Turn Your PSP Into a Portable Television

You may remember my recent story about the Slingbox, the device that allows you to watch your television from your computer anywhere. Now Sony has a toy you can use to watch television from your PSP (PlayStation Portable) in addition to your PC (as long as you have an Internet connection).

Sony's LocationFree was showcased at the recent local Sony Expo, and it allows you to stream television or movies from home to your PSP anywhere in the world. All you need to do is connect your home A/V components (television, DVD Player, digital recorder) and Internet high-speed connection to your LocationFree Base Station and you're all set from the home front. For the road, you just need to make sure your PSP has the correct software update (2.5 or later – downloadable at www.us.playstation.com/psp/) and connect it to the nearest hotspot and click on the LocationFree icon on your PSP to start streaming your favorite television programs. However, you have to make sure your connection is at least 300 kilobits per second to work properly.

From the convenience of your PSP, you can completely control your LocationFree from the road, including changing channels and pausing and recording with the onscreen universal remote. This is also excellent for use around the house if you're too lazy to move, and you just want to watch television or your DVR's recorded programs from the comfort of your bed with your PSP.

If you have an older LocationFree Base Station, you need to make sure it has a software version of 2.000 or later to work with your PSP. The Base Station is included with the purchase of a LocationFree TV or LocationFree Player Pak. Also make sure you have a good-sized Memory Stick Pro Duo for your PSP to store the required codes to allow you to use your PSP as a remote control.

If you want the stability and larger size of a monitor to look at when you’re controlling your LocationFree at home, you can use the 12-inch LF-X11 LocationFree TV monitor. It allows you access to the Base Station directly. The monitor and the LocationFree Player Pak (includes Base Station and software) are sold separately.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get my hands on a LocationFree for myself. It opens up a whole new world for what I can do with my PSP. What will be next?

To try it for yourself, the Player Pak runs about $350 and the 12-inch monitor around $1,500 from Shirokiya, Pure Digital or online at www.sony.com.