Sony LocationFree LF-PK1 review

At £40 more than the Slingbox and with the biggest name in consumer electronics behind it, we had high hopes for the LocationFree LF-PK1.

The idea is much the same as that behind the Slingbox, but Sony has slipped a few tricks up the LF-PK1's sleeve. Not only does it have built-in Wi-Fi, but it can also beam TV to a PlayStation Portable, as well as to PCs.

The LF-PK1 takes the form of a small grey box that's been designed to stand on one end. Its mundane looks may make it easier to slip it unobtrusively into a living room than the funky Slingbox, but if you think that the built-in Wi-Fi will make it easier to hide, think again. The LF-PK1's Wi-Fi is solely for establishing a direct wireless connection to a laptop (which you'll need to reconfigure accordingly) or PSP, and can't connect to an existing wireless network. So, if you want to use the LF-PK1 with a non-Wi-Fi PC or watch it over the internet, it still needs a wired connection to a broadband router - and Sony doesn't even include a network cable.

Setting up the LF-PK1 is straightforward, but nowhere near as simple as the Slingbox's plug-and-go installation, and you'll need to consult a lengthy PDF manual for full instructions. As with the Slingbox, the LF-PK1 supports two video inputs (with no video pass through), but the infrared emitter only controls one device.

The LocationFree Player program used for watching video isn't quite as sophisticated as Slingbox's SlingPlayer, but it works well enough. The list of equipment it can remotely control is limited though, and we struggled to find entries for our setup. The real bad news, however, is that while the LF-PK1 can only be watched by one PC at a time (same as the Slingbox), the LocationFree Player can only be installed on one PC and you'll need to pay £20 for another license if you want to install it on a second. Picture quality is fine, if a little fuzzy and washed out, but the overall experience is markedly worse than with the Slingbox, despite the higher price.

Author: Julian Prokaza