The System
This notebook has been designed with classic Sony style: rounded edges, hidden IO inputs and a sleek widescreen footprint. From a connectivity point of view, this 'book has it all, boasting front-mounted Memory Stick Pro port, iLink 4-pin FireWire port and three USB ports. On the port replicator we find four USB 2.0 ports, D-sub and DVD-D audio outputs as well as optical out, RJ45 socket, RCA in and output, composite video and s-video outputs. For a notebook, this offers all of the connectivity options you're likely to need to output your signal to any means of display or audio system you desire.

The Audio
Although supplied with only the entry level AC97 compliant audio capabilities found on so many notebooks, this is definitely one of the better sounding ones we've come across. DVD and CD audio comes through crisp and clear, a welcome change from the typical muddy audio we're used to hearing on portables such as this. This change is due to the large well-spaced stereo speakers and separate tweeter located above the keyboard.

The Video
Although boasting plenty of options for plugging and playing with your video sources, the underlying fact is this notebook is driven by one of the lower end graphical products on the market for both desktop and mobile platforms. Packing a RADEON 9200 GPU, this card doesn't feature any native video capture options making it unsuitable for PVR. This aside, the 64MB of on-card graphics memory is enough to watch DVDs and play games fairly comfortably. Given it's not intended as a standalone media unit like the PC systems in our roundup, we can let this slide. The 15.4-inch WXGA display cries out for DVD playback with its 16:9 aspect ratio and high contrast Clear Bright LCD panel which is just that, quite possibly the brightest display we've ever seen and reminding us more of an LCD TV than a notebook monitor. The display is covered with a chemical coating making it appear reflective when off or viewing very dark images, improving its ability to be viewed from even wide angles.

The Conclusion
Although lacking PVR functionality and having only entry level graphics, this notebook has a place in the home set up in our opinion. Its 1.6GHz, CPU generous 60GB hard disk drive, integrated multi-format DVD burner and 802.11b/g wireless module makes it perfect for media processing, archiving and streaming. Our only real criticism is Sony's lockdown of regional settings for DVD playback, meaning you'll only be able to play region 4 discs - not great for anyone who likes to import movies or TV shows from other regions. While not shipping with the port replicator, having it does make home use easy for frequent travellers: come home, plug it in and you're ready to go.