Features
- Multimedia studio notebook with 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 (”Santa Rosa”) processor and 17-inch LCD
- Dual 120 GB hard drives (240 GB total), 2 GB installed RAM (4 GB max), dual-layer DVD burner, NTSC/ATSC TV tuners
- Three USB 2.0, one, FireWire, one HDMI output, S/PDIF audio output, ExpressCard 54 card slot, Memory Stick & SD readers
- Quad-mode Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), 10/100 Ethernet, Nvidia GeForce 8400M video card with up to 895 MB of shared memory; Bluetooth
- Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium (with Media Center capabilities)
Accessories
Editorial Reviews
Product Description:
Supplied Accessories: VGP-BPS9B Standard Lithium-Ion Battery, VGP-AC19V15 AC Adapter, Power Cord, ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner.
Sony’s VAIO(R) AR VGN-AR550E Digital Studio Notebook PC is a premiere entertainment notebook, combining powerhouse multimedia features with convenience and portability of a notebook. Play back HD content on the 17″ widescreen display, or load it up & enjoy it on the big-screen with the HDMI connection. An Intel Core 2 Duo processor provides screaming-fast performance and the mobility, power and flexibility you need. With built-in 802.11n wireless LAN technology , the VAIO® AR notebook lets you wirelessly surf the web and e-mail with greater performance, range and reliability than ever. This lightning-fast, super-powerful notebook is the ultimate desktop replacement. GPU - NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GT, 895MB total available memory Built-in TV Tuner - ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner (NTSC and ATSC support) Sony Sound Reality - Audio Enhancer Multimedia Card Reader - Memory Stick(R) and Memory Stick(R) DUO, SD, PCMCIA Type II/Type I card slot with CardBus support Optical drive reads CD (24x), DVD (8x), DVD-RAM (5x) Optical drive writes to CD-R (24x), CD-RW (16x), DVD+R/-R/+RW (8x), DVD-RW (6x), DVD-RAM (5x), DVD+/-R DL (4x) Built-in camera and microphone Supports /54 Express Card, Memory Stick(R) 3 USB ports (2.0 compliant) 10Base-T/100Base-TX Fast Ethernet (RJ-45) V.92/V.90 modem (RJ-11) Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth Inputs - i.LINK(4-pin), Mic, Headphone, DC in Outputs - HDMI, S-Video, VGA out, S/PDIF Operating System - Windows Vista Home Premium Software - Microsoft Works 8.5, Office 2007 (90-day trial), AOL (90-day trial), Click to DVD, Norton Internet Security 2007 (60-day trial) Measurements(WxHxD) - 16.4 x 1.32 x 11.8 Weight - Approx. 8.4 lbs.
Amazon.com Product Description:
The luxuriously designed Sony VAIO VGN-AR550E Digital Studio notebook PC provides a power multimedia computer platform for enhanced entertainment performance. But it can also be admired for its gorgeously appointed design, featuring a black exterior, sleek profile, and interfaces and ports that are easily accessible yet discreetly integrated. It features a 17-inch WUXGA widescreen XBRITE-HiColor LCD screen with a 1440 x 900-pixel resolution, and video is powered by the NVidia GeForce 8400M graphics card, with up to 895 MB of video memory. Whether you’re watching downloaded content in HD or enjoying video captured from your compatible HDV camcorder, this VAIO AR-series notebook lets you output HD content to your compatible big screen HDTV via an HDMI connection (delivering audio and video over a single cable). You can also watch and record your favorite shows using the integrated dual TV tuners–both NTSC and ATSC (digital, high-def).
This notebook is powered by the 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 processor from the newest “Santa Rosa” chips, which offer a top-of-the-line 800 MHz front-side bus speed and 4 MB L2 cache. The Core 2 Duo processor provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved gaming and multitasking performance, as well as excellent battery management. It also includes Intel’s 4965 AGN wireless LAN, which will connect to draft 802.11n routers and offers compatibility with 802.11a/b/g networks as well. Other features include 240 GB of hard drive space (from dual 120 GB drives), 2 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum capacity), multi-format/dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive (which also burns CDs), both PCMCIA and ExpressCard slots, both Memory Stick and SD memory cart slots, and Bluetooth connectivity.
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you’ll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.
The Basics
- Processor: The Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 processor has a 1.8 GHz processor speed, super-fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and a extra-large 4 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system’s performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)
The Intel Core 2 Duo processor has two computational execution cores in a single processor, providing greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It’s optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications–such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications–while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. Some of the advanced Intel innovations of the Core 2 Duo processor include:
- Smart Memory Access: Improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth to provide data to the processor when and where it is needed.
- Advanced Digital Media Boost: Effectively doubles the execution speed for instructions used widely in multimedia and graphics applications.
- Dynamic Power Coordination: Coordinates Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology and idle power-management state (C-states) transitions independently per core to help save power.
- Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing: Saves power by flushing cache data to system memory during periods of inactivity to lower CPU voltage.
- Hard Drive: This system offers a total of 240 GB of hard disk drive space from two 120 GB drives (5400 RPM), creating one of the largest capacities you’ll currently find in a notebook PC (as of June 2007). These Serial ATA (SATA) hard drives also quicken the pace with a higher speed transfer of data–akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.
- Memory: The 2 GB of installed RAM (2 x 1 GB DDR2, PC5300) is an excellent start, but you’ll want to add more RAM to handle today’s demanding multimedia and productivity suites. It provides two DIMM slots and has a large 4 GB maximum RAM capacity. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed. To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity and clockspeed.
- DVD/CD Drive: The double-layer DVD drive is compatible with a wide range of formats, including both DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs, CD-RW discs, and dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can hold up to 8.5 GB of data–great for backing up your MP3 collection or your most important documents. It features the following speeds: 2.4x for DVD+R DL, 2x for DVD-R DL, 8x for both single layer DVD+R/-R, 4x for both single layer DVD+RW/-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, and 24x/16x for CD-R/RW. It reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x and CD-ROMs at 24x.
- Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 86-key keyboard (2.5mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch) and electro-static two-button touchpad.
Screen, Video & Audio
This notebook offers a 17-inch screen with a widescreen 1440 x 900-pixel resolution. And thanks to Sony’s XBRITE-HiColor panel technology, the flat-panel screen will deliver dazzling colors and sharp images whether displaying a DVD movie, television show, or web content. It delivers deep blacks and bright whites, true-to-life color, and razor-sharp detail. And with a glare filter and anti-reflective coating to minimize reflection, you’ll experience a beautifully clear image.
Video is powered by the NVidia GeForce 8400M graphics card, which provides up to 895 MB of available RAM/video memory for unmatched HD video performance on a notebook PC. With support for Microsoft DirectX 10 Shader Model 4.0 and High Dynamic-Range Lighting (HDR), the 8400M lets you rip through all of today’s most advanced and cutting-edge games and applications. Experience real-time photo editing, or immerse yourself in the most complex, true-to-life gaming environments. The audio card includes Sony Sound Reality technology with DSD (Direct Stream Digital) support.
Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
Be ready for the next platform in wireless connectivity with the integrated quad-mode Intel Wireless 4965AGN Wi-Fi chip. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, it offers up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range as existing 802.11g wireless. It’s also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and Wi-Fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range–great for closed office environments).
This notebook also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 54 card slot (as well as a PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. Here’s the full list of connectivity options:
- 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals–from digital cameras to MP3 players
- 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
- 1 HDMI output (for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable)
- Video input: 1 S-Video
- Video output: 1 VGA, 1 S-Video
- 1 ExpressCard/54 slot
- 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II, CardBus support)
- Memory Stick/Memory Stick DUO slot (with MagicGate functionality)
- Secure Digital memory card slot (compatible with MMC cards)
- 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack
- 1 S/PDIF digital audio out (for connecting to a home theater receiver for 5.1-channel surround sound)
It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).
Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.
Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family’s use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.
Preloaded Software
Includes Sony Click to DVD (for easy DVD creation), Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office 2007 (60-day trial), Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 (with 60 days of Live Update), Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0, Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0, Intervideo WinDVD BD.
Dimensions & Weight
This notebook measures 16.4 x 11.8 x 1.32 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 8.4 pounds.
Power
It’s powered by the VGP-BPS2C rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of between 1.5 and 3.0 hours (depending on usage).
What’s in the Box
This package contains the VGN-AR550E notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, remote control, IR receiver, HDMI cable, HDMI-to-DVI adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty, and Sony offers 1-year of toll-free telephone technical assistance.
Customer Reviews
 Sony VAIO VGN-AR550U 17″ Laptop by D. Keller
This is a very good product it allows the use of Vista driven improvements quite easily. Simply ordering a cable compatable card you can view and record televsion signals including HD. There really is not a negative issue with this computer.
Enjoy your Sony VAIO VGN-AR550U 17″ Laptops.
 Sony - Not a laptop company by G. Sawant
I had to give 1 star because I can not give zero star. I have purchase sony AR-520E for my self. The laptop touch, keybord design, screen quality everything is not what you paid for. Sony does not know how to build a laptop, especially after being so many years in business. I can say this becuase I bought HP as a gift for someone after I purchased sony. HP came at same price, had 7500 processor, 8600 GS video card, better screen. HP/ Toshiba are better computer companies with lots of good features in Computer usability. Sony is $400 expensive and less user friendly that similar products from HP.
Here is why you should not by any sony laptop, holds true for all sony models,
1. USB ports are at near end right side, instead of being further back near screen. If you use mouse and you are right handed, cable will make right side unusable.
2. It has only 2 USB ports, using 3rd USB port will block your speakers.
3. Notebook mousepad is located by edge of computer. You have to lift your hand if you have to use mouse.
4. Mouse button are expose and vunarable to damage.
5. The lock to keep laptop close, has hook big as fishing hook. dont forget to close it or it will hurt your hand.
6. Keyboard layout is the one which I have never seen before. HP has full keyboard. Sony keyboard is located way down, which means you dont have support while typing.
7. Full HD 1080 is low quality resolution than what HP and Toshiba has.
8. No Remote for Multimedia usage. Buttons for Multimedia do not have lights which means you have to search for them.
Here is much better product that you should consider.
HP Pavilion dv9500t 17″ Laptop Notebook PC (Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 at 1.8 GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, DVD+/-R/RW / Wireless / HDMI Port / 896MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400 w/Webcam/ Windows Vista Preimium)
The best notebook I have ever owned by Dan
This is the second VAIO notebook I have purchased. I have been using it for about two months as a desktop replacement running dual monitors and have had no problems with it. It runs Vista well, the screen is beautiful, and has plenty of power for gaming.
I am a little confused about the previous reviews. This laptop *DOES* come with Vista Ultimate (that is what the U in VGN-AR550U means). Also, this laptop does *NOT* have a Blu-Ray drive. So trying to play BD movies in it simply will not work!
 HELP ME AMAZON by Ainsley Biddy
I totally agree with Richard D. Unholz. I bought mine from antonline after placing the order with amazon first but they were out of stock. I am now expressing my dissatifaction with antonline since I have been trying to return the product 1 week now and although going through the necessary procedures they still have not sent me the RMA. I phoned them and the sent me back to their website. The pc is missing some key specs from the one I ordered. Guys be careful stay away from this company. You do not want to pay 3000 plus and its not worth it because the company itself ripped you off and they wont even respond to you email. I wish amazon could step in and do something cause all I want is exactly what I paid for or my money back if its out of stock. One would think that the service for a high priced machine would be better. Again guys stay away from antonline.
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(From 6 total reviews)