Little is the new big for TVs

But at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, there’s big video news on a considerably smaller scale. We’re talking about TVs built into standard laptop computers, or into hand-held devices the size of a smartphone, that let you tune in favorite shows wherever you are. Digital television is going mobile.

It already has, in a limited way. Right now I’m carrying around a “personal television’’ manufactured by Taiwan’s HTC Corp., the same outfit that makes Google Inc.’s new Nexus One smartphone. The HTC device connects to a national network called Flo TV. The network is available in about 85 major US markets, including Boston, and offers up to 16 channels of TV, from CNN, Fox, MSNBC, ESPN, and Disney, among others.

Flo TV was developed by cellular technology company Qualcomm Inc., and a version of it has been available for years as part of the V-Cast service from cellphone carrier Verizon Wireless. AT&T Inc. also offers Flo TV access. But last November, Qualcomm and HTC launched the first stand-alone Flo TV player. You can pick one up at the nearest Radio Shack.

But should you?

The unit kindly provided by Qualcomm suffered from a minor defect that forces me to remove and replace the battery in order to switch on the device. Having had good experiences with other HTC-built hardware, I’m guessing this is a one-off problem and no big deal.

Watching shows on the Flo TV player couldn’t be much easier. Press a button on the front to see a complete menu of available channels. You tune in by touching the screen. To change channels, just flick your finger from top to bottom. A channel icon glides down the screen to inform you that you’re about to watch, say, MSNBC’s “Countdown.’’ A second later, the show starts to play. There’s a handy audio mute button, as well as volume controls, and you can listen to audio through headphones or a pair of rather tinny built-in speakers.

Though easy to use, the Flo TV player isn’t always easy to watch. It’s afflicted with the same sort of stutters and glitches that plague other cellphone video services. And the video quality, though adequate, leaves much to be desired. You wouldn’t have wanted to watch this week’s Orange Bowl game this way.

Nor could you. Although the service offers a feed from Fox, you don’t necessarily get the same programming shown by the standard Fox network. So Flo TV was showing reruns of the Fox show “Bones’’ instead of live coverage of the Orange Bowl. Bummer.

Then there’s Flo TV’s biggest stumbling block: the price. The device itself costs a hefty $249, more than the $199 up-front price of an iPhone 3GS. Of course, the iPhone also hits you with monthly fees, but so does Flo TV. The first six months of viewing are free, but after that you must pay anywhere from $8 to $15 a month, depending on how many channels you want.

You might consider this a small price to pay, but wouldn’t you rather pay nothing? Here at CES, a bunch of companies are introducing hand-held TVs that let you watch free digital TV broadcasts.

Remember last year’s transition from analog to digital TV broadcasting? Well, stations are now rolling out a special version of digital TV customized to work with mobile devices. About 80 major stations will launch broadcasts in the new format this year; it will be available in Washington, D.C. in the spring. The new technology, called mobile DTV, will let handheld devices pick up live local news, sports, and weather, as well as network broadcasts. Mobile DTV features are being built into cellphones. Dell Inc. is even adding it to some laptop computers, so road warriors can watch “The Biggest Loser’’ while waiting to board their planes. And after you’ve paid for the viewing device, all the shows are free.

Flo TV backers say their pay-TV model will survive. After all, millions who can watch TV at home for free still pay $100 or more to the cable company each month. Maybe so. But I suspect that travelers seeking an hour’s diversion can get by with a handful of free mobile DTV stations and do without Comedy Central or the Food Network till they get home. Paying for mobile TV isn’t as senseless as feeding coins into a slot machine, but it comes pretty close.

Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.