eShop USA > PC Hardware > Sony VAIO VGX-XL1 Digital Living System Desktop PC (Intel Pentium D Processor 820, 512 MB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive)
Sony VAIO VGX-XL1 Digital Living System Desktop PC (Intel Pentium D Processor 820, 512 MB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive)
Binding: Personal Computers
Brand: Sony
Computer Hardware Type: Desktop Computer
CPU Manufacturer: Intel
CPU Speed: 2.8 GHz
CPU Type: Pentium D
EAN: 0027242687332
Graphics Memory Size: 64 MB
Hard Disk Size: 200 GB
Item Dimensions: 9000
Label: Sony
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: VGX-XL1
Modem Description: None
MPN: VGX-XL1
Processor Count: 1
Publisher: Sony
Studio: Sony
System Bus Speed: 800 unknown-units
System Memory Size: 512 MB
System Memory Type: DDR SDRAM
Warranty: 1 year warranty
Features:- Multimedia desktop PC combined with 200-disc changer/recorder with dual-layer DVD+R burning support
- 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium D dual-core processor (2 MB L2 cache), 200 GB hard drive, 512 MB RAM (2 GB max), additional CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive
- Automatically and sequentially record up to 200 audio CDs; record TV episodes to the hard drive and transfer them to blank DVDs stored in the changer
- 54g Wi-Fi LAN, built-in TV tuner, multi-format memory card reader
- Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (Update Rollup 2)
Accessories:
Featured Listmania!
Editorial Review:
Bring together your computing and entertainment worlds in one package and control it all with one remote with the Sony VAIO VGX-XL1 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-XL1, 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-XL1 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 dual-core processor for powering through multiple applications simultaneously and without stress. Other PC features include 512 MB of installed DDR-2 RAM (2 GB maximum), 200 GB hard drive (with room for up to three SATA hard drives (RAID 0 ready), an NVidia GeForce 6200 video processor with 64 MB of dedicated video RAM, CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive, 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 200 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive, which offers higher speed transfer of data--akin to Firewire and USB 2.0--than typical ATA hard drives. While quite large, it is not the largest capacity available in multimedia PCs, but the VGX-XL1 does offer the capability of adding two additional hard drives.
- Processor: The 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium D 820 dual-core processor is one of the strongest processors currently available (as of October 2005). 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 1MB of L2 cache onboard (for a 2 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-XL1 comes with 512 MB 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-XL1'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-XL1 also includes a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive, which offers 24x write/rewrite speeds for CDs and 8x read speeds for DVDs.
- Keyboard, Mouse & 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 6200 video/graphics card, which offers 64 MB of dedicated video RAM, which is a bit small for such a video and multimedia PC. The GeForce 6200 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-XL1 has three half-height 3.5-inch bays (one 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-XL1 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.
Add a very special PC to complement your home-theater system. Here's a PC designed for entertainment. The VAIO(R) XL1 Digital Living System is a 200 CD/DVD disc changer and fully-operational PC running Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Designed to energize your living room, the VAIO(R) XL1 system lets you organize your media like never before. From your digital photos and home movies to your CD/DVD collection and recorded TV shows, the VAIO(R) XL1 system will help you control it all with just a few clicks of a remote control. You'll glide through an easy-to-use interface on your way to conveniently controlling your media library. And, you can do all this from the comfort of your couch using your TV as a display. Not only does the VAIO(R) XL1 Digital Living System provide a central location for your DVD collection, it also lets you access and navigate your movie library via remote control or wireless keyboard. Simply load a DVD into your system and the PC component of your VAIO(R) XL1 system will download metadata information from the web. You'll get cover art, genre information and descriptions of your movies fed into an easy-to-browse, central interface. Managing an extensive DVD library has never been this easy.
If you've ever dreamed of backing-up your entire CD collection but thought it would be too big of a job, then the VAIO(R) XL1 Digital Living System is for you. Simply load the system with discs and after just a few clicks of the remote, the VAIO(R) XL1 system will be set to automatically and sequentially copy all of your content in one single session. with its 200 GB of HDD space and 2 slots for additional hard drives, the VAIO(R) XL1 system has more than enough storage capacity to get the job done.
The VAIO(R) XL1 Digital Living System runs Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, an operating system that also lets you watch and record TV programs. Just select an episode (o
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - I love mine!
I gave it four stars for a couple of its quirks, but I got mine for $1099 on Amazon (via Tigerdirect) about a year ago and I have solved many of its problems. Therefore, five stars makes more sense because there is nothing like this machine on the market for anywhere near the price. Unfortunately, Amazon will not allow me to change my initial star rating.
First and foremost, the Sony manual says CLEARLY that the computer will not play 1080i via component. It specifies that it only ... Read More
Rating:  - A disaster
I was really excited about this product--an all in one home entertainment system--TV, computer, DVDs. Well, it had great promise. I connected it to a receiver and a flat screen. I had an entire custom cabinet made for it. But the 300 DVD changer has never worked right. I spent hours on the telephone with Sony. I returned the unit to Sony for service. It came back still not working. They sent a technician out to my home three times. It still does not work. Sony will not stand behind the product. ... Read More
Rating: - Other than design, reliability and support, it's a good product.
Note to would-be buyers:
1) All the inputs aren't simlutaneously usable. To record on a DVD-R from an s-video source, you have to fool the system in to thinking it's a cable signal and wipe out your digitsl TV settings. You then re-establish them by re-doing a full antenna scan when finished. (It's about a 20-step process.)
2) You can record HDV files in to the system (in to m2t video files), but the Media Center software won't recognize them in its My-Videos library. To play them, you have to ... Read More
Rating: - No output -- confusing specifications
Specifications talked about S-Video, Composite, DVI outputs. The only true output is HDMI. Composite according to Sony doesn't show any good pictures. It is a totally useless system unless you want to buy an HDMI Plasma or LCD TV. I told Sony that they were crooks for selling such a system and they said that the people I bought it from were the crooks for not letting me know that I would have to buy another TV to use it. I bought it from Tiger Direct and they will not let me return it, so I guess they ... Read More
Rating:  - I love my media center
I purchased this item and I recieved within a couple of days shipping was alot faster then I expected. The build of this computer is great, but the picture quality was even better. I am super happy with it. Just an FYI you must have a tv with Component Video, DVI, or HDMI there is no monitor port on his power house machine.
Related Categories:
| |
 |
