Sony’s long-awaited broadband-based PVR service is nearly here, and it’s going to change the way you watch telly…



Sony has revealed more details of LocationFree TV, its revolutionary service that lets you record and watch programmes from your home country no matter where you are in the world.


It’s all internet-based, y’see. You hook up a Base Station to your home’s video sources – say a Sky box and a DVD recorder – and your broadband internet connection and install some special software on your internet-enabled video devices – let’s say a laptop and a PSP. Yes, a PSP.


For starters, you’re able to watch telly wirelessly on these devices anywhere within 100 feet of the Base Station, but that’s just the beginning. Because the Base Station is connected to the internet, you’ll be able to access it from anywhere in the world (provided you have an internet connection there too, natch). Sony calls this process NetAV.


So, using NetAV, you could watch TV programmes from home on your PSP whilst snuggled up in a hotel in Singapore – and if you’ve ever watched Singapore TV, you’ll know this is a boon. You’ll also be able to remotely programme a DVD recorder or similar (anything with a dedicated set-top box SCART input, basically), or watch whatever movie is in your DVD player.


One bummer to note: Sony recommends that your broadband up speed is at least 300kbps – most people’s connections fall slightly below this mark.



It's launching this month, and we're still waiting for Sony to confirm a price.

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