Using The VAIO VGN-AX580G
Watching DVDs and TV on the Sony is a pretty positive experience. Except for the well-known tendency of the Sony XBRITE LCD screen to reflect local light sources, the picture is clear, sharp, and reasonably bright. The screen does a bit better with dark colors and black backgrounds than with bright objects in the content (such as fire and bright lights.) Blacks are fairly uniform and deep, but bright areas tend to show smearing or bleeding around their edges on screen. The TV tuner bay insert did a nice job of dealing with conventional NTSC TV from our local cable provider and worked flawlessly with MCE for TV viewing and capture.
Listening to music on the Sony reminded us immediately of the Acer in that even at maximum volume, the unit couldn't produce enough volume to fill a room (or even compete successfully with our air conditioner). When using the built-in speakers, the default audio settings are noticeably hot on the high end of the audio spectrum. A little fiddling with the sound equalizer takes care of this problem, but won't be needed if you use headphones or route the sound into a home theater setup, as we did.
The Sony MCE remote features a button layout that's virtually identical to the Microsoft MCE remote, but which also eschews that unit's curves and ergonomics for a "yet another boxy remote" look and feel. Sony spiffs up its IR receiver with a black and silver package, rather than the more typical all-black box. Still, like other offerings, this one also includes two IR blasters for driving set-top cable and satellite boxes with your remote, should you wish to do so.
Some of the more interesting built-ins in the Sony unit include a fingerprint sensor right next to the power switch at the top right of the keyboard deck. This notebook also features a built-in Webcam at the top center above the display, which explains why the latch catch is off-center on the top deck. Sony also makes use of a device bay to accommodate either the optical drive or the TV tuner; an 80 GB HD unit is available as an extra cost option. Unfortunately, users who might want to watch a DVD while recording a TV show - a reasonable wish for a Windows MCE PC - will quickly realize that this arrangement means they can do one or the other, but not both at the same time. For that reason, we see this as a design flaw, rather than a value-add.
