Sony has introduced a TV remote control which is also … a portable speaker. Or vice versa, if you prefer. The fact is that according to Sony, the gadget has at least a couple of very specific use cases: for example, it allows you to bring the audio of your broadcast with you even when you have to, uh, be absent for a few minutes during a live event. Or it allows you to listen to television well even when you are very far away (or have hearing problems, why not) without having to turn up the volume of the TV too much – potentially disturbing those around you.
The speaker includes two 2W stereo speakers and a center channel which, according to the company, has been adjusted to reproduce the frequencies of the human voice. The built-in battery guarantees a listening autonomy of 13 hours. The speaker itself does not communicate directly with the TV: it communicates via wireless (2.4 GHz) with its base, and this physically connects to the TV.
It is possible to play audio from the built-in speakers of the TV and from the “remote control” simultaneously – and to make matters worse, there is also a 3.5mm headphone jack. The base also allows you to recharge the battery (a “0-100” happens in about three hours, says Sony). The actual remote control works instead with the usual infrared technology that has accompanied us for decades.
The gadget is called SRS-LSR200, is certified against splashes of water and weighs 630 grams. At the moment it has been made official only in Japan: it will arrive on February 22nd and will cost 20,000 yen, equal to about 167 euros.
But jumping from pole to branch, if instead your interest is directed towards purely audio solutions that are definitely more sound quality, perhaps you might be interested in the high-end product Sony Near Field SA-Z1 released in September last year.
