Sony VAIO VGC-VA1

And it's here our only real criticism creeps in; a single tuner in a consumer MCE system is crippling it, as you'll end up having to watch whatever you're recording. With the unit cost of TV tuners negligible in a machine costing this much, and with a PCI slot sitting empty, it's a baffling omission. You could potentially add one yourself, but there's no guarantee that MCE would accept it, and it misses the point of buying a machine like this in the first place.

It's also curious that Sony hasn't gone down the Viiv route with the VA1, choosing instead to opt for non-Intel audio and networking hardware. For now, all that means is that you don't get instant on/off drivers, but on such a consumer-oriented machine the second wave of Viiv software might well be missed.

There are some excellent ideas here. It's absurdly easy to set up, for one: take it out of the box, then plug in the single power cord, TV aerial and USB infrared receiver. The keyboard and mouse combination also goes a long way to making the VA1 a useful PC. And it's almost totally silent, although it does throw out a lot of heat.

The price also shows that Sony is serious about this market - considering the amount of bespoke engineering that's gone into this machine, not to mention the quality of the panel, it's a surprisingly good deal. If all you want is a decent media centre, you could buy the A-Listed Elonex Artisan VX with a decent panel and still be left with £200. But if you're after something with a bit more flair, the VA-1 might just tempt you.

Author: Ross Burridge