SlashGear

VGC-RT150Y as HDTV

The 16:10 aspect ratio LCD screen has native resolution of 1920 x 1200 with a matte finish. On top of the usual PC terminals there are A/V inputs and outputs on the sides of the LCD bezel, together with a built-in Blu-ray/CD/DVD player, display on/off button, HDMI input selector, S-video/Optical audio/IR output and a pair of HDMI input as well as output terminals! The availability of HDMI out would permit the use of external display, more dedicated audio processing with an A/V receiver, or simply cater to those who prefer a sole HDMI cable solution for both audio and video connections. So the connectivity is there, but does it handle the usual HD formats correctly?

To test its HD signal compatibility, we fed the usual 480i/p, 720p and 1080i/p from a number of HD sources including a PS3 and an HD-DVD player with 1080p at 24hz into the HDMI input. Straight or though the Onkyo DCT 9.8 Pre-pro, the VAIO synced instantly and achieved 1:1 mapping with full HD at 1080P 60hz or 24hz without cropping. All signals resolved correctly without over or underscan with screen aspect ratio set at full.

The RT, however, lacks the same hardware adjustment as a serious HDTV might have. Video enthusiasts or working pros looking to calibrate white balance or tweak the picture to its best would be sadly disappointed. The OSD menu can be accessed via the side panel and provides full range of screen aspect ratio, closed caption, volume control, Sony logo display toggle and auto input sensing on and off, but it lacks video mode presets and adjustment of the individual RGB channels. Only one user mode is available which allows fine-tuning on LED backlight, brightness, color temperature, contrast, saturation, hue, gamma, sharpness and a picture reset. I wish the OSD would stay just a little longer on the screen. It’s not an easy task to make picture adjustments without a remote control, not to mention an OSD that stays barely a few seconds.

On workbench, the factory defaulted mode washed out and was slightly warmer than I would prefer but it measured up rather closely to D65 with average color temperature at ~6200k and Delta E of 6.8. The Gamma setting at 2 is the closest you can get with ideal levels for gamma curve. The CIE diagram indicates primary colors on red and blue are close to the HD standard of REC 709 but green and secondary colors are way off. That is usually the problem for wide color gamut displays; unfortunately the VAIO doesn’t comes equipped with a Color Management system for much profound calibration, making mapping secondary colors on HD color space an impossible task.

If you are playing attention, the CIE diagram also suggests the VAIO has color gamut closely matching AdobeRGB color space. But at what coverage? We don’t have an answer. These along with panel type are one of the few questions we have for the manufacturer but didn’t get an answer.

So we don’t have the panel type but our contact did inform us it allows for viewing angles of up to 85 degrees; whether that’s a measurement of horizontal, vertical or all sides of the monitor came back as “no comment”.

The official panel specification does not disclose anything further than it has a Sony’s XBRITE fullHD technology. We were told the RT150Y has a brightness rating of 380 cd/m2, 1000:1 contrast ratio and 5ms panel response rate just in case you want to do a match up with other 25.5-inch LCD panels available on the market.

Gradient and off-axis color shifts are fairly noticeable. Also included is a side-by-side screenshot with 40 degree viewing from the side. The ambient light behind the panel was on for a reason; it indicated pictures taken shared similar color temperature settings, thus any color shift on the screen is a direct result of the display itself. You be the judge.

Luminance uniformity could use some improvement; something like NEC’s Colorcomp that’s capable of reducing LCD uniformity errors would be greatly appreciated.

Enough of the technicality; in film and gaming, the Sony’s XBRITE-FullHD LCD technology lives up to expectation. It delivers punching colors and excellent picture clarity in full 1080p HD presentation.

The 2.1 channels speakers deliver great sound quality and extended bass thanks to the dedicated subwoofer. The Sony logo glows, but it’s not distracting while viewing movies in the dark and can be turned off via the user menu if so desired; alternatively, it is programmed to fade to black when playback via the built-in Blu-ray player begins in full screen. After decades in the home-theater business, Sony sure knows how to serve the video enthusiasts.

Conclusion

The Sony VAIO VGC-RT150Y certainly isn’t for everyone. It’s expensive, heavy, and it lacks a few obvious features such as an integrated webcam. For the roughly $4,000 asking price you could certainly pick up a separate PC and similarly-sized LCD.

What you’d miss out on, though, is the convenience of having everything integrated, and the space saving. Mount the RT150Y on the wall and you’re not going to notice the slight extra depth over a basic HDTV, certainly not when you consider there’s a very capable Blu-ray player in there too. Screen quality is good out of the box, with only the smallest adjustments making significant improvements. It lacks some of the more complex settings, but that won’t be an issue to any but the most enthusiastic of owners.

As a media PC, then – and by that we mean for both media viewing and media editing – the RT is a capable choice. It’s a premium option with a limited audience, but those who can afford it are unlikely to be disappointed.