Photo: Sony

On their new ‘PC vs. Mac’ comparison, Microsoft says ‘You can’t get a Mac that ships with a Blu-ray player’ and, to be fair to MS, that’s true. For those who want a Blu-ray player on the run, that there is a deal breaker. Below are some pointers on what to look for in Blu-ray laptops, as well as some notable laptops, too.

It’s all in the screen

When searching for a Blu-ray laptop, the most important thing is the screen quality. It helps naught to just use specs as a guideline. If possible, go into a store and test it out. If it looks good to you, suffice to say it is good enough. Naturally, to fully take advantage of the Blu-ray technology, you want a full HD 1920 x 1080 screen, but that’s not always available in your budgeted price range, so often times you have to pass for an unusual resolution like, say, 1680×1050.

Never compromise quality for Blu-ray

Early on when the Blu-ray laptop began emerging, it wouldn’t be unusual to see a laptop with average specs priced at a slight premium. Sure, it made sense, the manufacturers had to make their money back but now with the price of Blu-ray drives dropping significantly, that excuse no longer flies. Here’s a cardinal rule, then: never buy a lesser laptop simply because it has a Blu-ray ROM drive. Got that? Good. Below are two Blu-ray laptops at opposite ends of the pricing spectrum.

Dell N5010

Photo: Dell

The Dell N5010 is a hot seller and it’s pretty easy seeing why – at under £500 relative to its specs, it’s a very affordable laptop. This 15.6-inch laptop has an Intel Core i5 430M processor clocking at 2,26 GHz. The prerequisite 4GB of RAM comes along for the ride, as does a 640GB hard drive. The massive knock-back against this Blu-ray ROM capable laptop is its max resolution – at 1366×768, what’s the point of packing in a Blu-ray ROM drive if it is going to be limited by the screen’s output? Your call, folks.

Sony Vaio VPC-F12S1E/B

Where the Dell N5010 cuts corners on display and capabilities a little, the latest in the Sony Vaio F Series of laptops goes the opposite way. At at least £1,149, it certainly isn’t cheap, but what would you expect from a Blu-ray laptop as capable as this? As capable as what, you ask? How does an Intel Core i7 740QM clocking at 2.93GHz sound to you? Add 4GB RAM to the fold, a 500GB hard drive and an nVidia GT330M GPU it is clear Sony spared little expense on this blu-ray laptop. What matters most to us, though, is the gorgeous Blu-ray-friendly 16.4-inch HD screen.

These two laptops, of the many varied Blu-ray laptops on the market are just indicative of how wide a range of laptops you can get that support the contemporary media format.

Sony is a world leader in manufacturing a wide range of laptops that are in great demand all over the world. The Sony Vaio VPCCW1S1E/W is a recently launched product and is in great demand all over the world. It is fitted with all latest features which enhances the overall functionality of the device. It is available in a stylish white colour which gives it a sophisticated and royal look. The CW series laptop is very portable and compact and can be easily carried without any hassle.

The Sony Vaio VPCCW1S1E/W is equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 which provides swift functionality. The clock speed of the device is around 2130 MHz. The Sony Vaio VPCCW1S1E/W is also fitted with 4,096 MB RAM that further enhances the speed of the device. The RAM can be expanded up to 8 GB which is more than enough. The hard disk memory is around 320 GB that allows you to store all sorts of files. The 14.0 inch display provides crystal clear pictures. The resolution of the display is around 1366 X 768 which is quite high in comparison with other devices. The device is also fitted with nVidia GeForce GT230M graphics card which enables you to play all sorts of PC games.

The Sony Vaio VPCCW1S1E/W is also installed with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit operating system which enhances the overall performance. It is also equipped with a webcam which enables you video chat without connecting any external device. This is one of the best laptop available in the market.

Sony Vaio VGN-FW51MF/H is one of the most demanded laptops all across the world. It is equipped with all latest features and offers a hassle free performance for a number of years to come. The Sony device has a wide screen and offers superior quality pictures that will amaze you. The device is very low in weight and can be easily carried and transported as well. It is a product of the very famous Sony Vaio FW series. It is available in a stylish and sleek design which gives it a trendy and sophisticated look.

The Sony Vaio VGN-FW51MF/H is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 processor which ensures swift functionality of the device. The clock speed of the device is around 1530 MHz and it is fitted with 6144 MB of RAM which further enhances the overall speed. The hard disk memory of the laptop is a whopping 500 GB which is much more in comparison with any other laptop. The Sony Vaio VGN-FW51MF/H is also equipped with a 16.4 inch display which provides a resolution of 1920 X 1080. This laptop is also fitted with ATI Mobility Radeon HD4650 graphics card which enables you to play all sorts of PC games on your laptop.

The best feature of Sony Vaio VGN-FW51MF/H is that it is fitted with Blu-ray ROM optical drive which enables you to play all sorts of Blu-ray discs. It is fitted with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system which further enhances the performance. It is one of the best widescreen laptops available in the market.

Known for its innovation and creativity, Sony is world leader in manufacturing consumer electronics products including LCD, mobile phones, camera, laptop, DSLR, walkman and home cinema systems. Apart from electronics, Sony also deals in playstations, financial services and entertainment. It has created a niche in the laptop market with products like the Sony Vaio VGN-AW41ZF/B.

The Sony Vaio VGN-AW41ZF/B is an ideal notebook that suits your digital needs with all the features and high-quality performance. This Sony notebook is a newly launched full HD editing product offering great entertainment. The Sony Vaio VGN-AW41ZF/B is specially designed for professional editors who are looking for something high-tech and unique. With 18.4 inches x-black full HD screen, it offers a superb resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It features Windows 7 Home Premium operating system and Intel Centrino processor.

With a Blu-ray Disc drive for watching HD movies, the Sony Vaio VGN-AW41ZF/B offers a massive storage facility of 1000GB. It is a great tool for professional photo editors and offers them great experience with Adobe Elements software. For enhanced graphics experience, it offers NVIDIA GeForce graphics card with graphic memory of 2280MB and video memory of 512MB.

The Sony Vaio VGN-AW41ZF/B comes with Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick PRO Duo for extra memory storage and enhances the performance. The in-built Webcam and bluetooth are some of the additional features in this Sony laptop. This notebook is a must own equipment for those who are making their career in editing and also for those who want to do something different.

The Sony Vaio VGN-FW51JF/H is fully packed with features that help in delivering fast multimedia performance. It comes with a Full HD 16.4 inch X-black widescreen display that contains multiple lamps. The resolution of the main display is 1920X1080 and the aspect ratio is 16:9. The FW series entertainment notebook is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 processor that allows you to run multiple applications smoothly. The hard drive capacity of the notebook is 500 GB, thus providing plenty of space for storing your music and photos. The operating system preinstalled in the laptop is the Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit).

The notebook is a real entertainer owing to the integral Blu-ray drive and the enhanced Dolby sound quality included in it. The Sony Vaio VGN-FW51JF/H also comes with an HDMI port for hooking it up to a compatible big screen TV. Thus, allowing you to have an amazing gaming session or a movie marathon on a big screen. The built-in 1.3 Megapixel webcam and the 802.11a/b/g/n wireless LAN allows you to stay connected with your loved ones anytime and anywhere. The characters of your exciting computer games will come alive with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 Graphics card. The total graphics memory provided in the notebook is approx. 2280 MB and a dedicated GDDR3 Video memory provides an additional space of 512 GB.

There are 3 USB ports and one each for SD Card, RJ-45 Direct, VGA Connector for Monitor, HDMI Out and Express Card. The overall weight of the Sony Vaio VGN-FW51JF/H is 3.2 kg and the battery type used in it is Lithium-Ion battery VGP-BPS13/S.

Sony Vaio is one of the most famous series of laptops available in the market. The device is fitted with all latest features and provides a hassle free performance for a number of years to come. The Sony Vaio VGN-NW21ZF/T is one of the most portable laptops available and it is in great demand as well. The device weighs around 2.7 kg and can be easily carried and transported. It provides swift functionality as it is installed with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.

The Sony Vaio VGN-NW21ZF/T is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 processor which ensures efficient performance. The clock speed of this device is around 2,130 MHz. It is fitted with 4096 MB of RAM which further enhances the functionality speed. The RAM can be expanded up to 8 GB as well. The hard disk memory of the device is around 500 GB which enables you to store all sorts of songs, movies and all types of other documents as well. The display of the Sony Vaio VGN-NW21ZF/T laptop is around 15.5 Inch which provides a resolution of 1366 X 768. The device is also equipped with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics card that allows you to play all sorts of computer games on your laptop.

The Sony Vaio VGN-NW21ZF/T is also fitted with 3 X USB 2.0 ports which enables you to connect various other devices with the laptop. It is also fitted with a 5 in 1 card reader so that you can connect various types of memory cards with the laptop.

The Asus G60VX-JX040C is one of the most stylish laptops available in the market. This laptop is manufactured by Asus, the company known for its Eee PCs and other quality computer products. This laptop is available in a stylish combination of colours that makes it look attractive and catchy. The laptop is extremely light in weight and can be easily carried and transported. Additionally the Asus computer is totally safe to use as it is fitted with a Kensington lock support.

Asus G60VX-JX040C is one of the most stylish laptops available in the market. This laptop is manufactured by Asus that is world renown for quality products at affordable prices. The Asus G60VX-JX040C is available in a stylish combination of colours that makes it look attractive and catchy. The laptop is extremely light in weight and can be easily carried and transported. Additionally the device is totally safe to use as it is fitted with a Kensington lock support.

The Asus G60VX-JX040C is also fitted with a webcam that allows you to video chat without connecting any external device. The device is available with a 2 year warranty that further makes it reliable. The Blu-ray laptop provides efficient as it is fitted with DVD-Writer and BD-ROM optical drives.

The Hewlett Packard HP HDX X16-1310EA (NW739EAABU) is an entertainment notebook PC wrapped in a stunning Titanium design. It has been built with a unique combination of digital lifestyle and versatile performance. The Bright View Infinity Display of the 16-inch screen is sure to attract the attention of anybody. The fast speed of the notebook is due to the 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor. It includes a 4GB RAM and 320GB Hard Drive, thus offering loads of space for all kinds of files. The Operating System pre-installed into the notebook is Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium. The full-size backlit keyboard is extremely comfortable to work with and the touch pad has the On/Off button, dedicated vertical Scroll; Up/Down pad, volume control, mute buttons, 1 Quick Launch Button.

With the HP HDX you can enjoy a home theater experience with the Blu-Ray Disc, Altec Lansing speakers and integrated sub-woofer. The notebook has a special attraction for game and movie lovers, in the form of the Nvidia Graphics card that will enable you to play all the latest games, watch TV and a lot more with an amazing picture quality. The various ports provided in the Hewlett-Packard HP HDX X16-1310EA notebook include 4 USB 2.0 (4th shared with eSATA port), 1 HDMI connector, 1 eSata connector, 1 VGA port, 1 RJ45 ethernet connector, 2 headphones-out, 1 mic-in, 1 IEEE 1394, remote control infrared port, cable docking connector. In order to keep you connected with friends and family anywhe re and everywhere, the notebook has a range of communication solutions in the form of Wireless, Bluetooth and integrated Webcam.

Blu-ray laptops have redefined the way you watch a movie on your laptop. Movie fanatics can now watch movie on the move. It is a very tricky statement. It just means that you can watch a movie in your laptop at high quality anywhere you go. Blu-ray discs are the only discs that have outdone DVDs and ensure really good picture definition. Blu-ray is the newest technology that has entered into the market and there are hardly a few companies that have started manufacturing Blu-ray laptops.

The Sony Vaio VGN-FW31E is a notebook that is equipped with Blu-ray ROM. This notebook is a well-specified widescreen media centre notebook. The outer appearance or the outer shell of this notebook has a mock aluminium finish making it very attractive. It weighs about 2.9 kilograms. It has an excellent battery life of about 240 minutes.

Each key on the keyboard is placed in individual holes in the chassis. This lets you type with ease and it is less likely that you should be hitting the adjacent key when you are typing. Hence, the Blu-ray laptop is very easy to use. The screen size is about 16.4 inches and is a TFT screen. The aspect ratio of the screen is 16:9 which gives you a good movie watching experience.

It has a hard drive of 400GB which points to a massive storage capacity. It runs with dual core Intel processor. It has fast connectivity and is Wi-Fi enabled. There is also Gigabit Ethernet that assures you a quick browsing experience.

Packed with the latest multimedia features, Acer Aspire 6530G-704G25Bn is powered by AMD dual-core mobile technology processor. The processor is fast and capable of running multiple programmes smoothly. It has a brilliant 16 inch full HD Acer CineCrystal display screen with advanced ATI Mobility Radeon graphics technology that enhances the home entertainment experience. Also, in line with Gemstone design that Acer is best known for, this laptop has striking design elements. Powered by Turion X2 mobile processor, the laptop has 4GB RAM. Its Lithium-ion battery runs for a maximum of 3.3 hours. Its built-in devices include stereo speakers, subwoofer and wireless LAN aerial. To ensure the security of your laptop, it is also equipped with Fingerprint reader. With dimensions 38.5cm width, 27.8cm depth and 4.4cm height, the laptop weighs 3.5kg.

It has a 250GB hard drive that can store all your files, photos, music and media with ease. Also, the laptop has a 5-in-1 card reader and supports Flash Memory Cards like SD Memory Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard and xD-Picture Card. The Acer Aspire 6530G-704G25Bn laptop features a 1 inch WXGA TFT screen with a resolution of 1366×768 and offers a widescreen display. The 24 bit CrystalBrite widescreen offers a 60% colour gamut that ensures the user enjoys all movies and photos. Equipped with a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 as its graphics processor, the Acer notebook has a sound card for audio output and a stereo microphone for audio input. Moreover, the laptop also has an integrated 0.3 mega pixel web cam and a built-in numeric keyboard.