Sony Vaio FW and Blu-ray playback on an HDTV

[tylerrad]

Recently I purchased a Sony Vaio FW with a Blu-ray optical drive for college. Below are some potentially pertinent technical specifications:

Intel® Core 2™ Duo Processor P8600 (2.4GHz)
Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD (GMA X4500MHD)
HDMI out
Blu-ray Disc™ Read Only Drive
Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
2 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 1GBx2)

I would like to purchase a 26" HDTV for my dorm room. I'm currently leaning toward the Toshiba 26AV500U; however, this television does not have a headphone jack. As I will be sharing my room with some other fellow who may not want to be bothered by my watching movies at all hours of the evening, it is important that I at least have the option of listening to audio through headphones.

1. So, will it be possible for me to use my laptop's headphone jack to listen to Blu-ray audio as I watch on my television, or will I have to purchase a television with a headphone out?

2. Is it certain that current HDCP settings will allow me to watch Blu-ray discs on my TV without any hitches?

3. Are the laptop's specs enough to adequately play a Blu-ray disc?

Also, any HDTV suggestions would be welcome. I'm still looking.

[Mr. Joshua]

Take the laptop to the store hook up to the TV so you know you get picture. I can't get mine to work hooked up via HDMI to the tv...
I get some error message about copyright crap...

[indiephantom]

I have a new VGN-FW160D and I'm thinking of getting a monitor pretty soon, too. Well, once I pay off the credit I owe on this sucker. Let me know how things progress for you.

[arush5268d]

As long as you have the settings right you shouldn't have any trouble playing a Blu-ray on your new TV.

As far as the audio issue goes...well...I could see it going several ways. Ideally you should be able to change the settings so that it outputs the volume to your computer. Or it could have a specific option to use your computer's headphone jack. Or you could be up a creek without a paddle.

[JadedRaverLA]

What country are you in? I ask because the 2 FZ models with Blu-ray drives on Sony's US site both have Nvidia GeForce 8400M for graphics, which is much better than the Intel chip.

Regardless, the computer should play Blu-ray's fine. The processor should be fast enough to make up for the areas where the Intel graphics chip can't offload.

[tylerrad]

What country are you in? I ask because the 2 FZ models with Blu-ray drives on Sony's US site both have Nvidia GeForce 8400M for graphics, which is much better than the Intel chip. - JadedRaverLA

I'm in the US. I think you misread my post though. It isn't an FZ notebook I purchased, but an FW. I could've selected the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 for an extra $50. Maybe I should have done that.

Take the laptop to the store hook up to the TV so you know you get picture. - wsciv123

Is there any other way to be certain that HDCP will not interfere with playback?

[JadedRaverLA]

Originally Posted by tylerrad

I'm in the US. I think you misread my post though. It isn't an FZ notebook I purchased, but an FW. I could've selected the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 for an extra $50. Maybe I should have done that.

Ooops. I guess I couldn't read yesterday. That makes more sense.

Originally Posted by tylerrad

Is there any other way to be certain that HDCP will not interfere with playback?

There's really NO certainty in the matter. Chances are you'll never have a problem. Or, one day, you may update your graphics drivers or your software player and end up back here asking for help because Blu-ray's suddenly stopped playing. Either way, it's correctable.

There are a few HDTVs that tend to have more HDCP handshaking issues than others (some Westinghouse models, and some other lower-end brands, usually). Even taking your notebook into the store isn't a total guarantee as the display model TV may have a different firmware revision (to correct an HDCP problem) than the one you get in a box. Since you're looking at 26" sets, I would think its not too big to return any set you get if you really do run into problems, right?

But really, you shouldn't have any issues.