New Vaio 2008 model listing with indication prices - FW - Z - SR - BZ

HD was not meant to watch with 30-50cms distance!

HD is 2-4 meters with 46"+ screen and at least 5.1 speakers!

thats HD!

 

Visually it comes down to the same thing

 

as we're only a week away from announcements of the new series, the FZ is near its end as its lost its CTO. Which one do you guys think is next?

 

i thought FW would have CTO version too?

 

It will probably have one, at the very least one in the US. Sony just took out the CTO for the series its gonna replace, so we can expect to order the FW not too many days after the 15th.

 

I've heard the the SZ BTO on Sony.jp has disappeared a while ago. So I guess SZ will be next.

 

Pssst....

SR vs. Z... what are the major differences?

 

Well first there is the price...

Then fro what I've read in this forum, the screen on the SR is probably going to be 16:10 and on the Z 16:9...

Possibly Blue Ray on the Z...

HDMI on the Z...

Little details really, but then the Z apeared and then vanished...as if to tease us...
(I still prefer the (my) SZ )

Just let me add this link:
http://laptoping.com/montevina-based-sony-vaio-fw-z-sr-bz-2008.html

And there is more:
http://www.small-laptops.com/sony-vaio-vgn-z-series/
http://www.small-laptops.com/2008/06/23/announcedleaked-sony-vgn-sr-vgn-z-series/

Some more info on the Z??

 

I'm curious to see how they will compare to Dell's upcoming E4300 and (possible) XPS m1330 update.

Those Dells are the laptops I had been waiting for... but now I've added the Sony Z and SR to my radar screen.

 

personally, I think the sony's are gonna be better. Switchin to ATI from nVidia gives its comparable ability and a price drop. And Sony screens are so much nicer........can also see both the Z and the SR to look sleeker and better designed.

 

Only 2GB? Surely more than that will be available. I'll want/need at least 3GB...

 

All those sites did was take the information from the startpost of this thread and rearrange it.

This is their source: 1st post

European models:
VGN-Z11MN / P8400 4GB 200GB 13.1" WVB 1766.39€
VGN-Z11WN / P8600 4GB 250GB 13.1" WVB 2276.71€

 

Ah, sorry, I was being unintentionally lazy. Thanks. Back on my wishlist it goes.


Out of interest - whats the point in that extra gig? I thought 32bit vista only recognises 3GB of RAM; surely Sony aren't expecting people to try and run 64bit.

 

The point is that people want it. An most people have no clue about the 32-bit thing vs. the 64 bit thing. Bigger is better! Which is why Sony's stuck slower 4200 rpm drives in some of their systems for quite a while now. Bigger sizes = better in many peoples eyes, even if they'd never need it!

 

Aren't Dell's 13" LED screens pretty comparable to Sony's 13" LED screens?

 

Actually your partially correct. I was trying to find the link to where I read this to back up my statement, but I could not locate it. Anyway, I read and have also been told by computer techs that for optimum Vista performance, 4GB of Ram is required, but OS actually uses a little over 3GB's of it. Obviously, since Ram does not come in half-to-order, that's where 4GB comes in handy. I guess more is better than not having it at all.

Your Avatar (photo below your username is really creepy... Where did it come from?

 

Sony's notebook screens have always been superior in quality...

 

Well guys...if you have a shared video card and 4GB or ram and 32bit OS, the extra 1GB could be used for video card?

 

Nope. you are not asking too much. The user manual for the SR series clearly indicates that both Blu-ray readers and burners will be options. When those options will be available is currently uncertain.

 

Clearly we have no common ground on which to converse. So let's not.

 

Maybe in the little 11" TX or TZ screen... but I'd be curious to see a side by side comparison of the 13" LED screens (Sony vs Dell).

 

If you're using a mobile intel chip and vista 32-bit, 3gb installed should be almost no different performance wise from 4GB. The 3GB limit is due to the system reserving the 3-4gb area for other I/O mappings. This site does a fairly good job of explaining what's going on:

http://www.dansdata.com/askdan00015.htm

 

Excsue me, but no one tells me how far to sit from a screen or how many speakers I should use. If I am traveling and I want to watch one of my Blu-ray rentals or owned movies, then I need a Blu-ray player on my laptop. Period.

Do you think it would be more sensible to rent or buy a DVD copy also??? Yeah, right.

 

On the Z, is that going to be just a BR player or also a BR burner? If it's a burner, then I'm definitely interested.

 

I only owned a few, some of them were returned during trial period and some were given as gifts... but I did try different brands and Sony been my #1 preference. HP is not far behind, but Dell I think is total crap even their XPS line.

 

as I stated it was just my personal opinon

 

I read the manuals of these new models SR and Z and I remember clearly that the Z series will have the blu-ray drive as an option and the HDMI. Not the SR. For me I would like to see a blu-ray drive in all the laptops, included ultraportables as TZ. By the way Samsung released Montevina laptops and ultraportables (September). Why Sony doesn't show us also the TZ, G series with the Centrino 2 even if they will come in fall? So we can decide..At least me I am towards Z or waiting for the Montevina TZ.

 

The SR manual indicates Blu-ray reader and burner options but not an HDMI port. Apparently, the marketing geniuses at Sony figured they need to differentiate the SR and Z series somehow (it's funny, but a cutout is clearly visible for the HDMI port on the right side of the SR in the user manual).

Personally, I would have little practical use for the HDMI port since I will watch Blu-rays on the laptop screen and not use it as a standalone BD player. At home I have my PS3, 70" screen, and 7.1 surround (but only when my wife will let me crank up the sound!!).

 

Yeh, i would probably fall into the category of people that wants the 4th gig for the sake of it; knowing it was there in case vista used over three would no doubt be reason enough.

As for my avatar, i really have no idea it was so long ago... I think it came from deviantart or somewhere

 

I seem to remember the Z manual mentioning a blu ray burner. I'll have another look when I get a chance

 

I've been saying the same thing, I can definitely see the outline of an HDMI port on the SR right near the VGA port.

I still think either the first SR models will get it (higher end models) or in a later refresh. Just like how the higher end FZ models have HDMI and the lower ones have the outline for the port on their notebook.

 

Ok. Fair enough. But understand that some of us took the Blu-ray plunge with our home theaters almost 2 years ago and not opting for a BD reader on a new laptop is virtually unthinkable. Even if BD quality is total overkill for a 13.3" screen and crappy tinny speakers, it's really about options and choices. BD playback gives us the choice.

 

wait... a sec.. damn damn damn. I want the most powerful but also HDMI/BR in a 13'


Your telling me SR has the ATI graphics card?


But Z has the Blu-Ray?



and neither can have both?(and HDMI)? great

slower drives, does that not also mean less heat and longer battery life? and aint that better than a bit faster load times?

 

Both Z and SR manuals have the exact same table for optical media playback choices and both show a BD reader option and a BD burner option. You can take it to the bank that Sony anticipates these options will be available...what we don't know yet is when.

Actually the FW manual has the exact same table too and we know for sure that it has BD reader and burner options.

 

Just in that case, doesn't the SZ manual mention blue ray although its just a dvd drive (which doesn't like DL DVD-R)??

I think they list all their drives and you just have to find out which one you've got and then your able to see what it does... that's how I see it for the SZ.

Oh, and by the way, I do have to say my SZ speakers are great, I'm actually surprised at how good the sound is.
(It only gets a bit "dodgy" at very low frequencies, but you don't hear these too often, and you don't play them at full volume all the time, do you??)

 

The size of a screen in your vision is all relative to it's distance from you. Using simple geometry/algebra, it's easy to calculate that watching a 13" screen at 50 centimeters distance will have the same size (in your vision) as a 104" screen at 4 meters.

Of course your eyes aren't going to be focused at the same range, but it's mathematically provable that a 13.3" screen at 50cm is larger in your vision than even a 100" at 4 meters.

I don't think I've seen them side by side, but I've seen both in person separately, and the m1330 barely comes close. It's definitely a very good screen, but it didn't strike me as being extraordinary like the Sony did. The TZ and the SZ have stunning sharpness, contrast, color reproduction, and viewing angles, and I've not seen a laptop screen so far that's any better.

P.S. Does anyone know where I can download the Z and SR manuals? I looked at them once from the rapidshare link, but now I can't find it again.

Edit: Never mind, I found them.

 

I have not seen the Dell LED myself, but a friend of mine confirmed that the Sony LED on SZ is better.

 

At my Microcenter, I was able to compare the TZ's screen to the Lenovo Ideapad U110 and Asus U2E, both have 11.1" WXGA LED-backlit screens like the TZ. So I expected them to have similar screen quality.

And yet the TZ beat them hands down, noticeably brighter and better color reproduction. I did notice the TZ has more LED bulbs at the bottom of the screen than the other laptops.

The other laptop's screens looked fine if seen alone but you put a TZ next to it and you'll feel some pain.

I dunno what Sony is doing to make their screens so fantastic, but keep it up. Hmm....they were the first to use LED backlit screens in the TX back in 2005, so they have experience.

I remember how amazing I found the TX's LED screen and then a TZ next to it blew it away, I cannot wait to see the screen on the next Vaio T series!

 

Here's how the actual measured brightness on TZ and SZ compare.

Notebookcheck.com reviewed the screens on SZ and Dell 1330.

Dell 1330: The LED display of the reviewed Dell XPS M1330 scored points in our measurements. Its maximum brightness was 224.3 cd/m² in the lower left area. But the brightness diminishes to about 170 cd/m² at the top edge. So, the illuminaation is 76.6%, which is rather below-average. Similar to the Apple MacBook Pro the main advantages of the LED technology are low power consumption and a longer lifespan of the backlight.

Sony SZ: Overall this 13.3 inch LCD (WXGA, 1,280x800 pixels) with X-black and LED technology is excellent. The average brightness of 245.3 cd/m² is very good . So, it can be used outdoors, even though its surface reflects. The difference between minimum and maximum brightness of about 7 percent is also very low. The contrast ratio is about 500:1 , which is brilliant. The black value is 0.5cd/m². Brilliance and contrast of this Vaio LCD absolutely convince and the colours are vivid. To summarize, a perfect performance in the laboratory.

 

Ok. So maybe they'll only offer Blu-ray with the Z series, again to differentiate it from SR series. That would really be dumb. HP already offers a $199 Blu-ray reader in their consumer 14" dv2700...I had one for a few days and it was fast, quiet, and video quality was excellent. And that's their old model...their new Centrino 2 models will be available next week and all have Blu-ray and LED screen options. Sony can't be that bone-headed.

 

I will not be surprised if Sony US offers a SR Build-to-order with Bluray option.

Europeans will initially not get the Bluray in SR I expect.

HP DV4t is certainly interesting. It's a bit heavy though, but yes it delivers probably more value for money than any of the Sony offers.

 

Yeah I heard about the dv4. 14.1" is still a little too big for me, so I'll wait and cross my fingers for the SR to have blu ray and HDMI. Doesnt the DV4 have a tv tuner too?

 

I want an HDMI port to simply plug in an external monitor. I'm spoiled by the MediaBase docking station on my little Dell D420, so anything that can ease the pain of manually plugging in/out an external monitor is welcome.

Hmm... interesting.

Wow. very interesting!

 

Yes, I returned the HP dv2700t because of weight and heat. And new dv4t is same weight and bulk.

However, check out the new HP Elitebook:
http://gizmodo.com/395586/hp-elitebook-6930p-one-badass-business-laptop

This baby is made to take a licking and keep on ticking (American idiom, sorry). It's basically ruggedized to MilSpec but only 4.5 lbs (2 kg). And it has LED and Blu-ray options. Definitely not a consumer model though.

Anway, back to Sony or I'll have to take this over to the HP area!!

 

Me too.

Not sure but I think it may be built in so that would be pretty cool. The dv5z description indicates it's built-in but optional. But in the CTO you can't choose it...it just says "No TV Tuner w/remote control". Anyway, we want SRs...

 

I predict that at least the Z will offer BD reader & burner. At my local Sonystyle Store, they were displaying these HD Camcorders that required a memory stick duo for memory.
Anyway, how does one burn these Hi-Def Home Videos from your laptop if is its not equipped with BD reader & burner, especially when notebooks are more mainstream than desktops? I'm going to remain optimistic and am sure BD will be standard. If it can be offered in the AR, it can be offered in any other Sony model.

Has anyone located pics of the Z, + Rep Power Points a waiting and a claiming:wink:

 

In reference to that infamous Z:

Check out this link, It's all greek to me, but they seem to be preparing for the introduction of all the new Sony Notebooks. In their SEARCH window, the 2 windows below the picture of the pink CR and Toshiba Protege.

Type SONY, and on the second window, type Z, and click to the drop-down menu, there you will see the limited amount of specs for each model, and even a PHOTO, yes a PHOTO of the Z, in CARBON! YEAHHHHHHHH...... Their teasing us, but I'm sure the Z will have carbon.

http://www.gadgetstyle.com.ua/computers/notebooks/sony/sony_vaio_vgn-z591ub

 

Too bad the photo is only of the lid, a close up as well and its the same picture shared by the BZ models as well. Probably fake?

I was hoping the Z would have at least an option for a higher resolution screen than 1366x768 since I am used to the same 1366x768 on my 11.1" TZ, I now expect a higher res on a 13.1" screen. I'm probably in the minority as I bet many find the TZ's screen too small and resolution too high.

 

This is the tease photo of the Z you're referring to ??

 

Yeah thats it. Compared to an SZ: