Customer Reviews

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)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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 puts out HDTV content over HDMI. Any research at all would have answered that question.

I find it hard to believe that there is no way to convert HD content recorded on the machine to a DVHS recorder via firewire. I will test this when I have time. I already edit my HD files (my machine records into ".dvr-ms" format) to remove commercials and change them to mpeg format using Videoredo software.

What I like about the machine:

1. Batch burning CDs to lossless format. I saved hours of time burning my 1400 CDs to my hard drive. This was the main reason I wanted the machine and it performed like a champ (pulling over tag info and album art automatically!!!).

2. DVD changer integration. When you load movies into the changer, it goes out to the internet and pulls album art and movie descriptions. This is really cool for managing DVDs.

3. If you have your own ".vob" formated files on your hard drive, you can add your own cover art and the folder will show up with the DVDs in the changer ("My DVDs" section)in WMC.

4. Photos look great over the HDMI out on my big screen HDTV!

5. Your Yahoo music library content will show up with your own CDs in WMC. XM Radio (if you have a subscription) is available in the other content section.

6. It keeps track of playlist by most played, favorites, etc... and it is easy to create playlists on the fly.

7. Easy to record cable content over a direct connection to your cable line. It is also easy to add HDTV OTA recording with a VBox Catseye USB tuner.

8. The included wireless keyboard is great. I keep it on the coffee table and can surf the internet or pull up a movie in seconds! Keep some rechargeable batteries nearby and you will never have to worry.

9. The fact that they were ingenious enough to put an ir receiver in the unit. I have programmed my harmony remote to do all the functions of the WMC remote that came with the machine.

10. Very quiet and runs cool.

What I don't like:

1. Had to add USB soundcard to get DTS sound. I bought an inexpensive Turtle Beach Roadie that was up to the task.

2. Has issues coming out of hybernation. I now just leave mine on all the time. Mine also has issues with rebooting on occasion, but not enough to complain about.

3. Occasionally loses connection to the DVD changer. I usually just reinstall the DVD changer update and it fixes the problem. I have not had the problem in about 8 months, but it is frustrating when it does happen.

4. The changer is huge and it is also loud when changing discs. I bought a long firewire cord and keep my changer in a separate room.

As a side note, I had a major problem with my DVD changer the day after it was delivered. Sony sent the parts to my location and they had it fixed in less than a week's time (I called them on a Saturday and it was fixed on Thursday). The tech even came out after I got off from work and stayed until about 7PM fixing it.

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.

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. They won't replace it. They want me to return it to Sony, again! So they can wipe the hard drive clean (again) and start from scratch. This is after I have paid hundreds of dollars to get my home network set up through a consultant. I will have to pay him again if they wipe the hard drive clean.

It has been a nightmare. Here's what really stinks--I can't watch or get to the 250 DVD I have loaded in Sony DVD changer. I highly recommend not buying this unit. The DVD changer does not integrate with the computer. There is something defective and Sony will not own up to it or help me correct it. Here's the kicker. The unit is less than a year old and I bought an extended warranty.

Thanks Sony! I have been a loyal customer of yours over the years buying thousands and thousands of dollars of equipment from you. But you have lost me for life. Buy Dell's or HP's digial living systems!

Same probleme for the output, no way to connect it to anything else than HDMI, but in my case I do have an HDMI screen and it's simply black... unit was sent back once so far, and still doesn't work. Having read the above now I'm just tempted to give it away and stop thinking about it, thinking i probably made some young geek happy for a couple of months ;)

I'm really giving it one star because amazon won't let me leave it unrated...

Don't buy it.

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 exit the system and manually find them in Windows Explorer
3) True, it can record HD programs to hard drive from the digital antenna, but it plays them back in down-converted form. It will NOT transmit HD out of the Firewire connection if you're thinking of archiving to DVHS.
4) If you connect to an HDTV and set it up as such, it is not smart enough to up-covert a DVD through the componenet output. You have to use a utility to set the output to 480i, and then set it back again (the manual is no help on this).
5) It breaks down ALL THE TIME. Budget many hours in the break-fix cycle you could have spent doing better things
6) Here's the kicker: it's NOT 24-7 support. Support calls (and expect to make many of them) go to a special group that just works normal business hours (west coast time).
Needless to say, I'm not happy, and feel majorly misled.

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 are crooks.

Sony's technical support put me on hold for OVER 2 HOURS. This is unacceptable for a mayor player in the computer business. Also, I am very dissapointed that this equipment does not support HD signals from my cable company. This also is unacceptable. Otherwise I like the equipment.