Sony Unveils Touchscreen 'HDTV' PC Vaio L DVR
If you could only have one, why not have one that can do it all.
With Windows 7 just around the corner, and all the new touch-based technology that the new OS will bring, we should expect to see lots of new touchscreen computers showing up through the rest of the year.
Sony's put its own spin on the touchscreen all-in-one PC with today's announcement of the Vaio L, which the company says is a PC, HDTV, and DVR all in one.
First off, let's look at the PC components: the Vaio L will support up to an Intel Core 2 Quad processor and a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GT 240M for games and movies. It's also pack a built-in wireless 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi card. To make it more than just a touchpanel, the Vaio L also comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse. It'll ship with Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional 64-bit.
For the HDTV part of it, the screen is a 24-inch (diagonal) WUXGA (1920x1080) widescreen panel that can be equipped with an optional HDMI input is available. This means that users can hook up a compatible HD cable box, satellite receiver or PlayStation 3 and use the display without powering on the PC.
Select models feature also pack a Blu-ray Disc optical drive, though the operation of it does seem to require using the PC portion. A rewritable BD drive for recording on high-capacity BD media is also available.
Finally, the DVR part comes in with an optional built-in tuner so you can connect to your digital cable TV service and Over-The-Air (ATSC) HD TV signals (antenna required) and watch television on your PC. Built in DVR software means that you can record TV for later viewing.
“The L Series is the ultimate multi-media hub— it’s your PC, HDTV and DVR in one compact, stylish device,” said Mike Abary, senior vice president of the Vaio business group at Sony. “And with cutting-edge features such as multi-touch, it’s ideal for media lovers who appreciate HD performance and cutting-edge technology.”
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The VAIO L Touch HD PC/TV will start at about $1,300, but expect a much higher price for a tricked-out version.
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wildwell This thing looks like a well thought out media server, in a dorm room. I'd like to see Sony offer more options for people wanting larger screens. Twenty four inches doesn't cut it for most living rooms.Reply
I wonder what the $1300 version WON'T have. -
tenor77 While it looks cool and touchscreen is neat, most cards these days have HDMI, support 1080p and add in a $30 usb HD adapter you can get HDTV and DVR shows.Reply -
ravewulf Very cool. Touch is probably still more useful for laptops though (with the exception of kiosk computers)Reply -
pender21 Ahh, 240m GT - uses mobile GPU like iMacs so it is not upgradeable, but I guess you can buy this for whatever and a cheap $600 build for modern games.Reply -
steiner666 wow, so its like the gaming rig and 24" 1080p monitor that i just built this year, only less powerful, combined into one unit and probably nearly tripled in price.... not to mention it will be obsolete in a couple years and unable to be upgraded.Reply
oh wait, its a touchscreen, yeah that will be great. Having finger smudges all over your display is TOTALLY worth shelling out $1k for... -
Sicundercover Im not too keen of touch screen desktops. First, I cant really imagine people sitting at their PCs with one arm up in the air for long periods of time surfing the web. I wonder if i should patent some kind of arm prop now?Reply
Either way I see touch being far more useful in a table type atmosphere. -
Manos lol.. No way im paynig Sony for this thing. Maybe any other company cause Sony will have mepay wayyy much more than anyone else for repairing it. No more, tyvm.Reply