Sony LF-V30 LocationFree Base Station

• Displays programming from TV, DVR, and other audio/video components remotely via the Internet
• Connects to your wired or wireless home network
• Built-in Wi-Fi compatibility
• Send video to a computer or PSP system with an Internet connection

Too Difficult to set up:
I found this product very difficult to set up and I am not a novice on the computer. The product comes with a so called manual but you have to go on online or stay on hold to wait to speak to a represenative, took me 3o mins. waiting before speaking to a rep. I am having to contact support again since I have more than one computer and it does not allow you register the base station , if the key is registered already to one computer. It took a over 2wks to receive the item.

Pleased -- And Surprised!:
I originally researched the SlingBox and truth be told, I probably would have spent the extra money for it had going wireless with it not been so expensive. After digging a bit, I found the Sony LocationFree Base Station. As I researched, I found out that the Playstation Portable (PSP) has a built-in LocationFreeTV viewer... and that ultimately was the clincher. I could not be more pleased at how easy it was to get the box set up and working! It took me no more than 30 minutes from the time I was handed the package at my door to watching cable tv on my computer. I had absolutely no issue with getting the box connected to my home network and the PC software connected to the base station. The home wireless network signal is only 70% at the box, but the streams have been surprisingly free of glitches and freezing. I am really impressed at how well it streams and how little it seems to affect our network. I work from home and we have a LOT of network activity but there has been no noticeable impact at a video bit rate at or below 1500kbps and very little impact even at 3000kbps. I also purchased a PSP as a viewer for the LocationFree box. I had always wanted a PSP anyway, and the combined cost of the LocationFree box and the PSP was roughly what I would have paid for the mid-level SlingBox, so I decided to buy the bundle. I am AMAZED by the picture on the PSP -- its gorgeous!! To sum up, I think this LocationFree Base Station was a wise purchase. It will pay for itself in about eight months since I won't have to pay for a cable outlet installation and monthly box rental. I am pleasantly surprised by the picture quality and despite being ready for an unpleasant installation experience, it went without a hitch. I highly recommend this box, especially if you require a wireless network interface.

Please Read the Instruction Book!:
Set-up took weeks as I was not at the delivery address and the wonderful but stubborn people setting it up wouldn't read the directions. If you can hook up a vcr or dvd player to your tv and you read/follow the instruction book/set-up wizards, you should have it up and running in 20-30 minutes. The only extra instructions I would add concern registering a device over the internet. The registration information is case sensitive. When you get to that point in the wizard if you get a message concerning checking the IP address/Domain name and verifying you are online and you have checked that the information is all entered correctly, you will need to configure your router. If you don't know how to do that, do a search for your router and port triggering and you should find instructions. As for the player/base station, the video has small freezes/pauses that for some are irritating. This is coming from a 6mb to 3mb and 6mb broadband connections. A brief stutter. If you view a lot of internet video it probably won't bother you. The remote is terrible. Generic with very few buttons. It does have the option for a more detailed remote with added buttons, but you have to have the remote at the base station and the player running while you program it. Fine if you are right there with your laptop, a pain and 2 person job if you are miles away. It must be done separately for each device. As of this review the player software is available as a free download from Sony. You get one copy on the disk that comes with the base station. The free download may not always be available and is regularly $29.99. You must have a download to each device you want to have the ability to connect. You can have a maximum of eight devices registered with each base, but only 1 can be connected at a time. I've been told this is the worst base to choose if you want to view on your phone, but since that's not what I wanted it for I haven't looked in to that. If you wish to view it on a second monitor or tv, drag it over before you connect to the base because it will drop the connection. Or if your video card supports it, you can set the player to automatically connect to the base station and project to full screen on the other monitor. Overall, I'm pleased with my purchase. It does what I wanted it to do and for a much better price than it's competitors.

Only for the Patient One:
After an arduous journey I must admit that I am satisfied. The Sony support people are very helpful but they are in short supply and you may wait on hold for hours before you get through (esp on Saturdays). If you plan to use this in your home you will have no issues. The challenge will come when you want to watch tv at a remote site via the internet. If your modem & router is "old" then this might not even work for you. If you have a newer modem & router then they will probably have the required features that are needed to make this thing work. Additionally you will need at least 300kbps upload or the picture will be poor. You will most likely need assistance from Sony to reconfigure your modem to get the system to work. The product itself is very neat and powerful. The Sony engineers put a lot of thought into it, but the manuals leave a lot of room for improvement. If they only had a great technical writer to explain how this thing works so that the end user doesn't have to figure it out on his/her own. If you keep at it eventually you will get it to work. I must admit that the aggravation was worth it and I am pleased. The LF-V30 functionality has exceeded my expectations and perhaps your journey won't be as arduous as mine.

Great purchase:
An amazing deal. Retail price $199 but paid $79. Arrived in new condition & shipping was prompt. Awesome retailer. Highly recommended.