Official VAIO FW Series Owners Thread

Never heard of it... but checking it out now.

 

Guys, some thoughts about battery life...
I found in your posts that battery can loose up to 20% of charge during the night.
Please have a look here:
VAIO Control Center/VAIO Power Management Viewer/Additional/... and find there information about power button (+ Start menu)... and just be sure that it is "Power off" instead of "Hibernation" or "Sleep"... My battery can loose not more 2-3% during the night. Hope that will help some of you.
Excuse my English ))

 

It's actually a little bit of work. You turn on WDS to extend your network. Let me say this, it is extremely fast. I saw one review somewhere where the guy wasn't impressed with this router until he had two talking with each other. Only downside, no QOS. So I still have a Linksys attached to my cable modem so that all VOIP Vonage traffic goes over one specific port. You will be very pleased once this is setup but it does cost $$$...

 

Hi Raps...

I would think Hibernate is OK...
since Hibernate really shut down your computer... and before it shut downed... windows copy all data in memory into hard drive... that's why when you turn on your computer, it will be back in the state exactly when you hibernate the computer.. (because windows copy the data in the hard drive back to the memory...)

Sleep ==> yes... this will reduce the battery, since the computer is not really shut downed... just sleep... in FW series... it shown clearly that the lamp is still glowing when it is in standby or sleep mode...

I hope this is helpful...

 

Guys do you think that buying FW without Blu-ray player is non-sense/implausible for such a media-centric screen&resolution?

I own a PS3, thus I would not normally splurge my money on Blu-ray drive, but there is something that forces to me buy: Region coding of Blu-ray discs. And BTW, I am going to move Europe very soon permanently.

 

Well, for watching Blu-Rays I prefer my 40'' 1080p Bravia + PS3 + surround, so I didn't order the BR drive. It also makes the DVD writer perform a little slower.

Just my 2 cents.

 

The screen/resolution is great for whatever you do on the computer -- not just for movies.

In fact, I don't watch ANY movies on my FW, Period. That's what my PS3 and TV are for.

 

It seems the popularity of FW is dwindling, as the thread does not update frequently? What do you think?

 

For me I am enjoying using my laptop and trying to tie up some loose ends with Vista such as getting a cable for my braille embosser and CD with drivers for my scanner. So far so good. Love the ocmiobination of wide screen and portabilitiy with this machine.

Some Vista tweaks I employed

1. Turned off system restore - use Shadow Protect for my backup in case something happens that I need to revert back to stable system.

2. Adjusted Recycle Bin space usage down somewhat.

3. Went to Windows classic for more speed and hopefully increased battery life.

4. Reduced virtual memory to 768 for initial and maximum sizes.

5. Turned off indexing service.

Those are just a few - do them at your own risk.

Gary

 

Hi all,
I'm new to this forum, and I'm about to order my FW here in Sweden. Unfortunately we can't change that much here....we only have 3 different models to choose from. One without BluRay (DVD in stead) and Eco screen, one with BluRay player and Eco screen and one with BluRay burner, slightly larger HD and hicolor screen.
Is there any reason (exept maybe cost related) why I shouldn't go for the hicolor version? Is there anything that is better with the Eco screen?

I'm realy thankfull for all input!

//Mats

 

Hey everyone im new here too,Just got my new FW12G yesterday for $1400 from Malaysia,Its a great laptop, A nice step up from my old HP lappy,Anyone heard of that model as ive tried googling it but not much came up ?

 

I'm sure the fw with the bluray burner and hicolor should be quite expensive. Most people on here would advice you go for the fw with the hicolor screen although it might come with alot of stuff you may not want. If price is not an issue, go for the premium model, if you want to get it cheaper, maybe you should try checking usa online stores like newegg.com and find out if they ship to sweden. Theres an fw on newegg with a dvd burner and hicolor screen for about $1200. The eco screen is not bad but just knowing theres a better screen, you wont want to settle for less.

 

I believe the FW12G was only released in asia. Checkout the links below:

http://www.sony-asia.com/product/vgn-fw12g

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050488,43812093p,00.htm

http://www.newtechnology.co.in/sony-vaio-fw-vgn-fw12gb-laptop-specsprice-in-india/

 

I've looked at the newegg.com option now (without even checking if the can ship to Sweden, and there is around $300-400 to save (taking in to consideration freight, tax...etc.). But...then I get the issue with not getting a Swedish keyboard layout....witch I know will bugg me alot. I have perviously owned a laptop with US keyboard layout...so this is a fact. And then also of course eventual problems in the future with warrent and so on... I know that it's a world wide warrenty....but my experience is that it's not always that easy.

But again....price is not the big issue here....my main question is if the highcolor will give me a bit extra "bang for the bucks". And from reading more in this thread (and others related to the FW) it seams quite clear that the highcolor is way better then the eco. I have seen both beside each other in a store.....and the differense was significant to say the least. But I also wanted to here from you guys that have been using your highcolor screens for a while.....so that there are no downsides with it!!??

 

Sony laptops do not come with world wide warranty, nor sonystyle.com offers global or world wide warranty even if you are willing to pay extra. AFAIK, only bestbuy offers global warranty, buy I doubt its efficiency.

You have touched on good points regarding Eco vs Hicolor issue. Everybody only deals with how Hicolor is superior to Eco. I also personally saw both of them and found Hicolor better. But the following questions you asked, which may be answered only by people who have been using these screens for a while) should also be considered: Aside from the fact that Hicolor has a brighter and better screen at the first glance, in the long run, 1) Is there any downside of Hicolor? 2) Is there any advantage of Eco color?

First I think Hicolor would drain more battery so you may, if you wish, count that as a downside. I would not consider this as a downside because you will always have the opportunity to decrease the brightness level. Plus IMO under any brightness level you will have more vivid colors as opposed to Eco. (People here especially stress how Hicolor is brighter than Eco. IMO and per my observation, Hicolor is more about the vividness of the colors, thus its name)

Second some users who experienced both screens say that Hicolor gives better vertical angle performance.

Third, some Eco screen models come with Intel video card instead of Ati video card which decreases the price of the respective model. In fact despite the price advantage I consider the former video card a downside as it does not utilize a dedicated video memory and thus shares the computer memory. Plus for some heavy jobs like watching your HD videos that you recorded with your HD camcorder and for editing video you may require a better video card.

Last, leaving the video card aside, HiColor adds $100 more to the price, at least in the U.S. on sonystyle website.

It will be great if some folks who have been using Eco and/or Hicolor screen can add some more to these.

I know it sucks how Sony compels people to buy the highest end model in Europe to have Hicolor. The situation is almost the same in the U.S.. We don't have many models that have Hicolor. In addition to the MSRP $2000 top-of-the-line model luckily we have just one more model with Hicolor (as of 1 September 2008), namely VGN-FW190EEH, and this model is not common everywhere. It is only sold by two etailers called Portable One and Newegg, and not by big-box stores such as Best Buy and Circuit City.

Another thing that sucks in Europe is that, AFAIK, these models are and will all you get, right? I guess you are not going to receive a new model with new specs. (May be except U.K.) However in the U.S. it is highly expected that newer models that will accommodate Hicolor screen and/or better video card for gamers will be released shortly.

If I were in your situation and especially if I already have a PS3 or any Blu-ray player for that matter + external hard drive with great capacity (which would obviate the need for a Blu-ray burner), I would, unfortunately, opt to a model with Eco screen, despite the fact that I know HiColor is better, because I know the exorbitant prices on Sony laptops in Europe.

 

I would like to begin by thanking you mg428 for the extremly good and well written answer! Appreciated input and information....

As far as I know no new models are on there way to Sweden at least. I haven't been speaking to Sony Sweden (yet), but theer is no talk on Swedish forumd or in Swedish press. I would very much like to see an option with updated processor and updated GFX. But...then it would probably cost above $2600 here in Sweden!

QUOTE=mg428;3860429]
If I were in your situation and especially if I already have a PS3 or any Blu-ray player for that matter + external hard drive with great capacity (which would obviate the need for a Blu-ray burner), I would, unfortunately, opt to a model with Eco screen, despite the fact that I know HiColor is better, because I know the exorbitant prices on Sony laptops in Europe.[/QUOTE]

In my case I have no Blu-ray player....so the FW would double as one. That's why I want it with Blu-ray. But....if I want HiColor I have only one option....and that is top of the line model with Blu-ray burner. So....there you go! I have no options! Thanks a bunch Sony! lol

Today I tried to broaden my field of "vision" by looking at some options in the world of laptops. Dell XPS M1530 to mention one. But no.....couldn't go down that route.

HP is totaly out of question since they hav all there support through tha worst service company in the world! I get shivers yust thinking about them.
They are called "Info Care", and the funny thing is that theer "slogan" is....."Info Care.....the Art of Service"! lol Service.....that company does NOT know what the word service mean! That's for sure...

It's the same with ASUS here in Sweden....really crappy service if you end up in need of support.

But Sony have an excelent service here in Sweden.

So I guess there is only one thing I can do......tomorrow I will order a Sony Vaio VGN-FW11S! And i Will pay $2200 for it!

Well..."it cost beeing at the top"! (Swedish proverb that I'm not sure worked entirely in English! lol)

 

Would like to be able to display my PowerPoint slides in a lower res like 800x600 but when I set Powerpoint 2003 slideshow setup to that res, image of slideshow mode does not fill screen but has black bars on all dies, in fact at current resolution of 1600x900 there are black bars when showing slideshow. Any type of adjustment I can do for this and thanks. otherwise screen is excellent.

Gary

 

Before you place your order, my advice to you would be;

1) if you are going to watch Blu-ray movies on your FW's screen, then go with the top-of-the-line model which has the Hicolor screen.

2) If you are going to watch them by connecting your FW via HDMI to your HDTV and if using the Eco screen for other stuff (browsing, et cetera) is OK with you, then go with the model that has Blu-ray but Eco screen.

For the first option you should consider this: Although, due to its screen size, aspect ratio and resolution, FW seems to be a movie-centric laptop, according to user and expert reviews as well as my observation in a Sony Style store, it lacks sound-- Speakers do not have a subwoofer and maximum volume setting does not produce high volume.

For the second option you should consider this: FW will not deliver latest HD audio formats (Dolby True HD and DTS HD MA; perhaps PCM Uncompressed) even if you have an A/V receiver capable of decoding these formats. If you don't have a home theater setup in your home, then you would not have such consideration. Nonetheless, if you are planing to establish a home theater system in the short or medium term, you need to know that if you want a laptop that has a top-of-the-line Blu-ray player, especially in terms of delivering the above-mentioned audio formats, then even the top-of-the-line FW is not for you.

 

I'm not going to use it to watch any movies directly on the latop....but as a player for my Plasma.

But I think I still want to have the HiColor screen when I use it for browsing, picture watching/editing, looking at movies (not BluRay...more like documantaries, TV-series...etc). I thought the difference between Eco and HiColor was so big enough to pay for the difference in price.

But a question... You mention thet the BluRay in the FW wont be able to deliver HD audio....but it will be able to deliver normal DTS? Or du BluRay movies come with HD audio only?? I have no interest in HD audio at the moment...my receiver is a few years old and wouldn't be able to handl that anyway!

I'm not after a top of the line Blu-Ray. Just a player that can play Blu-Ray...nothing else basically! But I do want a HiColor screen....I'm sure of that now!

 

I can understand you. Hicolor is a "must-have" for me, and that's why I ordered VGN-FW190EEH from Newegg. If it came with Blu-ray, I might have considered that as well in order to watch Region B Blu-ray titles. But honestly, blu-ray burner is overkill for me, as I have a 1TB hard drive.

As to the sound formats it seems you are OK with compressed sound formats:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/support-info.pl?template=&info_id=111

There is something that caught my attention. It says "Finally, some VAIO computer systems are not currently capable of sending bitstream audio. In this case, the computer will send a 2-channel downmixed stream to the A/V receiver"

So it is better that you inquiry whether FWs can send bitstream audio, otherwise you will hear sound just from your left and front speakers instead of the entire 5.1./6.1/7.1 or whatever system you have or will have in future.

BTW, blu-ray videos does not come only in HD audio.

 

IMHO (hate using that acro, but it fits)...

I find the hi-color screen to be way too bright at times, and actually run at about 1/3 - 1/2 brightness most of the time (unless I'm outside or in a bright room). I would suspect this negates the battery issue, though I haven't run any performance testing on it.

If money isn't an issue, the hi-color is a great addition if only to have it in your back pocket if you need it.

 

Both are the same resolution. No biggie...If you want to display Blu-ray in 1080P go get a 1920x1080 resolution laptop.

 

Eco or High color? much discussion.
I watch Blue Ray movies on my 47 inch lcd or my 50 in. Plasma. Picture is great so i don't regret my Xbrite-Eco with the ATI card, I've seen the High Color and it's better but for normal use you can adjust the color settings on the Eco also. My display is great in all angles. The FW gives you a 1920x1080 resolution

 

The displays are 1600x900.

Also, the viewing angles are not great by any standard, even if you're used to 15" TN LCDs from 1999.

 

Hey guys, I´m thinking about getting about an FW really soon, before college starts, I´ve read the whole thread and almost every review I can find and the more I find out the more I like this machine, I just have a few questions I hope you can answer:

Seeing as I will most probably be getting a HiColor screen, but with the default battery, not extended (**** euro prices...) I assume battery life will tend to be pretty average if not bad .From my previous experience with laptops, while using them connected to the ac, the screen is brighter and some even perform better .My question is if current owners tend to use their FW connected to their ac adapter or rather wait for the battery to drain? I know this is a controversial issue without a real straightforward answer, but maybe old time vaio owner have some knowledge they can share.

Also,since I´ve heard the speakers on the FW are a little bit weak, would it be a good idea to buy a pair of external speaker to use while I´m at home, connected through the headphone jack? would the sound quality be acceptable?

Greetings from Spain

 

Yes...as long as I will get 5.1 sound out on HDMI. And according to Sony Sweden I will do so on the FW! So...I'm a happy camper!

I get my FW tomorrow....I really look forward to it to say the least!

 

I want to pick up the 198U/H from Amazon, as it's about $200 cheaper then JR Music or anybody else. But, Amazon has it listed (2) different ways. First, they say it has an Eco Screen and then under Spec Check they say it has the Hi-Color Screen. I have been frustrated trying to get Amazon to figure out just exactly what the features of the model they are selling has. If it's Hi-Color, this is a great deal, otherwise, so-so. I don't know if anybody else picked up this model from Amazon, but if so, please let me know what type of screen they are selling it with.

 

Hello, I am hoping to buy a FW11 S or ZU, I live in the UK. From another member who pointed it out, Tescp Direct were selling these items for very good price (£1049 for S and £1099 for ZU). So too was Dixons for the S model (£1029). From this I was hoping that PC World would price match for one of these products. However it turns out that they won't price match Dixons which I found a bit annoying since the same company owns both businesses, but also another problem is that the S model wasnt instock at any PC World at all instore (or Currys) despite it being on the website.

So is it possible to buy the S (or ZU) at a store, or does it have to be ordered first and to wait for delivery? The screen looked quite nice even for the E and M (which I think is Eco) so I am looking forward to seeing the Hi-Colour.

 

The FW198U/H is Hi-Color.

http://b2b.sony.com/Solutions/product/VGN-FW198U/H

It doesn't matter what the site says or where you buy it, as long as the model is correct then sony's specification list is what matters.

 

Hey TetonWolf (or Soundsgood or anyone who knows). I disabled those devices a few days ago as you posted. The computer is running great, thanks. Yesterday, I copied the bulk of my music and pics to my FW (around 65GB between the two) and decided to enable those devices to see what kind of impact they realistically have on the system performance. In short, a HUGE impact. The content analyzer is running now and takes the processor and memory to 100% and 85% often.

Question (1): is this happening because it's the initial content analysis or would I see this process running often in its entirety?. If it is a one time thing and then it'll update once in a while using less system resources I'd have no problems leaving those services enabled, but if not, I'm going to disable them as soon as it finishes.

Question (2): If I disabled those services, would I still be able to share my media in a network using Windows Media Player?.

Thank you!

 

Oh geez, okay. I need help. My friend asked me to help her decide what computer to buy. After painfully looking through dozens of specs I suggested she get the Vaio FW. One of the selling points was that Sony claimed to offer downgrades to XP. Well, they don't. At least not anymore. The folks at Customer Support told her she can't downgrade because the drivers arn't compatible with XP. When she told me that I chuckled a bit and told her there isn't a piece of hardware made that is Vista exclusive. Anyway, long story slightly less long is that now I have her laptop and I'm supposed to do the downgrade for her. My first problem is that I get a BSOD trying to boot from my XP disc even before the license agreement so reformatting and installation has been impossible (I'm stumped on that one, maybe SATA drivers?). Also, I'm having trouble tracking down a parts and driver list for the FW at all. It seems a few people have successfully done the downgrade but failed to share their winning strategy. If anyone has any help to offer for either it would be so greatly appreciated.

 

Can someone who own any FW model tell me whether what happens in 1:47 of the below youtube video is something normal? The guy very easily lays pressure on the palm rest area of the laptop to such that it appears to be if he had wanted he could have easily dented it. Here is the link: (it is in German I don’t know what they speak may be they are criticizing it)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FfX3UNqteA&feature=related

I don’t know whether this is something common and normal for many laptop out there but I can safely say that my 2,5 years old Toshiba A105-S4094’s overall build quality, including palm rest area is rock solid.

In fact I don’t have any problem with the overall build quality of FW series as I saw an FW personally and I can also say FW seems to be rock solid, but I did not think of applying pressure as this guy does in the video ad thus did not notice this weak palm rest area part.

Anyhow, if you can comment on this issue and tell whether you are uncomfortable with it, I will really appreciate it.

 

just ordered a FW, went with the eco screen.....but only because i got it for $825 shipped

 

The FW I have sitting in front of me definitely does not "dent" in that bad with any amount of pressure I give it. Like you said, it seems pretty solid.

 

models ive seen in stores (ive tested several for this) all seemed to have flex, but it seemed a bit more in that youtube video for sure...

 

I get 1080P thru HDMI on my 1080P tv. The Sony screen is 1600x900.
and I view my display from right in front of me.

 

Question 1: Yeah, it's doing this the first time to find your content. After that it just adds new content. But if you change the settings (like what folders to share) it will go and do the whole thing again. The main reason I killed it is because it doesn't share my media worth a d@mn. It's slow as hell transferring files to the client and it organizes all your files by date...it won't serve out your folder structure as it is on disk. Worthless.

Question 2: In fact, you have to turn the Sony services off in order to use Windows Media Sharing via Media Player. Windows Media Sharing works way better. It's fast and organizes per your folder structure...it doesn't try to be cute. That's how I do it with my PS3.

Sony made a real nice GUI for Vaio Media Plus...reminds you of the Bravia and PS3. Problem is the underlying server software is amateur and sux.

 

Where did you buy it? I got mine a week ago, and now my friends asked me to buy the cheapest config of FW )))

 

Guys I will really appreciate if an FW owner can comment on this.

 

I thought I did comment. The FW I have does not "dent" like it shows in this clip. No amount of force I give it causes that to happen. The case and keys all seem solid including the palm rest area.

Is there anyone who can help me with my problem. I'm trying to get XP on my friend's FW and getting a BSOD during initial setup which I think is related to SATA driver problems. Any help on a resolution to this would be great. Also, I'm still searching for a parts and drivers list for the computer in general, for when I do finally get XP going.

 

Yep, yep, yep...

 

Hey guys, the Newegg price on the FW190EEH is now up to $1299 ($100 increase) and the promo is gone (another $50 increase) and they're now charging for shipping ($17.86).

 

that sucks!

 

wow.. Thank God I got mine last week..

 

Thanks. I turned the services back off and now I am using WMP to share my media files on my home network and everything is working BUT yesterday night I got an error message for the first time that said "COM surrogate needs to turn off" or something similar.

I searched in Google and there are apparently various things that could trigger this error message. They mention the need to update the media codecs (which I did downloading a Vista codec pack), other mention Nero as being the cause of this (which I don't have), and other simply add COM surrogate to the list of exceptions on DEP. It seems it's an old problem with Vista and Windows Media player that has something to do with th display of thumbnails for video files and folders. Go figure. Has any of you seen this error message before?.

 

Thanks.....

 

I'm looking for the cheapest model of FW in the US. Where to buy? Can anybody help me?
Thanks in advance

 

Maybe Best Buy, depending on the sales (seem to change every week or so).
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...io+fw&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1211587729137

Newegg has a bunch of models (online only):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&Description=vaio fw&bop=And&Order=PRICE

And Amazon has them as well (online only):
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_pc?url=search-alias=computers&field-keywords=sony+vaio+fw&x=0&y=0

 

I was smart enough to order last week for $1150 but I am still dealing with Newegg's stupid verification process. I had placed an order and had to cancel it due to their fault and then placed a new order on the 29th of August and still waiting for them to verify it. If they cannot verify&ship it tomorrow, then I will receive it next week for sure.

Newegg is a great company for sure. But when it comes to this verification process, this is the worst experience I have ever had!

As a foreigner in the U.S. I had similar issues previously when I used my foreign credit card but believe me they were resolved far much more quickly.

 

Nope, haven't seen that one. I'm serving to my PS3 and frequently get network conncection timeouts but PS3 will just retry and all is good.