Bad News: New FW2xx Series Coming Soon but ...

Here is further evidence that the FullHD screen available on the FW290 is not a Hi-Color screen.

When ordering the FW190 CTO the option for the Hi-Color screen is greyed out and cannot be selected by default. Below the Hi-Color option it states the following: "You must pre select ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470 with 256MB vRAM for this option." I interpret this to mean that the Hi-Color screen, with its 100% color saturation, requires much more graphics power than the Intel integrated graphics can provide. It can't have anything to do with resolution as both the Eco and the Hi-Color have 1600x900 resolution. It can't be the double-lamp because the video card has nothing to do with powering two lamps (the system PSU has more to do with supplying enough power for two lamps). So, the ATI card is required for the Hi-color option.

Now, when ordering the FW290 the option for FullHD is not greyed out by default. There is no requirement that the ATI 3650 be selected in order to get the FullHD. The FullHD can be ordered with the Intel integrated graphics. Remember that the FullHD runs at 1920x1080p which is very high resolution. Apparently this means that the Intel integrated graphics can run this very high resolution. The fact that the ATI card is not required, coupled with the fact that the FullHD can run perfectly fine using the Intel integrated graphics, means that the FullHD screen is not a HiColor screen and that it does not display a 100% color gamut.

Just some food for thought for those of you who still think that the FullHD is a Hi-Color screen.

Side note: the AW does have an Adobe RGB FullHD screen option which is, as far as I can tell, a high color screen. So Hendra's observations may be correct. However, the FullHD screen on the FW is not, in my opinion, a Hi-Color screen.

 

Also noticed that fact when I was checking out the 290 on the US site. If that is the case, I am not sure what to do now.

 

Surely though seeing as Hi-Color isn't even an option the Full HD screen is as good as, if not better?

 

I see Sony keeping costs and prices down by not offering a HiColor option.

Until Sony specifically states that FullHD is HiColor, I would assume it is just a higher res Eco.

 

Not a lot of people are buying a notebook for a 'movie machine' .... sensibly people want their notebook to be very good the tasks they're using it for ... which is work, surfing, email, and even a little entertainment ... but aside from Sony's marketing were they suggest buying a notebook that's like a 'movie theater' I don't think 80% of notebook buyiers are getting a notebook so they can use it as a theater.

Resizing, scaling and zooming fonts is rediculous ... sure if you rarely read text on your notebook no problem ... but that's not the case, so unless you're buying into the idea of a 'portable movie theater' of course go and buy a notebook with a native resoltuion that allows you to read the text without eyestrain, scaling, zooming or whatever.

 

According to Sony Japan, Full=HD screen is HiColor.
http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/FW2/spec_vom1.html

use babelfish.altavista.com for translation

サイズ/解像度


16.4型ワイド(16:9)
解像度:Full HD 1920×1080ドット

パネル種別


TFTカラー液晶[クリアブラック液晶]

色再現性


リッチカラー

その他特長


ARコート


Size/resolution 16.4 Type wide (16: 9) Resolution: FULL HD 1920×1080 dot Panel classification TFT color liquid crystal [clear black liquid crystal] Color reproducibility Rich color In addition merit AR coat

 

so then if your not happy about the resolution buy the fw 100 series, and that description is even stated on the US site but the monitor is not hi color period. Notebooks should not be used as gaming machines, so there is always a compromise, and Sony is being extremely misleading about the 200 series so why buy something that isnt clearly advertised. Would you buy a car with a an unclear history report or from a sales person who is misleading...NO. You want a gaming machine buy a desktop, buy a 360, a PS3. You want a laptop for business needs..stay away from the FW series, Sony has a business series. Dont like it? Well boo hoo for you.

 

Some people like me live in a very limited space. I don't have a TV and don't have the space to place a TV or a desktop. So, I want to do everything with my laptop. Browse the net, working, programming, playing game, watch Blu-ray, DVD and TV. Buying a PS3 or 360 just don't cut it since I don't have the place for a standalone TV and I don't like the tangle mess of having additional gadget.

 

Just got my FW290 in today and I can confirm that the FullHD is not an Eco screen and indeed a higher res Hi-Color. The screen was just as bright and vibrant as the FW190 I had returned

 

Hey Prox, how's the resolution on the 290 compared to the 190? Everything still readable, or did you have to change any of the resolution settings?

 

You should still have a side by side comparison before you confirm it, don't you think?

 

Exactly how bad is this 1080p screen? Is the text size smaller than what we see on TZ screen?

 

No. The text size is smaller on the TZ.That depends on the DPI (dots per inch).The bigger the DPI the smaller the text size.

11,1" (1366x768): DPI=141
16,4" (1600*900): DPI=112
16,4" (1920x1080): DPI=134

In my opinion the optimal range for the DPI is between 110-120.Nice resolution with not too small text size.

 

it's readable, but still smaller than I'd like honestly. I think the 190's 1600x900 was perfect, shame you have to get the full HD with the 290 if you want hicolor

 

Did you try adjusting the DPI setting in Vista or reduce the screen resolution setting to 1600x900?

 

Just got my FW290 CTO and wanted to post a few picks.
Enjoy!

T9400/XBRITE-FullHD/ATIHD3650/4GB Ram/320GB-7200rpm/Blu-Ray read+write/Vista Home Premium(64bit)

 

what will perform better in games:
FW or the new MBP?

i know these comparisons are kind of annoying, but i am torn between the two

 

sgama2000! Ijust received mine today also.

 

The New Macbook pro is absolutely beautiful. Milled out of a solid peace of aluminum.

I love the macbook but personaly dont like Leopard.

If you're sticking with Windows, sony is the best option.

 

true, but another big problem is the battery life

 

looking on the canadian sonystyle site, I am still wondering if the 1920x1080 screen is hi color. for instance

VGNFW275DW
Screen Size: 16.4"
Resolution: 1920x1080
XBRITE-FullHD™: Technology: Yes

but it comes with the 4500HD from intel, where as the

VGNFW285DH
Screen Size: 16.4"
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
XBRITE™: Technology: Yes

comes with the HD3650 card
Processor: ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3650 with Total
Available Graphics Memory of 2280MB (max.)
Video RAM: 256MB of dedicated video RAM

so again the non ati card one has the hd screen while the ati card one does not have the hd screen? maybe I will email sony and get no reply

 

**I posted my small "comments" on the new FW2XX series not too long ago. Hope this helps you make the decision.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

First of all, I just want to say that this site is AWESOME!

anyway, I stumbled upon a new vaio VGN-FW290JRB (black cover - $1749.99) series at one of the local Sonystyle retail store. I compared the Xbrite Full HD 1900X1080 with the Xbrite ECO from the older FW 190....the result:

Xbrite FullHD is Hicolor with higher resolution. You can clearly see the difference in the color gamut and brightness if you compare the laptop side by side. I have not got any chance to compare it with Hi-color FW 190 though. But for those who still wonder, I can assure you that the new Xbrite Full HD is definitely a lot better than the Xbrite ECO on the older FW. It has more brightness and contrast compared to the ECO. I hope this clarify the debates

Caveat:
the 1900x1080 resolution does make the text really small. I, personally, dont have any problem with it but I understand that some people would not like that. I suggest that you go to one of the sony retail store and see the resolution before you buy the laptop...just to make sure you can cope with the smaller (although crisper) text.

Comment about the new black faceplate:
Overall it looks good and professional. It has the same texture with the white (grainy texture) BUT it has a little bit/sprinkles of metallic all over it..very minor but noticeable if you look closely.

 

Yes I read your comments earlier but the problem is the real Hi color screen in the FW190 requires the ati card, while the 290CTO does not for the 1920x1080 on the us sonystyle site.

I can't go to the store unfortunately, none are on sale here yet and are due in november.

 

Seeing this said a few times on this thread, and I've been meaning to ask.....why is the assumption made that the FW190 "required" the ATI card for the HiColor screen to operate? True, when you configure a 190CTO and choose the HiColor screen you are prompted to then select the ATI card, but no where have I read that it is a *technical requirement*. When I ordered my 190CTO I figured it was set up this way purely for sales....for Sony to get a bit more money by getting people to order both options. If it *was* stated somewhere in a review or tech specs that that a HiColor screen absolutely requires a non-integrated graphics card to operate, I'd be curious to read it.

 

only sony can answer that question, and I doubt the fools at the sony store would even know. if the issue is to grab more money, then that is unfortunate, but if the issue is that the screen does need the ati card for whatever reasons, then I can see myself paying extra.

I will call sony today and see if I can find out anything, but I doubt it. although I am wondering if the 256 ram in the 3650 in canada is ddr2 or ddr3. :/

I also have to wait till middle of november, to go and see the full hd screen since that is when they arrive in canada. sony you suck.

 

I agree. I dont think Hi-color screen "technically" required ATI card. It's just Sony who bundles it that way. (premium screen, premium card, premium models--> make sense for sales). I dont think the screen has anything to do with VGA card except for higher resolution rendering. Sony might think that customers would better off (NOT essentially need it) using faster VGA card for higher resolution although the integrated card should run it smoothly. The resolution difference is not high enough to render the integrated card useless. It is just a sales game.

 

the new MBP Pro definitely will perform better in games due to higher graphic card (if you switch to Nvidia 9600m GT). Although ATI 3650 HD is on the same level of Nvidia 9600M GT, it still lose in term of memory buffer and shader speed.

here is the link for 9600M GT:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-9600M-GT.9449.0.html

here is the link for ATI 3650:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-3650.8839.0.html

+/- 1000 points difference in 3dmark. (sometimes higher).

the question with MBpro is: Do you like OS X? It is true that you can use Bootcamp to boot windows but you still will have some compatibility issues.

In term of build quality and design, the new MBpro wins by thousand miles compared to Sony (just my 2 cents). Personally, I stick with Sony since I hate OS X so much

Hope this helps.

 

I have been trying to figure out which of the Sony notebooks is offering the Xbrite-HiColor. I have been reading all of these threads but so far nothing definite has been mentioned.

It is interesting that Sony must have changed the information on this link because now it calls out Xbrite-FullHD instead of Xbrite-HiColor. That in itself would tell me that it is not the same HiColor screen anymore or they wouldnt have changed it.

Im starting to think that since these are a new series of screens (16.4) that they may be manufactured differently and have a new label. The only way to find out is to get the detailed specifications of the display such as Manufacturer etc.

I have an older Sony notebook at home with the Xbrite-HiColor screen and I think the PQ is excellent for a TN type panel. I really havent found anything with a TN panel that can beat it. The color, contrast, blacks etc are very close to a MVA/PVA type panel.

 

There's a special deal for BF on bestbuy, an FW with blu-ray for 899$ and a Casino Royale dvd.

It is a Sony Vaio VGN-FW245J/HC which wasn't released yet. SKU 9084475

You can find that it exists by going to Sony's support website and typing in something a little off like VGN-FW245J/WC into the model number... it will return possible results, one of which will be the VGN-FW245J/HC... but the link will just redirect...

Can anyone find out the specs of this model?

I sure hope HC means HiColour.

Given that this FW245 has almost the same specs as a cheaper bestbuy FW270J version, but sports a smaller HDD, I hope the price difference would be matched by the FullHD or older 1600x900 screen. I know I'm going crazy over this screen issue but I gotta have a HiColour in my life.

If anyone goes to bb please try to find out if this SKU 9084475 item has a FullHD/HiColour or a standard Xbrite-ECO, please. That's the biggest question mark for me. Otherwise I can't see what could be wrong... maybe having a 3200 or 5800 CPU under the hood. And not getting that Casino Royale on blu-ray.