Product Reviews

Sony's VGC-V2M is designed for those who don't have room for a TV and a computer in their living room and want a stylish alternative. All components are integrated in the main body of this system and the whole thing is finished in glossy black. The sharp, angular design flows though most of Sony's current products and certainly makes the VGC-V2M stand out from other PC brands.

Sony has developed its own Vaio Zone media software, which can be used to play DVDs, CDs and MP3 audio files, control TV functions and view pictures. When launched for the first time the TV receiver is automatically tuned, so no fiddling about is required. The interface is easy to navigate by mouse or the supplied remote control, but when viewing DVDs there's no clear way to revert back to the root menu.

The 17" gloss-coated widescreen display is excellent. It provides a true black thanks to its gloss

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coating and is complemented by exceptionally clean and vivid colours and a pin-sharp image. It's perfect for watching films, viewing pictures or playing games. Stereo speakers and a sub-woofer are integrated into the system, but there is an optical S/PDIF output for connection to a surround-sound decoder.

A wrist rest with integrated touchpad sits below the responsive keyboard. When full keyboard input isn't required, you simply fold the wrist rest up and over the keys.

With an Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz processor with 512MB of RAM, the VGC-V2M is not just a pretty face. Reasonable scores across all our benchmarks mean that it can cope comfortably with office applications and deal with image and video work as well. Its nVidia GeForce FX5700 mobile graphics mean that the VGC-V2M is not the best for running cutting-edge games, but it can still cope with modest 3D gaming.

A double-layer DVD+/-RW drive means there is plenty of scope for backup and DVD authoring. Sony includes a 200GB hard disk which will provide ample storage for most people, but this could soon be used up, especially if you record a lot of TV.

A similar specification in a standard PC case would cost around £900, so you pay a lot more for the integrated design and Sony's styling and brand name. The value of this system depends largely on whether you consider this to be a valid payoff. That said, it would be hard to find a more stylish and technically competent integrated media PC.