Sony's Second-Gen Location-Free TV Goes the Extra Mile

This week, Sony showed PC World a prototype of its second-generation LocationFree TV. I saw the LF-PK1 LocationFree Player Pak and the LF-X11 LocationFree TV. The $349 Player Pak, available now, consists of a base station for transmitting a signal and a software CD. With IEEE802, you can stream DVDs, live TV, or VCR input from the bay to your PC. With a broadband connection, you can view it from far, far away. Nice for watching local news or that first season of Lost DVDs on the road.

In October, Sony will release the $1499 LF-X11 Location-Free TV, shown here:



It comes with a 12.1-inch LCD monitor, a base station, and PC software. I picked up the monitor and walked around with it; it kept showing DVD content without a skip. Sony says that (depending on the environment) it can go as far as 100 feet from the bay and still show video. With a stylus, I accessed a competent "remote control" in the screen and then switched to full screen video.

Image quality on the prototype was better than I'd expect from a 800-by-600 resolution LCD; in particular, flesh tones looked surprisingly natural. I can't wait to get a production unit into the PC World Test Center and put it through its paces.