Sony readies mainstream all-in-one media PC

Viiv who?

By Tony Smith • Get more from this author

8th February 2006 15:35 GMT

Sony this week took the wraps off its latest all-in-one entertainment PC, the Vaio VA1, follow-on to the consumer electronics giant's V3 machine.

The star of the show is the integrated 20in 16:9 aspect ratio display with Sony's X-black colour-enhancing technology. The 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Pentium D 820 processor isn't quite top-of-the-range, however, and neither is the ATI Mobility Radeon X700 graphics chip, so we suspect Sony is pitching the VA1 toward more mainstream buyers.

sony vaio va1 all-in-one media pc

Like its predecessor, the VA1 requires just a single cable, for power. The keyboard, mouse and TV-style remote control are all wireless, as is the the unit's network connection, though there are Ethernet, USB and Firewire ports present for those who can't yet live without wires.

The PC runs Windows XP Media Center Edition and contains a 250GB hard drive for storage and a dual-layer DVD±RW drive for archiving content recorded from the integrated digital and analogue TV tuner. Sony claims the box not only has room for a second hard drive, but also that adding one is easy.

The system has a sufficient spec to warrant Intel's Viiv branding, but Sony didn't say today whether the VA1 will ship as a Viiv box or not.

The VA1 is set to ship next month for around £1,500. ®

sony vaio va1 all-in-one media pc