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Sony's LocationFree goes HD with LF-W1HD kit

by Thomas Ricker, posted Sep 5th 2007 at 7:09AM

Welcome to HD LocationFree; Sony just announced their 1080i-capable LocationFree Home HD gear. The LF-W1HD pushes MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 formatted video between the wireless receiver / transmitter pair. While the receiver does support a single HDMI-output, the transmitter does not so HDMI signal transmission is a no-go. It's also limited to 802.11a/b/g instead of 802.11n Draft 2.0 which is much more appropriate for HD streaming. Look for these to hit Japan in December for about ¥50,000 or round-abouts $431 whenever they make it this way. Backside-ports face front, after the break.

[Via Impress]

Continue reading Sony's LocationFree goes HD with LF-W1HD kit

Sony makes LocationFree Vaio, introduces Vaio LF-V30 Base Station

by Ryan Block, posted Jul 18th 2007 at 1:56AM

Good bye LocationFree, hello Vaio Base Station LV-V30 ("with LocationFree technology"). We were hoping Sony didn't kill LFTV, and thankfully it looks like that's not the case. The LF-V30 takes component in/out and converts into standard def and QVGA, and will run you about $250 come September. Another hot shot after the break.

Continue reading Sony makes LocationFree Vaio, introduces Vaio LF-V30 Base Station

Hands-on with Sony's VAIO TZ superultraportable notebook

by Evan Blass, posted Jul 17th 2007 at 9:12PM

Obviously unaware that we're not exactly the classiest folks around (we were the only ones there wearing shorts and a T-shirt), Sony invited us to a decidedly swanky "product unveiling" at Rockefeller Plaza's 66th floor Top of the Rock observation deck, replete with such pricey fare as caviar, salmon canapes, crab salad, tuna tartare, and grilled shrimp, along with four varieties of champagne (from a 2000 Veuve Clicquot Reserve Rose to a 1996 Bollinger R.D., if you must know) to wash it all down with -- and as if that weren't enough booze, several bottles of well-aged scotch sat prominently atop a fully stocked bar. This whole luxury theme was meant to ~~sway our coverage about~~ reflect the high-end status of the company's 11.1-inch VAIO TZ, whose $2,200 minimum price tag gets you a waif of a Santa Rosa-based ultraportable featuring a carbon fiber exterior, 32GB SSD, WWAN in the form of EV-DO Rev. A, and a MacBook-style keyboard, among other goodies. Sorry to cut this short, but we're off to shower and shave with the pleasant smelling men's products that Sony stuffed in our gift bag (we gave everything else -- cigars, lip balm, four dollar bottled water, book on wine -- away to elevator operators and people on the subway), so this would probably be a good time to check out the gallery below. And, as a special, one-time only bonus, we've also included photos of the recently announced VAIO-branded LF-V30 LocationFree streamer, whose component jacks enable HD place-shifting, and with which the entire VAIO lineup will soon be compatible thanks to pre-loaded software...

Gallery: Hands-on with Sony's VAIO TZ superultraportable notebook

Sony's VAIO FZ series: Blu-ray action in your lap

by Darren Murph, posted May 9th 2007 at 12:55PM

Nah, it shouldn't surprise you one bit that Sony's officially squeezing in yet another option in the VAIO laptop lineup, but this 15.4-incher packs a media-centric attitude into a (debatably) lightweight package, and moreover, sports a pricetag that's very un-VAIO-like. Aside from the typical black / silver motif, you'll notice a widescreen XBRITE display, a bevy of multimedia controls atop the keyboard, Intel's Core 2 Duo processors, NVIDIA's GeForce 8400M graphics card, support for 802.11n, HDMI out, audio in / out, USB 2.0, VGA and S-Video outs, 4-pin FireWire, and the obligatory Blu-ray drive for watching HD flicks on the go. Additionally, the FZ will include an integrated webcam, LocationFree placeshifting niceties, an ExpressCard slot, and a Memory Stick reader. Fortunately for you, this fairly well appointed machine won't break the bank as you may expect, as the non-BD-equipped rendition will start at $1,400, while the "Premium" flavor comes in just $2,000.

Kid takes PSP and makes it play Wii

by Conrad Quilty-Harper, posted Mar 17th 2007 at 9:24AM

No, as much as we'd like to see it happen, this isn't some kind of monster emulation effort. Instead, an intrepid young -- and we mean young: his YouTube display name is "obiwan222222" -- PSP Fanboy has managed to get his PlayStation Portable to act as a screen for his Wii using Sony's LocationFree Player solution for the PSP. By patching through the PSP to LocationFree and by sticking what looks like a custom made Wii sensor above the console, the PSP can display the Wii's output using its WiFi to connect to the internet video stream, and a spare Wiimote to control the cursor. Unfortunately, this solution is far from practical, as there's an built-in lag of around 6 seconds: not something you want when playing twitch games. Besides the actual concept, the best part about the walkthrough video (which is after the break), is Obiwan22's narration. One typical quote for you: "I am not some kind of genius. I just want to make a statement [to show] what you can do with your LocationFree Player!" Aww, bless.

[VIa PSP Fanboy]

Continue reading Kid takes PSP and makes it play Wii

Latest PSP survey suggests impending TV streaming service

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 17th 2006 at 4:38AM

Apparently dishing out surveys to garner potential interest in (hopefully) forthcoming products and services is the fad of the month, as Microsoft barely received back all the results in its latest Xbox 360 questionnaire before Sony threw down a few of its own. Most recently, however, a question was posed to PSP owners that piqued our interest, and it involved the possibility of receiving TV streams on that oh-so-sexy widescreen LCD. The higher-ups at Sony HQ seemingly have streaming video on the brain, as users were asked to choose which scenario they'd prefer when kicking back and catching a show on their handheld. The choices involved a "Sony LocationFree TV box" that would stream content directly to the PSP using a local WiFi connection, or a subscription-based service that would broadcast TV shows using "always on cellular technology" for $9.99 per month. Considering Sony can hardly pay folks to take those dust-gathering UMD flicks, we don't think that making a move in the television realm would be such a bad idea -- so, what's up Sony? Inquisitive minds (and PSP / DS Lite fence-sitters) are yearning for an answer.

[Thanks, Simon V.]

Sony Ericsson P990 gets LocationFree support

by Chris Ziegler, posted Oct 17th 2006 at 1:13PM

It looks like the Symbian Smartphone Show is shaping up to be a bit of a showdown betwixt placeshifters today, with both Sling and Sony announcing Symbian support for their respective products' players. Unlike Sling, which announced both UIQ and S60 versions of its SlingPlayer Mobile, Sony is only going as far as UIQ support for its LocationFree on the wings of its fresh P990 smartphone -- a very Sony-like (read: proprietary) move, considering Sony Ericsson isn't down with the Nokia-backed S60 platform. Odds are Sony would've liked to have cut a version for its smartphones a year or two back, but the P990 is the first phone in the P series to rock data fast enough (via UMTS and WiFi) to handle the heavy-duty bandwidth requirements LocationFree -- or most any other placeshifting tech, for that matter -- requires. Sony Ericsson's claiming immediate availability of the Symbian client, though it's not yet live on the P990's download site. Of course, a LocationFree player doesn't do much good without the device itself, and a US version of the P990 is nowhere in sight, so just keep on toolin' around with those PSPs until further notice.

[Thanks, Alex]

Sony's LF-12MT1 LocationFree TV

by Thomas Ricker, posted Sep 15th 2006 at 9:39AM

Looks like Sony quietly busted out a followup to their LocationFree TV at the same time they rolled out their LocationFree base stations. Thing is, from the minimum specs released, there's not much to report on their new wireless LF-12MT1 telly -- it goes 12-inches like its predecessor supporting MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 formats pumped over WiFi at a range of about 100 feet. The big news here is that the slab is expected to drop considerably in price from about $1300 to a more reasonable $850. It even comes with an optional ¥9,450 (about $80) waterproof jacket for use in the toilet 'cause you and Sony both know that's where it'll be. Expect the LF-12MT1 in Japan and China when these ship come November.

Sony announces LocationFree LF-B10, LF-B20 and LF-BOX1

by Cyrus Farivar, posted Sep 5th 2006 at 12:32PM

We haven't heard from Sony's LocationFree since 2005, but our best buds over in Japan have been busy on some new models since then -- and they look startingly like a shiny acrylic PS2. Today the company is announcing two new base stations, the LF-B10 and the LF-B20 (pictured above) and the LocationFree TV Box. The LF-B20, which goes for $250, also acts as a WiFi access point, whereas its less expensive sibling, the LF-B10, priced at $200, doesn't. Sony's LocationFree Box (dubbed the LF-BOX1) is a $230 receiver unit that will let you watch said content on an in-home television -- although it may work on your hotel's television too, should you be so inclined to take it with. That said, it's well possible that as an alternative, you'll have your PSP or a laptop with LFTV software on it, just like a Slingbox. The trio of LFTV units will be available next month, and are currently on pre-order from Sony's site.

Continue reading Sony announces LocationFree LF-B10, LF-B20 and LF-BOX1