Slingbox - My TV, anywhere.
One of my birthday gifts that I gave myself was a Slingbox . This little box allows for a single user to access what is currently playing on a TV receiver at home (in my case, my satellite receiver) and watch it to any (or almost any) web-connected devices such as a laptop or cellphone. Of course, what's great about this is that you can be anywhere in the world and have access to your programming. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't need to have my TV all the time, but one thing from being an avid sports fan is that it is nice that you can have a peek at the game going on anytime you want. It also adds the possibility that I can share a couch with my girlfriend and she can watch her show while I watch mine on the laptop. You can watch on the train or while cooking, it's a great product for a one-time purchase fee. Cell providers are trying to push TV to their devices using paid services. My current provider charges 8$/month for this service. My Slingbox cost about 180$ ...