Now here's an interesting development from Sony: the LF-X5 "LocationFree TV" not o­nly offers a wireless TV solution from within the home, but you can even access the same TV signals from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

If, for example, you'd like to watch Japanese TV from the comfort of your American home, just buy o­ne of these TVs, get a buddy in Japan to setup the base station for you, and you're good to go.

Sony Marketing has announced the "LocationFree TV," a 7V widescreen TV that allows enjoyment of TV from outside the home and overseas through the medium of the internet. It will be released o­n March 10th. While it's listed as Open Price, indicators suggest it will cost around 125,000 yen.

Analog TV signals or video signals from external sources are digitized by the Base Station in realtime, and are wirelessly transmitted to the LCD display. The LF-X5 was actually o­n display at the International CES 2005 held in America. This product has had its name changed from the series name, from the current "AirBoard," to the "LocationFree TV" that has also been used in America; the logo has also been renewed.

The LF-X5 consists of a 7V widescreen LCD display and main unit (Base Station), which communicate with support for "Dual Hi-Bit Wireless," that uses both the 5GHz (IEEE 802.11a) and 2.4GHz (IEEE 802.11b/g) bands. Depending o­n the communications condictions, the "Dual Band Autoscan" function can automatically change between the two bands, allowing for a much more stable video playback.

A new feature is the "NetAV" feature, allowing for TV, video, and DVDs from Japan to be viewed realtime whilst overseas. TV channels and connected devices can be controlled remotely using controls that appear o­n the monitor. Additionally, public wireless LAN channels are supported. It also includes high quality video circuitry such as a 3D Y/C and jaggie correction.

The display is a 7" widescreen TFT with touchpanel functionality and an 800 x 480 resolution. It features a web brwoser, mail functionality, and the ability to playback still images (BMP, PNG, GIF, JPG) and movies (MPG, MQV) from a Memory Stick. It operates off of a battery, and can be used for about 80 minutes (the BP-LX5B, not included, will power the unit for about 3 hours).

The size of the Base Station is 58 x 222 x 180mm (W x H x D), and it weighs about 550g. The display is 206 x 111 x 26mm (same), and weighs roughly 555g (627 when using BP-LX5B). The LF-X5 cannot use the Bathtub Jacket that was intended for use with the upper-level "LF-X1" 12.1" screen model.



Inspired by:
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0502/01/news046.html

Press Release:
http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/200502/05-0201/

Product Information:
http://www.ecat.sony.co.jp/visual/airboard/products/index.cfm?PD=20444&KM=LF-X5