Windows Vista Home Premium. Easy to use and setup, the TP1 PC is packed with the latest hardware technology including an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Windows Vista Home Premium operating system and a massive 300GB hard drive. Enjoy your favorite live and recorded TV and movies or surf the web from your couch with the immersive Windows Media Center experience that lets you navigate your content on screen, all controlled by a matching keyboard and remote control. The (approximate) 10.6" diameter chassis is designed to fit most home-theater component cabinets so it's a sure fit for your lifestyle. It even has a built-in High Definition digital cable tuner with ATSC and NTSC support. It's the future of PC ready for today. HDMI out (High Definition Multimedia Interface), DVI-D (through HDMI to DVI-D adapter), VGA out 802.11b/g wifi compatible RJ45 Ethernet port / Modem with RJ11 port 4 USB and 1 iLink port Memory Stick Media Slot (Supports Memory Stick(R) PRO and Memory Stick(R) Duo ); Secure Digital Slot Software included - Operating System - Windows Vista Home Premium; Internet Services - AOL 90-Day Risk Free Trial - For new users only; Microsoft Works 8.5; Microsoft Office 2007 60-Day Trial; Sony Original Software - Click to DVD - DVD Creation; Norton Internet Security 2007 60-Day Trial with spyware protection Unit Dimensions - 10.63 Diameter x 3.58 Height; Weighs about 8 pounds Supplied Accessories - Remote Control; Wireless Keyboard; HDMI Cable; HDMI-D
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Sleek and contemporary Comment: This is a very awesome computer, and cool looking. We are using our LCD as a monitor and it looks great. The only problem that you might encounter when using a TV for the monitor is that the print on some of the websites might be too small to see and you will have to sit a little closer to the TV set. Other than that, it's a great product, and most people don't even know what it is! Customer Rating: Summary: Problems from the Beginning Comment: I can't give you an accurate review of this product as far as the features go if you can get it working, but I can give you an insight into how I feel their production units are not ready for prime time.
After receiving this item, I was quite excited to get it hooked up. Was surprised at how small the unit actually was - - the online pictures make you think it will be a bit larger but it's quite compact. The setup directions were OK, but it's more of the pict-o-graph format. There is NO owners manual, you have to print it out, which is a bummer.
After hooking it up to my Plasma I booted it up and the unit would not start up. It kept coming up with a Windows Error. I tried multiple restarts and power cycles to no avail. I called their tech support and they asked me to put in the restore disc. I was already a little uneasy that I would have to do this with something I just bought. After searching with the tech support on the phone for several minutes we determined that there is no system restore disc included with the item. Apparently the system restore is *ON* the disc itself, so it does no good for a system that won't boot up. I don't know if later production models will include the CD but mine surely did not.
Sony sent me a CD of the system restore but they mailed it to the wrong address (the tech support is in another country--and was not able to properly get my address due to language barriers). After a second call to them another disk arrived 2 weeks later. I put in the new disk and started the system restore. After 10 minutes of running, a blue screen came up and said "Fatal Error....". I tried this one more time but the same message. The unit now had no O/S on it at all, because it locked up during restore. At this point I just gave up and sent it back.
I was really looking forward to this unit, and had researched it online for months before release. I hope your experience will be a little better (the unit will actually work) but I've sort of lost faith in Sony PC division and in Vista / HTPC arena all together for now. I considered the more expensive Sony XL2 system but I'm uneasy with a Sony purchase right now. I'm looking into an Alienware Hanger 18 unit instead once it's released with Bluray in 2008.
Good luck to you should you choose to purchase this item. If it works, I bet it would be nice. Customer Rating: Summary: Good idea, not well executed Comment: First, to be fair, I had to return this largely because I discovered my 5 year old plasma screen just doesn't support computer video well.
That said, there were other problems directly related to the product itself. For one thing, it is NOT as small and light as the pictures would have you believe. I took for granted the idea it would be something similar to Mac Mini. Boy was I wrong when I pulled it out of the box. I even compared it to my Mini and the Sony overwhelms it. The Mini is a practical portable device if you need to move it around. The TP1 definitely is not.
For reasons I will never be able to figure out, Sony requires that you connect two antennas to the back of the device. One for wifi, the other for the keyboard. Again, comparing it to the Mini, that was really strange for such an expensive and supposedly design-minded item. Clutter like that is a big disappointment.
I had problems with the keyboard connection. There was a funky procedure I had to use including pressing a button on the keyboard and pressing a button on the console at the right time. And for some reason, the touchpad button on it would "click" by itself with no action from me. So I would be moving the pointer around and accidentally open a program or something without even hitting the button.(Btw, I've had that problem on a HP laptop as well)
I didn't keep it long enough to test the television or disc burning capabilities. The above items irritated me enough to pack it up and ship it back right away. Amazon gets 5 stars for the prompt full refund. Customer Rating: Summary: Exclent Choice Comment: I bought this PC the day it came in and I really dont understand how can someone review any item without owning or using it just because its running with a new OS system and give it 2 out of 5 just becaus it has vista on it??? So here is reviwe from someone who has this item for more than 2 monts. First, it looks amazing, solid built and the Circular white shape gives it an edge above all other Multi Media PCs. Second, performance is solid and running window vista smoothly without any problems, third, you will have a verity of outputs, HDM,VGA,optical out and SV,AV for inputs for TV recording which works like a charm. I'm hooking it with the 70" Class Grand WEGA(tm) XBR(tm) series SXRD(tm) Rear Projection Full HD tv using HDMI through the Sony DG1000 Receiver and the Video(setting it at 720P) and Audio is just amazing. I got another one in my office hooked with the White LCD Samsung and it works smothly for all my office work. Customer Rating: Summary: My original review was lost/removed. Comment: This PC would be nice to have only if SONY tested it more than just for basic functionality, a lot of problems out of a box. I'm still running it since July 2007 (for 5 months) and yes it would fo it job of being media PC and recording basic TV. Vista is the worst part of this PC. No wounder Dell allowed it customers to return to Win XP pro - make me think even MSoft and Dell agreed on Vista - not ready for general public even as of now December 2007. May be after Vista SP1( Feb-March 2008) this Sony PC will work the way it should be. From design stand point very well build media PC - best on a market for price/design/look/size. I would think that SOny will improve with new updates/patches within next 3-4 months.
