- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 10 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
2.5 stars
"Helpful gadget"
Pros: TV almost anywhere
Cons: Picture quality is only fair/cannot play on mac unless 3rd pty software purchased.
Summary: I have a location free tv that was hijacked by my daughter..which is a handy little device for around the house. So..I purchase this base station to watch TV on my iMac while cooking. First, the software does not run on a mac despite Sony's statements that it does on their website and on the box. You have to purchase a 3rd party program which costs $40.00 and the company does not say that they support this base station. Sony apologized for the misleading info...thanks alot... and told me that they cannot state 100% that the software will work but they say that it "should work". Thanks again.. what if it doesn't and I laid out $40.00 plus the price of this base station..a total of $300.00 for nothing.
I didn't want to take the chance so I just loaded the software in the package on the windows portion of my iMac (thanks Apple) and started the process of connecting. Patience is needed but it eventually gets to where you need to be. It's essential to get a good quality s-video cable, anything else will make the picture look like it's under water. This is by no means HDTV. The signal can cut out on occassion but nothing to cry over because the convenience it worth it if you don't have a cable box near where you want to watch TV. I connected it to my TIVO and it's great to watch anything you record besides live tv. The remote setup is the simplest ever but it has an enormous lag time before it changes the channel.
All in all, this is a handy product but I'm still finding what settings result in the best picture quality.Updated
Ok. C-Net stated in their review that the I/O Date software to enable Mac users to use this product was not available for their review. Sony told me that it should work just fine. They advertise on their website and on the box of the base station that the product can be used on a mac or PC. As I stated in my first review...Sony only told me about the I/O Data software after a phone call to 2 different techs.
I purchased the software for $39.99 at my local computer store and loaded it up. Well it doesn't work and I spoke with I/O Data and they confirmed that you cannot use their software to watch TV on your Mac if you are using the LF-B20 model of this product. Everyone needs to be aware of this situation. Sony won't tell you anything. It shouldn't be the consumers responsibility to let the world know.... Sony shouldn't market aspects of a product if they don't know if it works..
Where to buy
Sony LF-B20 LocationFree Base Station (wireless):
$149.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
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PaylessMerchandise.com
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$149.99 | No |
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