Sony's VAIO VGC-RC102 home server

Sony unveiled the VGC-RC102 home server equipped with enough power for manipulating and editing High Definition (HD) video and Super Adui CD (SA-CD) sound. The system is powered by Intel's dual-core Pentium D 820 (2.8GHz) and uses NVIDIA's GeForce 6600. It also has two 160GB HDDs in a RAID 0 array to deliver a total of 320GB storage capacity. As well as acting as a mastering system for High Definition audio-visual content, the RC102 is also ready to go as a potent home server.

The key to this aspect of the RC102 is the VGP-MR100E Network Media Receiver included as part of the package. With its dedicated remote controller, the Media Receiver lets you find and view video content – including HD video – on your television. You can also access your PC-based music library via the TV interface and enjoy music sent directly to your home entertainment system or hi-fi. As if all this wasn’t enough, the Network Media Receiver itself meets the guidelines laid down by the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA).

A Sony-developed Sound Reality DSD (Direct Stream Digital) audio processor gives you the unprecedented ability to record, edit and play back at Super Audio CD-equivalent quality. Used with the pre-installed SonicStage Mastering Studio software, DSD capability gives home studio and audio enthusiasts the means to achieve the same sophisticated High Definition and Surround Sound characteristic of Super Audio CD.

The strength of the RC102 as a HD platform does not rest solely on its advanced HD processing and streaming capabilities. Behind the elegant simplicity of the VAIO Zone interface lies a range of sub-systems that simplifies the editing, storage and distribution of High Definition data streams. DVgate Plus 2.0 enables users to take HD data from tape and record it to the PC’s hard disk. Adobe Premiere Standard in combination with especially developed VAIO Edit components provide a sophisticated set of HD editing tools and VAIO Click to DVD™ facilitates swift and intuitive DVD Authoring in Standard Definition. By pioneering HD technology under the VAIO banner, Sony is providing the means for households to be fully ready for HDTV when it arrives in Europe, as well as being able to view HD format home movies, images and HD movies.

The stand-out look of the system unit is certain to be noticed wherever you put it, but the unique ‘fly through’ design is more than just eye-candy. By radically improving air flow across internal components, the aperture through the case takes the pressure off the cooling fans. Despite its power, the RC102 is remarkably quiet. When it turns heads, it’s for the right reasons.