Sony launches two new LocationFree Base Stations, plus a TV Box

6 September 2006 10:41 GMT / By Amber Maitland

Sony has unveiled another three devices in its LocationFree range that lets users stream broadcasts to any broadband-connected PC.

Two of the devices – the LF-B10 and LF-B20 – are new base stations, while the third is a LocationFree TV Box, an entirely new proposition from LocationFree.

The LF-B10 connects through an Ethernet cable to a user’s home broadband connection and receives input from two devices, like a digital box and a DVD player, to stream the broadcast to a remote Windows PC or the company's own PSP. The LF-B20 adds wireless functionality to this, to connect with the existing wireless home network.

The new Base Stations incorporate new video encoding, so that they can transmit a smoother stream over slower connection, although an upload/download speeds of at least 300kbps are still required.

The new LocationFree TV Box is a receiver that picks up that can receive signals from the Base Station via Ethernet or wifi, and lets you use an onscreen remote to access the source device.

Sony's biggest competitor for this technology is the SlingBox, which lets you stream TV to any Wi-Fi-equipped Windows device, including smartphones and PDAs, and a Mac client is expected by the end of the year.

The LF-B10 will retails for around $200; the LF-B20 for an additional $50. The TV Box will be available for around $230 in October.

Full tags

Home Cinema, Networking, LocationFree, Sony, PSP