briace
5th May 2006, 19:11
Sony (http://www.sony.co.uk/locationfree) finally launches its LocationFree TV service into the UK this month, having already made it available in the US and Japan.
The service allows people to watch their national TV where ever they are in the world, provided they have a computer and broadband Internet access.
LocationFree TV (http://www.pcw.co.uk/2148133) works via a small base station box connected to your TV, which then redirects the signal to where you are.
Owners can watch live TV, pre-recorded programmes and set up future recordings via a PC, laptop or PSP Portable (provided it is loaded with software version 2.70).
It has built-in wireless technology, so that signals can be pumped around a home, or it uses the Internet link - in a process called NetAV to control TV from any country in the world. It means that people traveling to for instance the US would still have access to the traditional channels available on British TV.
Jonathan White, general manager, TV and Home Video Business Group at Sony UK, said of LocationFree TV: It kicks open the door of the TV room and lets people out, but at the same time it can bring that sense of familiarity and comfort to anyone who is away on the road.
The base station has two connections for AV equipment such as a DVD/HDD recorder, so can play a DVD movie if it has been left in the unit. If set to record a programme, that can also be played back via the LocationFree TV base station. It then requires software to be loaded on the target computer.
Built in security prevents anyone else using your signal and the software controls the bit rate to ensure smooth playback when watching a programme.
Sony plans to extend its Location Free TV technology to the UK and rest of Europe later this year, giving customers their local TV stations anywhere in the world.
Currently it only works in the US and Japan, so that when a national travels to another country, including the UK, they can watch their usual TV on their laptop or PSP (provided they have a wireless broadband connection).
The adaptor is now going to be extended to included PAL broadcasts, so for the first time UK customers can enjoy British TV, including Sky, where ever they are in the world.
The box plugs into your TV at home and then has a wired Ethernet link to your router. It can be used around the home, but its main use is for those who travel. Shinjii Okazaki, a senior manager at Sony, said up to four clients can be added to the base station.
Although you can't change the Sky channel, you can watch whichever station it is on. But with terrestrial TV, you can change the channels as well. And if you have a DVD in your player, that can be watched as well.
The service is easy to use, but with the rise of IP TV, its lifetime will be limited once services are being broadcast over the Internet.
In the US, the adaptor costs $349, but pricing details for the UK were not available.:ok
The service allows people to watch their national TV where ever they are in the world, provided they have a computer and broadband Internet access.
LocationFree TV (http://www.pcw.co.uk/2148133) works via a small base station box connected to your TV, which then redirects the signal to where you are.
Owners can watch live TV, pre-recorded programmes and set up future recordings via a PC, laptop or PSP Portable (provided it is loaded with software version 2.70).
It has built-in wireless technology, so that signals can be pumped around a home, or it uses the Internet link - in a process called NetAV to control TV from any country in the world. It means that people traveling to for instance the US would still have access to the traditional channels available on British TV.
Jonathan White, general manager, TV and Home Video Business Group at Sony UK, said of LocationFree TV: It kicks open the door of the TV room and lets people out, but at the same time it can bring that sense of familiarity and comfort to anyone who is away on the road.
The base station has two connections for AV equipment such as a DVD/HDD recorder, so can play a DVD movie if it has been left in the unit. If set to record a programme, that can also be played back via the LocationFree TV base station. It then requires software to be loaded on the target computer.
Built in security prevents anyone else using your signal and the software controls the bit rate to ensure smooth playback when watching a programme.
Sony plans to extend its Location Free TV technology to the UK and rest of Europe later this year, giving customers their local TV stations anywhere in the world.
Currently it only works in the US and Japan, so that when a national travels to another country, including the UK, they can watch their usual TV on their laptop or PSP (provided they have a wireless broadband connection).
The adaptor is now going to be extended to included PAL broadcasts, so for the first time UK customers can enjoy British TV, including Sky, where ever they are in the world.
The box plugs into your TV at home and then has a wired Ethernet link to your router. It can be used around the home, but its main use is for those who travel. Shinjii Okazaki, a senior manager at Sony, said up to four clients can be added to the base station.
Although you can't change the Sky channel, you can watch whichever station it is on. But with terrestrial TV, you can change the channels as well. And if you have a DVD in your player, that can be watched as well.
The service is easy to use, but with the rise of IP TV, its lifetime will be limited once services are being broadcast over the Internet.
In the US, the adaptor costs $349, but pricing details for the UK were not available.:ok