Photo courtesy Sony The Sony Vaio FW is the world's first 16.4-inch wide laptop image:41683:1::0

Sony announced a new 16.4-inch wide Vaio notebook dubbed "FW" today. The multimedia PC comes in a premium and standard model, and Sony says the premium version plays movies in full HD. The screen shape is unusual, but is likely going to be a hit.

Digital Journal -- The extra wide LCD on the new Sony Vaio FW comes in at an unusual 16.4 inches in width. It's not as clunky as the 17-inch models many manufacturers carry, yet its proportions are perfectly matched for that 16:9 aspect ratio.

The Vaio FW comes with an optional Blu-ray drive so you can watch your movies in full high definition on your laptop. Sony says it's "1080 HD" but some reviews already say that claim is bogus. It also has an HDMI-out port if you want to turn your laptop into a Blu-ray disc player for your TV.

Photo courtesy Sony The Sony Vaio FW is the world's first 16.4-inch wide laptop image:41682:0::0

“This PC is a multimedia masterpiece thoughtfully crafted to help consumers enjoy the full excitement of HD,” said Puneet Jain, Director of VAIO product marketing at Sony of Canada Ltd. “It’s a shining example of how cutting-edge technologies can be brought together to unlock a world of high-definition entertainment.”

The notebook weighs in at just over six pounds and the Blu-ray drive is a great upgrade, as you can record, store and play content on high-capacity BD media. The battery is rated to last as much as 5.5 hours.

The screen will also likely be an industry hit, as it offers all the benefits of a bigger screen without the big footprint. We expect to see this style and size of laptop more in the future.

Photo courtesy Sony The Sony Vaio FW is the world's first 16.4-inch wide laptop image:41681:0::0

The laptop comes in both titanium grey and powder white, and Sony breaks down the pricing as follows:

- VGN-FW140D (white) with DVD-RW drive starting at $1,099.99 CDN

- VGN-FW160D (titanium grey) including BD-ROM (read) optical drive starting at $1,349.99 CDN

- VGN-FW170D (powder white) also including BD-ROM (read) drive, 4GB RAM, and 320GB Hard Disk Drive starting at $1,399.99 CDN

- The FW series premium model VGN-FW180D (titanium grey) includes a BD-R (record / read) optical drive, 4GB RAM, and a 320GB Hard Disk Drive and will retail for around $1,699.99 CDN