Sony VAIO VGX-XL2 Digital Living System (Intel Pentium D Processor 920, 1 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, Optical Drive)

Product Description

Includes: remote control, wireless keyboard, HDMI cable, Firewire cable, S/PDIF optical cable, HDMI-DVI adapter, Mini DVD adapter, wireless antenna, 6 AA batteries, 2 power cords, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Service Pack 2, Photoshop Elements, Premiere Standard, Works 8.0, & more. Sony VAIO(R) Digital Living System - The Sony VAIO(R) Digital Living System consists enables you to easily control nearly every aspect of your home entertainment from the comfort of your sofa. It features a powerful desktop computer, with an Intel Pentium D Processor 920 (2.8 GHz), and a 200 disc CD/DVD changers. You get the ability to manage and enjoy your digital photos, audio CDs & digital music, standard & high definition TV content, movies from the Internet, DVDs, camcorder footage and much more! Double Layer DVD Writer - (write speeds) up to 4x DL DVD+R, 8x DVD-R, 8x DVD+R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 24x CD-R, & 24x CD-RW NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT x16 PCI Express graphics card with 128MB of DDR SDRAM Sound Reality technology with DSD (Direct Stream Digital) support Integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi Adapter Video Outputs - HDMI, DVI-D (through HDMI to DVI-D adapter), & Component (YPbPr) Video Inputs - Gold plated Composite & 3 S-Video (1 front / 2 back) Audio Outputs - 2 S/PDIF Optical & Coaxial & Gold Plated Line Out (Left/Right) Audio Inputs - S/PDIF Optical & Gold Plated Line In (Left/Right/Front/Back) TV Tuner - Giga Pocket MPEG2 Realtime Encoder Board with 1 ATSC over-the-air High Definition tuner, Composite A/V, S-Video, Coaxial (VHF/UHF) inputs Multimedia Card Reader - Memory Stick, Memory Stick(R) PRO/Duo, Compact Flash Type I/II, SD/MMC, SmartMedia, & xD Picture Card Ports - 10/100/1000 Gigabit, 4 USB 2.0 (2 front), 3 Firewire (2 6-pin back / 1 4-pin front), Mic In, Headphone Out, 2 Infrared Transmitter Out Slots - 1 x16 PCI Express (occupied), 2 PCI (occupied) Bays - 3 3.5 half-height (1 av

Amazon.com Product Description

Bring together your computing and entertainment worlds in one package and control it all with one remote with the Sony VAIO VGX-XL2 Digital Living System, which combines a high-end multimedia desktop PC and a 200-disc DVD/CD changer/recorder. Both are designed to fit into a home entertainment rack and the elegant silver and black casings will nicely complement the rest of your home entertainment system. With the VGX-XL2, you can manage all your downloaded digital content--such as music online stores, home movies from your camcorder, and photos from your digital camera--but it offers the added ability to easily organize, sort, and access packaged content from the CDs and DVDs that are sitting on your bookshelves.

The desktop PC portion of the VGX-XL2 is powered by Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (Update Rollup 2), which provides support for Media Center Extender technology built into XBox 360 game consoles, and a robust 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium D 920 dual-core processor for powering through multiple applications simultaneously and without stress. Other PC features include 1 GB of installed DDR-2 RAM (2 GB maximum), 320 GB hard drive (with room for up to three SATA hard drives (RAID 0 ready), an NVidia GeForce 6600 video processor with 128 MB of dedicated video RAM, multi-format/dual layer DVD burner, 54g Wi-Fi LAN, built-in TV tuner, multi-format memory card reader compatible with the most popular digital camera formats, and a wide assortment of pre-loaded Sony multimedia software titles. The 200-disc changer/recorder features multiformat DVD and CD burning capability with dual-layer DVD+R support.

Multimedia Features
With the XL1 Digital Living system, you can consolidate your music library by backing up your music CDs to your hard drive to be stored along with all of your downloaded music. With the touch of a few buttons, you can automatically and sequentially record up to 200 audio CDs from the media changer to the hard drive along with available album covers and track information. You can also record a series of television show episodes to the hard drive and easily transfer them to blank DVDs stored in the changer. The system alerts you to how many discs are needed and you can burn a whole season of your favorite TV program to DVDs to take on your next road trip.

Discs inserted into the 200-disc changer/recorder are automatically detected by the PC which downloads (over a wired or wireless network) available metadata on each one, including jewel case covers and artist information. For movies, an in-depth synopsis is also downloaded in addition to the star, director, producer details and more. All of this information is easily sorted and accessed using the included wireless keyboard or remote control.

Sony's SonicStage Mastering Studio software allows you to record music off of vinyl or tapes by utilizing the Studio's 24bit/96kHz processing technology, producing crisp digital quality sound. Also included are four different effects that allow you to enhance the sounds in the original recordings or to add new effects for remixing. Sony's DVgate Plus software allows you to import video footage from several sources and edit it, giving you the freedom to create your own video masterpiece.

Desktop Basics

Hard Drive:: This entertainment-centric desktop is loaded with a gigantic 320 GB (7200 RPM) hard drive--which is about as large as you'll find in any multimedia desktop PC.
Processor:: The 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium D 920 dual-core processor is near the top of the speed spectrum for this processor class (as of March 2006). An Intel dual-core processor delivers additional computing resources and help expand the PC's capabilities by providing higher throughput and simultaneous computing. You'll be able to perform multiple tasks such as digital rendering and gaming all while running virus scan or other background tasks seamlessly. Each core has 2 MB of L2 cache onboard (for a whopping 4 MB total), and the two cores share an 800MHz front-side bus.
A hyperthreading processor helps a PC run several demanding applications at the same time. This technology enables the processor to execute two threads (parts of a program) in parallel, boosting performance during key high-drain procedures. This results in more efficient software performance, such as faster reaction times in gaming applications, and enhanced multitasking.
Memory:: The VGX-XL2 comes with 1 GB of installed PC-4200 DDR RAM, with a very fast 533 MHz speed. This is a good start, but seems small in comparison to the capabilities of this machine. You'll want to max out the 2 GB capacity (which is a bit small for such a multimedia powerhouse) for your 3D gaming and video-editing needs.
CD/DVD Drive:: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, the VGX-XL2's changer/recorder has a multi-format DVD/CD drive that's compatible with both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer DVD+R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. For DVD-RW discs, it has a 16x write/6x rewrite speed, while for DVD+RW discs it has a 16x write/8x rewrite speed. For dual-layer DVD+R, it has a 4x write speed. For CDs, it has a 40x write/24x rewrite speed.
The PC portion of the VGX-XL2 also includes a multi-format, dual layer DVD burner. For DVD-RW discs, it has an 8x write/6x rewrite speed, while for DVD+RW discs it has an 8x write/rewrite speed. For dual-layer DVD+R, it has a 4x write speed. For CDs, it has a 24x write/24x rewrite speed.
Keyboard, Mouse, and Accessories:: It comes with a wireless Vaio keyboard and remote control (but no mouse). It also comes with an IR blaster for controlling a cable or satellite TV box and a wireless antenna.

Video and Audio
This desktop comes installed with NVidia GeForce 6600 video/graphics card, which offers 128 MB of dedicated video RAM, which is a bit small for such a video and multimedia PC. The GeForce 6600 features Nvidia's TurboCache technology, which is designed to increase notebook performance without increasing the size or draining the battery. NVIDIA PureVideo technology delivers smooth HD video in all formats for superb picture clarity.

The integrated TV tuner features Sony's Giga Pocket MPEG2 Realtime Encoder Board with composite video/audio, S-Video, and RF coaxial (VHF/UHF) inputs. It offers a very good range of video connections, including HDMI, DVI-D (via HDMI to DVI-D adapter), and component video outputs and gold-plated composite and S-Video inputs on the front (for connecting to a digital video camcorder).

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
For expansion, the VGX-XL2 has three half-height 3.5-inch bays (two occupied), two PCI slots (one occupied), and one x16 PCI Express slot (occupied by graphics card). It also has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that's compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g networks (requires 802.11b or 802.11g compatible access point). It comes with the following external connectors:

4 USB 2.0 ports (2 front, 2 back) for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
3 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals (2 6-pin in rear, 1 4-pin in front)
1 microphone, 1 headphone
2 infrared transmitter out
Multi-format memory card reader on the front, compatible with Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro/Duo, CompactFlash (Type I and II), MicroDrive, SmartMedia, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital, and XD Picture Card

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems. The changer/recorder offers two FireWire (i.Link) ports.

Preloaded System and Software
The pre-installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (Update Rollup 2) is essentially Windows XP Professional Edition with a variety of tools to help you to create, organize, and enjoy digital media ranging from music to home movies to photo slide shows. The Update Rollup 2 upgrade offers support for the Windows Media Center Extender technology built into XBox 360 game consoles, which lets you access entertainment from your Media Center PC--whether it's live and recorded TV and movies, music, photos or Online Spotlight--on any TV in the house

It also comes loaded with a bevy of Sony multimedia software: Click to DVD (DVD creation), SonicStage (digital music), Vaio Media (network file sharing), DVgate Plus (digital video), and Image Converter (for PSP transfer). Other pre-loaded software includes Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition, Quicken 2005 New User Edition, Microsoft Works 8.0 (with word processing, spreadsheet, and calendar), Norton Internet Security (with 90-day subscription), Intervideo WinDVD, Roxio DigitalMedia SE, and SpySubtract.

Dimensions and Weight
Combined, the desktop PC and 200-disc changer/recorder measure 17 x 13.8 x 19.5 inches (WxHxD) and weigh approximately 86 pounds.

What's in the Box
This VGX-XL2 package contains the desktop PC and 200-disc changer recorder components, IR remote control (with batteries), IR blaster, wireless keyboard, HDMI cable, FireWire cable, S/PDIF optical cable, HDMI/DVD-D adapter, Mini-DVD disc adapter, wireless antenna, power cords, and printed operating instructions. It is backed by a 1-year limited hardware warranty.

Customer Reviews:

Changer is poor design.......2007-12-08

I bought 3 of the changers to go with this system, If you load it up (200 disks) eventually (3-4 months) the stepping motor will die.

Between the 3 of them I've had them in service 6 times in less than one year. The service guys are good and the warrentee covers it however after my year is up then what. I guess I could buy the 1 yr extended warrentee Sony keeps offering me for $200.00 per unit (ya right!)

Sony has a lot of work to do in QA and test IMO

Very disappointed.......2007-07-08

I have been a Sony customer for a very long time. This is my third, yes third, computer of theirs and I've bought a long list of other Sony products (camcorder, cameras, PDA, etc...). I was able to get this system for a very good deal from another seller so I purchased it along with an additional changer. My review will focus primarily on the setting up of it and not on the changer itself. I'm very good at computers having owned at least 9 over the last 10 years and currently own 5, including a Mac. I teach/train other on the usage of them and upgrade my own so I know quite a bit on how to set them up. In other words, I'm not a novice.

I currently own another Sony that has a TV tuner in it. I plugged in a coax cable from the wall, uploaded the channel guide and was on my way. No big deal. I recorded television shows all the time from it. I loved it. I decided on this system because I wanted to take advantage of my digital cable package and movie channels. While I know the quality may not be superb, I knew I would be able to get the upper channels. I understood I could either go straight in from the wall to the PC with a coax or go through the box, depending on my cable company. I opted to do the latter. I went through the Media Center set up. That was a b****. It would recognize the remotes (the media center/sony and cable) and then it wouldn't. It couldn't make up its mind. I finally got it to work. With some patience, I realized I would have to use the cable remote to watch TV via the computer. I couldn't use the media remote at all when it came to recording items or changing channels. There went my great idea of recording TV with titles and DVR-like convenience (I could do it but at a great time expense and using both remotes). In the end, I had to hook up an S-video cable because it wouldn't 'recognize' the coax. It gets worse. I went on vacation and came back. Suddenly, Media Center was telling me that it needed to be calibrated. Not Again! I tried to set it up. Same problem with remotes, however, when you test the channels, they wouldn't change with either remote. (Well, the numbers for the Media Center remote changed, but unless the cable box was on, the screen was black.) Unless I had the box on, I saw no TV. Basically, the PC was being used as a makeshift VCR/cable box viewing device. In addition, I could hear nothing going on from the cable box on my surround sound. I could hear anything I did on the PC, but not the cable box.

Like other people, I do want to make this a CD/music storage computer and store my DVD's in the changers. However, I also wanted to record movies from my movie channels so I could watch them at my leisure (my DVR gets a little jam packed at times). I don't know if the issue is the computer or media center, however, the system itself isn't stable. At one point, I can at least change the channels with the cable remote but can't really effectively use it for recording. Then, media center doesn't work and I can't use the remotes (even though both 'pass' the test).

I won't even go into how it keeps losing my wireless signal. That's another horror story. (I have three other computers to test the wireless ability so it isn't my router. :-) )

Depending on what you want to do with the computer will determine on whether or not you should buy it. I will go through and upgrade software per what I've read here. I believe part of the issue is having to go through the S-Video cable (just a theory) but I have no other choice at the moment. If things get worse or better, I'll update my opinion.

Oh, the directions for setting up the computer stink. You kinda have to know your way around cables and cords to know what you're doing. Just a thought.

Well... I Got What I Expected.......2007-03-21

... and I am extremely satisfied with this purchase. Despite the fact that I have researched this item for almost a year, I must admit that I slowly became a bit skeptical of committing to the purchase. But after understanding that the people submitting such low ratings were victims of oversight, lack of CIS courses, and/or faulty equipment, I became more apt to make the purchase [...].

Like many of the customers, the first thing we noticed was the immensity of the size. We were afraid that it would not fit the shelves of our media stand. But in a way it did (we placed the changer on a shelf and the CPU on the top).

Hooking up the system was a breeze. Confusion reared its ugly head only when we could not understand why there was no visual through the AV receiver (which supports HDMI). After a few hours of tweaking and programming, we found that the AV receiver only needed the programming and more time to affiliate with the visual signal.

I have only 2 complaints about this system. The first one has to do with actually getting 5.1 surround sound pushed through the AV receiver (we are only getting 2.1). This complaint leads up to the second one, a manual that is more in-depth.

Overall, I am greatly satisfied with this purchase. Once again, Sony has not disappointed me.

And DVD copying on this system is possible.

Nothing like it. Would buy again........2007-03-09

Read all the reviews on this product. Did'nt want to fork out the money in case it was'nt what it was cracked up to be. It was. Controls media at 100%. Can do, what I want to do with other components pieced together, but to get a clean simple (1) component to do it all, was worth the price.
Reviews I'd read are correct, wireless keyboard is low point to XL2. You can work with it, but Sony should really upgrade it. So far, Very Pleased.

Does NOT work on computer monitor.......2007-02-21

I bought this new off Ebay to use as a computer with my 24" Sony monitor only to find it only works off a TV. I'm sadly disappointed to find out I can not use it this way. Now I have to resell it on Ebay and take the loss.

I thought this should be noted for those who want to use it for anything other than a entertainment device for their TV.

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