Please help with upgrading my V2M - you're my last hope!

[IanWilki]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry if this has been answered before, i've tried a search but could'nt see what i'm looking for.

I have a VGC-V2M which i am more than happy with and don't really want to change. However, i would like to upgrade the original analogue tuner to a digital one ready for the change-over, it would be a shame to have such a nice neat desktop look spoilt by an external PVR. This would also be a waste of the PVR function of the PC.

If this upgrade is possible, would the software need to be upgraded too? i would want it to integrate fully with Vaio Zone.

Also, when it was about a month out of warranty the touch pad on the keyboard stopped working (the buttons still work). I have tried a restore and even full recovery so i don't think its a software problem. has anyone elese experienced this?

Okay, sorry for the long post, I'm a noob so go easy! thanks in advance.

[Blencogo]

Hi IanWilki and welcome.

I don't think anyone had actually done this and reported how to do it on this forum. There was plenty of discussion when Vista arrived as the Sony MPEG Encoder TV board is not Vista compatible. However, the problem went away when Sony released a version of Vaio Zone that runs under Vista.

I don't think there is a DVB-T tuner board that will work with Vaio Zone. This is why Sony switched to Windows Media Centre Edition before installing a digital tuner. So I don't think you can do what you want - use DVB-T in Vaio Zone.

I think you have two choices: -

1. Buy a USB DVB-T tuner with the PVR software to watch and record DVB-T on your Vaio (you can get Twin Tuners now LIKE THIS ONE)
2. Try to change the onboard PCI TV Card and upgrade your OS to MCE or Vista.

[IanWilki]

Many thanks for your reply - sorry, i've been away!

A couple more questions if i may?

I think i'd like to go down the route of your second option, could you recommend a particular tuner card? is this a standard 'fitment / size' like any other PC? If so, i could pick one up quite easily.

Does MCE run okay on this machine (and will the remote control still work)?

Feel like i'm getting somewhere now, had this posted on AVF and got a grand total of 0 replies!

If i do go down this route i'll post how i did it with a couple of photo's if anyone else would be considering doing this.

[Blencogo]

The problem is that we have not heard from anyone who has managed to update the TV Tuner in a V-Series Vaio so we have no idea how difficult this would be and what size would fit.

You can obviously see your TV Card as it has your analogue RCA and s-video inputs on it - but how to get at it?

Sony have switched from the analogue Conextant MPEG Encoder board used with Vaio Zone to the hybrid tuners made by AverMedia. Your Vaio should work OK with Media Centre and you need a Media Centre compliant TV Card.

[IanWilki]

Okay, thanks for your input i'll let you know what i decide to do and the outcome. I may yet go external and still upgrade to MCE as i would be daft to butcher the case.

From my searching, this should still work?

Again, thanks for the advice :smileygrin: