The latest trend in consumer convenience is a concept called “place shifting,” and it doesn’t refer to real estate or the outsourcing of jobs.

Simply put, place shifting refers to the, Summer Video Monitor, ability to get TV shows, music and movies whenever and wherever you want, made possible by the advent of gadgets like Sony’s LocationFree.

First there was simple broadcasting to stand-alone television sets. Then came time shifting -; the ability to record television shows on VHS, and later TiVo, and replay them whenever you wanted.

Now, with place shifting, consumer control is taken to the next level. Any place you have broadband Internet connection, you can access the contents of your home entertainment center remotely, allowing you to watch your favorite programs when it is convenient for you, rather than having to follow the programming schedule set by networks.

Sony’s LocationFree device connects to your television, digital video recorder and home DVD player. It comes in two versions: one with a base station and 12-inch LCD touch-screen, the other a stand-alone base station that can be remotely connected to a laptop or PlayStation Portable.

Travelers, whether on a layover at the airport or in a hotel room overseas, can catch their local news broadcast just by connecting their laptop, PSP or LocationFree monitor via a wireless Internet connection.

In kind, vacationers who wish to keep up with certain shows while they’re away could simply find the nearest coffee shop with an Internet hot spot, connect, and watch the latest episodes recorded on their DVR the night before.

The device also comes in handy at home, where dad can keep one eye on the grill and one eye on the ball game during a summer barbecue.

The place shifting trend is a part of a phenomenon in which consumers are looking to add to the electronic devices they already own and leverage technology to make it fit their lifestyles.

    

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