Sony brings remote TV to Macs and mobiles

LocationFree TV is a platform that streams a live video and audio signal from a base station to client devices. It allows users to watch TV and video from devices in their living room on a remote computer, so long as there is a broadband connection between the base station and the client.

The new client software will be demonstrated in Tokyo Thursday and are the product of two recent licensing agreements. One, with Access Co. Ltd., covered the development of clients for devices like cell phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) while a second, with Kaga Electronics Co. Ltd., covered an Apple Mac client.

The new software will expand the range of devices on which LocationFree TV can be accessed.

Sony's current LocationFree TV base station, the LF-PK1, supports access from a custom hardware terminal that resembles a tablet PC, from a Windows 2000 or Windows XP-based personal computer or from a PlayStation Portable. The LF-PK1 was launched last year and is now on sale in the U.S., Japan and Europe.

Access, which made headlines last year by buying PalmSource Inc., is a major developer of software for mobile and embedded devices. Its Net Front Web browser can be found in many embedded products offering Internet access including cell phones, televisions and car navigation systems. Kaga sells a variety of products under the Taxan brand-name.