Sony VAIO FZ20-Series, AR50-Series and L-Series with Blu-ray

Continues Blu-ray product rampage with optical drives

13 September 2007 14:58 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Sony has announced three new (well, ish) VAIO series for the UK. All the series come with the option of a Blu-ray Disc Drive, or Combo Drive, another push to get the Sony-backed format a solid grounding in our fair country.

The VAIO AR50-Series is the latest version of the first ever notebook to showcase an integrated Blu-ray Disc optical
drive.

Created to be the "ultimate" HD1080 entertainment notebook, the flagship VGN-AR51SU offers users Blu-ray Disc playback
on its Full HD 17-inch X-black LCD screen, plus the ability to edit their personal HD video content and then burn it onto a Double Layer 50GB Blu-ray Disc Drive.

An integrated hybrid digital/analogue TV tuner complete with remote control is there should you grow bored of your Blu-ray collection.

It boasts enough power to edit HD1080 content thanks to the Intel Centrino Duo processor and NVIDIA GeForce graphics with hardware HD decoding.

Described as "Compact and portable" yet featuring a 15.4-inch screen, the FZ20-Series provides HD playback for anyone who wants HD on a more mobile platform, at an "affordable" price.

This series is also claimed to powerful enough to edit HD1080 content with the Intel Centrino Duo processor technology and NVIDIA GeForce graphics with hardware HD decoding.

A Double Layer Blu-ray Disc Combo Drive lets you watch or burn Blu-ray Discs and an an HDMI output is provided for one-cable connection to an HD-Ready TV.

The successor to the LA-Series, the VAIO L-Series now features an integrated slot-in Blu-ray Disc Drive.

Sony's style offering - it still boasts an ultra-slim chassis and the wireless keyboard and mouse help towards the minimalist look.

Other entertainment features include a twin hybrid analogue/DVB-T digital TV tuners and you can record to its 320GB hard disk.

The L-Series comes in two variants. The LT models get a 22-inch screen while the LM models feature a 19-inch screen.

Pricing and availability to be confirmed for all series.