Product Description
If you lead a truly mobile life, carrying your whole music collection around with you may no longer be enough. It might just be time for you to enter the domain of truly mobile video as well. With Sony's new version of their "LocationFree" Base Station (LF-B20), mobile does not mean simply the ability to watch DVDs or encoded video on your laptop or iPod, but the power to control your own home video center--and watch everything on it--from any place you can find a high-speed Internet connection. Sony has created an amazingly simple device that essentially allows you to bring your TV and DVD player in your bag along with you wherever you may roam.
Why not check out a little Sponge Bob while you're at the coffee shop? |
The LocationFree TV Box pictured above is a key accessory, allowing you to view the content being served by your LocationFree Base Station on the TV of your choice. |
How it Works The LocationFree Base Station connects to your TV, DVD Player, or DVR via standard audio/video cable or S Video. It then uses your home broadband connection to send the TV programs or movies of your choice over the Internet to your Windows or Mac laptop or Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP)--to any location in the world you happen to find a high-speed Internet connection (for example to the airport where you are waiting for that flight that has been delayed now for the second time). For Pocket PC and Windows Smartphone users, Sony says software for Windows Mobile powered devices is coming soon.
To control the Base Station remotely you will need to install the included LocationFree Player software on the laptop you intend to use. The PSP connection requires no additional hardware. Changing channels on your TV, cable box, or DVR is accomplished via an IR (infrared) Blaster connected to the BaseStation and then positioned on your cable box or DVR so that it can zap the infrared reciever with your laptop, just as you would from the couch with your remote.
Setting Your TV Free
The quick setup guide, along with the included software wizard, are very easy to follow. Within 20 minutes of opening the box we were watching ESPN on a PC laptop. There are two basic methods by which you can connect the LocationFree Base Station to the Internet: with an Ethernet cable straight into your router or hub, or--if you have home wireless--you can connect via Wi-Fi, using the Base Station as an access point.
 LocationFree lets you view live TV programs, saved DVR programs, and much more on a wide range of devices. All you need is a broadband Internet connection. |
The second method is particularly useful if your modem and media center are not located in close proximity. It also separates the new Base Station from its older version, as well as from all models of its main competitor, Sling Media's Slingbox. Setup works like this: 1) Connect your computer to the Base Station with an Ethernet cable (this is required for initial setup, but if you have home Wi-Fi you can remove this cable later). 2) Connect the sleek black box to power and turn it on. 3) Run the software wizard on your computer. This will guide you through the process of connecting the Base Station to the Internet. At this point you are also able to apply whatever wireless security protocols you may have in place on your network. We had no problems at all making a connection with a Wi-Fi router and cable modem. Once that connection is made you are ready to go mobile!
Going Mobile
Once at your favorite cafe or airport, just run the LocationFree software and let it make the connection. Video is then displayed in a window that is easy to size however you like. Changing channels is accomplished with a virtual remote that you can bring up on your screen whenever you need it. We set it up to control a Motorola cable box simply by choosing the brand name and type of device from a drop-down menu. The LocationFree and IR blaster did the rest. You are able to setup two remotes and two IR blasters, so that you could, for example, access both your DVD player and cable box while on the go.
Video quality is fine for an encoded and compressed video file. The Base Station uses the new Advanced Video Codec (AVC), or H.264, for high compression with minimum loss of data, but it will still never match DVD quality. Software settings allow you to select the level of video quality, or to stay with the default "auto" setting that chooses a framerate for you, based on the speed of your connection. You can also choose between 4:3 and 16:9 picture formats, and make the usual picture adjustments you would find on a TV.
If "LocationFree" for you means the ability to send your video to any TV of your choice (rather than merely to computers and handhelds) you might consider the LocationFree TV Box (LF-Box1). This device will serve up whatever signal your Base Station is sending out to any TV to which you connect it.
Pros
- Truly mobile video that really works
- Easy setup
- Wi-Fi
- Well thought-out controls and settings
- Support for PC, Mac, and PSP (Windows Mobile coming soon)
Cons- Viewing video outside your local network depends on reliability of Internet connections
What's in the Box LF-B20 LocationFree base station, CD-ROM (software, instructions manual, serial key), AC adapter, power cord, base station stand, IR blaster, and quick start guide.
Expired: Sony LF-B20 LocationFree Wireless Base Station $19.95 plus shipping at Sony
Have you thought about getting a SlingBox, but don't think you will use it enough to justify the $150-250 price tag. The Sony LF-B20 LocationFree Wireless Base Station is a poor man's SlingBox and right now Sony has a refurbished unit on sale for only $19.95 plus shipping (est. $14.00; free shipping on orders over $100). With this deal you are saving $67 off the next lowest shipped price on a refurbished unit, and $134 off the price of a brand new unit.If you are not familiar with what a SlingBox does, it allows you to stream media from your TV to a another device such as a laptop over your home network or the internet.
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