Watch 'Regis and Kelly' while trekking in Nepal

LAS VEGAS--Sony Electronics is making a feature of its mobile TV panel available on notebooks, and travelers will be able to access local TV content when far from home as a result.

Come spring, Sony will release software that in conjunction with its LocationFree TV device will allow consumers to watch video content and access the Internet from a base station hooked up to a broadband connection, the company said Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show here. The LocationFree TV includes a portable LCD (liquid-crystal display) TV panel and the base station. But with the upcoming software, notebooks will be able to connect to the base station as well.

Neither pricing for the software nor an official release date have been announced.

The panels and notebooks will be able to access the base stations remotely over a wired or wireless connection, allowing travelers to reach their base station to watch local TV shows even when far from home. The panels also can access content from a device connected to the base station--letting people play, for instance, whatever they left in the DVD player before going on the road.

The televisions use LCD panels. The 12.1-inch set has a screen resolution of 800 pixels by 600 pixels and the 7-inch model has a display resolution of 800 pixels by 480 pixels. The 12.1-inch model weighs around 5 pounds, according to Sony. The televisions come with a universal remote control and an on-screen keyboard.