Since last weekend, well-known British hifi and home cinema retailer Richer Sounds has been selling a little gem of a HDTV in the form of the Sony KDL22PX300. What makes this 22-incher so interesting is the fact that it features an integrated Sony PS2 (Playstation 2) video game console doubling as the TV stand, which lets users play DVDs, CDs, PS2 and even original Playstation games – remember the Sony PS2 console is backward-compatible – directly on the flat-screen LCD television.
For a small LCD TV designated as a secondary display in the bedroom, home office or kitchen, the Sony KDL22PX300 is extremely well-specced. For starters, its array of connections would put many larger (and more expensive) HDTVs to shame: there are four HDMI inputs, three USB ports, two Ethernet LAN connections, as well as component, VGA, SCART interfaces. The Sony KDL22PX300 does not skimp on audio ports either, boasting two digital optical outputs, an analogue audio output, and a headphone socket. Although its native screen resolution is only 1366 x 768, full HD 1080p resolution would probably be overkill on such small screen estate anyway.
Perhaps even more of a pleasant surprise is the presence of Sony’s Bravia Internet Video platform on the KDL22PX300, allowing viewers to access selected web content such as BBC iPlayer, YouTube and Lovefilm directly on the LCD television provided the TV is hooked up to broadband internet connection (either wired or wirelessly via an optional USB wifi dongle). Priced at £199.95 (including a PS2 controller) by Richer Sounds, the Sony KDL22PX300 is probably the cheapest IETV (internet-enabled television) available to buy in the United Kingdom at the moment.
Interestingly, the Sony KDL22PX300 is not officially listed on the Sony UK website, but does appear in the support section of the Sony Europe portal under its alternative model number of KDL-22PX300. Furthermore, at this time of writing Richer Sounds seems to be the only vendor in the entire world carrying stock of this particular LCD TV model, raising the possibility that these KDL22PX300 HDTV/PS2 hybrids have been assembled by a third-party hardware company using surplus PS2 consoles with Sony’s permission.
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