Excuse the title pun, but Sony has announced its VAIO VGX-TP1 system with a rather distinctive cylindrical chassis.
The VGX-TP1 - shame the name isn't so stylish - is a home entertainment PC measuring just 27cms across, and comes complete with HDMI, DVI, and VGA outputs making it easy to connect to any high definition TV or monitor display.
Complete with a 500GB hard drive and integrated TV tuner, it offers all the functionality of a dedicated PVR, including both digital and analogue terrestrial recording.
It's also good to go with wireless networking, so can integrate with other computers and devices on a home network for streaming media.
Shame it doesn't have a Blu-ray drive in it, though. Sony has opted instead for a standard DVD player, along with two USB flash drive slots.
Sony claims that the machine is virtually silent thanks to "sophisticated" sound damping within the case.
Other specs aren't available at present, so it's not clear whether the DVD player offers decent upscaling capabilities. It's a nice box, but won't replace the gear of serious high definition enthusiasts, such as that blue-laser disc player.
Available from September in the UK and Germany, price to be confirmed.
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