Sony Vaio VGX-XL202 review

Connecting the VGX-XL202 up to an old CRT TV would be a waste though, as this PC is all about high-definition. To that end, it's no surprise to see Sony's next-generation optical disc format - Blu-ray - installed. This is Sony's attempt at the potential successor to DVD, able to store several times as much data and provide superb quality video. Infuriatingly though, it's far from clear whether this, the competitive but incompatible HD-DVD format or indeed, either of them will actually become mainstream. Blu-ray movies have only just been launched and the experience is hardly seamless. The selection is poor and Windows Media Center Edition doesn't directly support them, so you have to use a special version of WinDVD to watch them - and this doesn't work with the MCE remote control.

Blank Blu-ray discs can store up to 50GB of data, making them ideal for archiving recordings that you want to keep, but at £10 a piece they're an expensive option. While the drive also functions as a DVD writer, it's also responsible for a significant chunk of the VGX-XL202's price tag. Prices will inevitably come down (for the both the drives and the blank media), but it currently leaves the XL202 in more-money-than-sense league.

Tune in, turn on

If you're serious enough to buy a PC like this to watch TV on, the single TV tuner on board is a huge disappointment. A single tuner means that you can't watch another channel while recording is in progress and given that inexpensive dual-tuner cards have been available for some time, it's baffling that an £1,800 entertainment PC doesn't include one. You could, of course, fit your own second TV tuner, but you'll need to get it working with the existing hardware and software.

There's a lot of things to like about the XL202 - the specially designed keyboard, the custom cooling job and its minimalist looks, to name but three. But when you're spending this much money, every detail should be perfect. Sadly, until Sony gets around to fitting a second TV tuner in (and the price of Blu-ray comes down), this remains an impressive, but ultimately flawed, concept piece. If you like the look of the VGX-XL202 though, take a look at its stable mate, the VGX-XL201. Again it only comes with a single tuner, has a slightly slower processor, a DVD burner and half as much storage - but it's a much more attractive £999.