Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 04 March 2008 16:30
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
Sony’s Jun Yoon further explained why consumers would be interested in the Living Room PC.
Yoon said that: “With a 500GB hard drive, the TP2 enables you to easily store and share digital content with friends and family. For homes with multiple PCs, the TP2 is the living room PC hub. It also features the VAIO Living Browser, making it easy to surf the web as a family.”
The fact that the Sony Living Room PC is a Vista Home Premium equipped computer means that it has the same computing capabilities as any other regular computer.
When plugged into any screen with an HDMI socket, usually a plasma or LCD high definition PC, you’ll clearly have the benefit of a very large display, which is perfect for the Windows Media Center interface to interact with all of your digital media, usually comprising of movies, music, TV shows and free-to-air TV viewing, but also the ability to surf the web and perform any other computer activity.
Usually computing is done in front of a 15-inch to 30-inch LCD screen, and it’s usually a solo activity. But when your computer is in the living room, hooked up to a huge TV, computing and web surfing could become a communal or family activity.
Naturally it depends on what you’re doing – watching YouTube videos can be enjoyed by all, but working on a school or office project, or doing spreadsheets, is something that is unlikely to thrill the rest of the family that much – especially if they’re in the mood to watch a DVD or Blu-ray movie and you’re hogging the big TV.
Still, when it comes to Internet safety, younger children and teens are well advised to only surf in a ‘common area’ where parents can regularly check up on what their children are doing, as opposed to having a computer in their bedroom where they have more privacy, but could also be being groomed by an online pedophile or other undesirable adult without your knowledge.
So, the Living Room PC can certainly help parents to keep a closer eye on their children’s online activities.
Sony says that having a “distinctive design is an essential part of the TP2’s appeal”.
Sony continues that their PC has been “custom built with a focus on style and design, without compromising on performance. The TP2’s simple and clean form means particular attention has been paid to how it fits within a modern home’s décor. The round shape attracts the eye and looks great from any angle and every corner of the structure is tightly packed with components”.
So, what’s the hardware spec? And why buy this when Blu-ray equipped notebooks exist? Please read onto page 3.
