Sony VAIO PCV-W1: coming in September, for around £1,500.
In fact, the VAIO PCV-W1 is as much about home entertainment as it is about home computing. The system incorporates Sony's GigaPocket TV/PVR technology and features a wide-screen 17.5in. Onyx Black TFT display. The high-contrast, wide viewing angle LCD screen automatically modifies its brightness and colour temperature according to whether the system is being used as a TV, a PC or is in standby mode with a clock on-screen. The VAIO W1 has a DVD-RW drive and comes with Sony's Click-to-DVD software, so you can save TV programs on DVD at the touch of a button. SonicStage handles the audio side of things – the display has a pair of built-in stereo speakers, and S/PDIF connectors are provided for digital audio out if you want to beef up the sound. A single control application, VAIO Media, provides access to these and other programs. As well as a fold-down keyboard and a mouse, the VAIO W1 has a well-featured remote control for easy access to GigaPocket recordings. The system runs Windows XP Home. The VAIO W1 is powered by a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 processor and comes with 512MB of RAM. The hard disk is a massive 160GB unit.
Talkback
i thought it would be ideal for office or bedroom, couldn't wait to get it set up and working and was fairly happy for the first couple of days, however by the third i had problems with the keyboard and have now decided i am not sure i made the right decision with a view now for it to be returned.
Very unhappy with this unit, the sound and the picture sync are out, have contacted Sony who admitted there was a known problem and said that they might have a patch or fix some time in January.
"thank you so much I expect to have a product that is tested properly for £1500"
Worst was yet to come I made a mistake and bought from Dabs its taken the threat of legal action to get them to take it back.
Leave both well alone!
allan walker - if you read this can you email me as i also bought from dabs.com, my email is darrinsinclair@hotmail.com, would appreciate hearing from you.
Gald to have found these reviews BEFORE buying :)
I played with one of these machines in Comet and PC World and they worked beautifully.
The concern I had was that all components are tucked away and that the keyboard didn't look too convenient / comfortable.
I went online and found it cheapest at Dabs - but again, after seeing two negative reviews, I'm glad I didn't press the "buy now" button.
To be honest, I need a PC not another TV.
I bought my vaio through John Lewis because they offered an extra years warranty for gratis. The first vaio lasted two days before the pixels started to break down. a replacement was delivered shortly afterwards, that lasted two hours before the machine shut down and refused to boot up.
The third pc has shut itself down three times after accessing the internet for an hour or so,
since then it has calmed down but I'm keeping my beady eyes on it !.
I was about to buy the Sony VAIO PCV-W1until i saw the rather bad reviews. Would you advise me not to?
i think the vaio is great, i have had no problems and it works fine, this is 1 of the best system available at the moment
i think the vaio is great, i have had no problems and it works fine, this is 1 of the best system available at the moment
Guy's This computer works Fine for what its build for.. its quite ,, its Screen is absolute deluxe,, hey its got speakers.. if you want more sound get better speakers... RIP MIX Burn.. it does all the things you want Video, DVD, to CDR. TV..
Yes, i agree,, the video Card is a Little on the poor side.. But let say you want to play games.. well i got a good one for you. try...this.. Hook up your Playstation, Xbox, Gamecube etc.. to the Video Coax input.. and you have your zelf a Wide screen game station.. I love it.. and am very happy with this one.. i have 160 GIg HD 1 GIG RAM ... DVD burner.. hey,, Play games on my Gamecube using this Wonderful 17 inch screen.. imj cool with it..
I just got mine and I can say that it works very well, I am using it at the hardest possibly ways and it still want more...
I was about to go out and buy this one, but after reading the reviews I am going to pass
I was out looking for a notebook & maybe a replacement for my desktop when I saw this on display. It looked saw awesome & almost decided to buy one. Price range is a little bit heavy on the budget, but I thought ...It is just too good to be true: style, comfort & multipurpose machine all in one. I went home & started comparing prices on line when I bumped into this website. Boy, am I glad to read this! You just saved me from a BIG headache. But I wonder if they have fixed the problem & if the ones they have out in the market now are the upgraded ones ?
Oh Oh........thank goodness I saw these reviews........I have the finance forms from Dabs on my desk ready to sign....I'll give it a miss for now.
NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
look what youve done. I was going to buy one of these..on line.... right now.. but bumped into these RAVE reviews after thinking I should see what others think of it.
Now I am just a nervous quivering wreck who doesnt know what to buy in case it takes over my life with complaints to Sony or decides it hates me and takes over the world.( oh ,hang on that was Terminator 3,not real life) My only qestion now is, do the people who like it all work for Sony, or do they work for Dabs and have loads of stock to shift. Or do they really have no problem with it and the others are just moaning over nothing.Bye..
i must say that i am very happy with my pcv-w2. don't understand why people her have something against it. once you see the vaio life you wont believe it. it's just great! maybe a bit expensive but I had to pay in rates / montly 100 euro. the 16:10 display rocks, the sound is very good, it has dvd burnder, 2,8 GHz, TV... many features that normally pcs with integrated video card don't have. its the ideal combination beetwen tv an pc! it's simply a vaio!
the one thing I miss is a 3d-game-card. but for office use the graphic chip is oK!
btw. has someone a recovery dvd in german, I pay you 20 euro for a copy, please mail me! i searched for days... :( sony wont change the language of the disc!
sorry for my bad english!
I brought my pcv w1from pc world in jan, and loved it until my dvd-rw drive gave up on me. Called repair man to replace he spend 3 1/2 hours constantly on the speaker phone to take instructions from somone with a manual on how to take it apart to replace.Had to take the whole thing apart starting from the back to get to the dvd-rw drive. He said it was the hardest job he has ever had to do in the 7 years he has been repairing computers.
I bought my Sony Vaio PCV-W1 from my local Sony Centre last December and its worked a treat ever since. I have added a WinTV digibox to it and have installed Musicmatch mp3 player instead of using the built in systems/programs but this was my choice. Yes I know its an expensive piece of kit but I didn't want all the clutter of a conventional computer and I didn't need the portability of a laptop. I have had a few computers in my time but this one is the fabulous.
Hi, i was going to buy this, good job i came accross this site, the guy i was going to buy it said it had a pixel problem but was unnoticeble but reading other reviews on here saying they went worse & worse, they seem to match with the one i,m getting, its a nice looking pc and to be honest to you after reading some comments on here i was stll tempted to buy it thinking maybe just maybe the one i get will be a better one but its better to take these reviews seriosly and look for something else, i wonder the good reveiws on here arnt by the people who are trying to get rid of there stock, anyway my decision is final a big NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a german recovery cd and want an english one. maybe we can exchange...
King Hammad can mail me news2004@weformats.com
Did you manage to get an english recovery disk
Does anyone know if you can replace the keyboard on this unit, I've spilt liquid on mine?
with my printer connected computer refuses to close down and screen keeps freezing so i bought a new printer(LEXMARK3100 all in one) still no joy, new usb lead ,no good Sony help line useless registered twice recieved 2 e mails back from them ,tried to enter site then told sony has no record of me registering.
My W1 started going wrong after 6 months light use, TV would not respond to remote etc, then it started shutting itself down for no reason. By the time it finally packed up it was 2 weeks past the 12 months guarantee, and the dealer kindly offered to have a look at no charge. He replaced the power pack, but a week later it packed up again, they had it back, fitted another new power pack and monitored it, after a couple of days it gave in again so they sent back to me, broke, and said it had 'an inherent design fault' which they could not fix.
I called Sony and they said 'thats not true, we can fix it but your'e outta warranty and we're going to charge you around £300 to fix it! They obvioustly know the problem but are are not being sympathetic. You have been warned.
My PCV-W2 has a green 10cm pixel line down the screen, which i believe through word of mouth, cannot be repaired. Does anyone know if this can in fact be repaired or if hte screen can be replaced. Not by sony online though because for some reason it is "not possible" to register my pcv w2 with them,,, It is out of warrantee though.
I cant even connect another screen because there is no vga connection.
anyone?
pixie_0@yahoo.com but please make PCV-W2 the subject heading.
thanks
Any Help out there
I have a Sony Vaio Computer with a TV screen
The problem is the tv is suppose to stay in the front of the screen when on but soon as i click mouse it goes to the back still able to hear it but no picture
Have tried Sony help line no responce
ive developed a problem with a green line down my screen sony although when it appeared it was 13 months old light use said not repairable without resorting to the mega expence of a new screen and basically i should have taken the optional warranty out many emails later ive given up,its unlikly ill buy sony ever again i believed it a good machime ,sadly not, if it could link to an additional screen it wouldnt be so bad so anyone with ideas on how to id be really gratefull many thanks ,ps sonyhad me thinking my green line was an isolated thing its appearing to be a common fault ,
i forgot to put my email address on my last comment so if anyone knows how to get the pcv w1 to display onto another screen please contact me bill@quarrell666.freeserve.co.uk many thanks
Any way to get video out from this machine?
internet tv to main 32" widescreen tv
Can I use the pcmcia slot to export video?
Thanks
Will this unit take a USB keyboard ? Cheaper than a Sony repalcement which may fail like the 1st.
My keyboard has lost several letters.
Bought mine from John Lewis and it has been fantastic. Nothing has gone wrong and as a pc/tv/dvd player it is excellent. If you are looking for a user friendly all in one neat and compact user then this is it.
I saw this ** Sony VAIO PCV-W1 ** at an Auction, thought wow and then I bought one via a PC company.
Looks great quality exceptional and ........ it still works to date 14th August 2006. What I did not like for the software from Windows
A crappy windows document.
No P/P
No XLS
etc
You are lucky.
I bought one of these things from DAB and when I returned it to SONY under waranty for screen failure they alledged misuse (they refused to provide any evidence), and insisted I pay £600 for a new screen which itself lasted only a couple of months.
My pcv w2 has been to sony for repair, got a new keyboard, worked fine for six months and the problem returned, they said it was moisture in the keyboard, ( i doubt That ) thier after sales is crap.....Please do not buy this unit most of my electrical stuff is sony, not any more, Im going with Asda's own