While NUIT has made on-campus improvements to NUTV over the past few years, the improvements have been mediocre at best. While almost every university I visit has cable in each dorm room, NU still chooses to find the cheapest way out. And you can forget it if you’re living off campus. It just won’t work. Luckily, thanks to the powers of the internet, there are other options.
1. Slingbox . If you miss your local TV back home, a Slingbox might be for you. A Slingbox hooks into your cable line at home and then broadcasts the programing via the internet to your computer for no monthly fee. Slingboxes can broadcast all different types of cable (SD or HD) and some models can even control your TiVo or DVD player. Best of all, it can work on WiFi (unlike NUTV). This means you can watch your local TV on your computer anywhere in the world. Gone are the days you have to miss that Chargers’ game as you sit in Econ. Price: Starting at $129.
2. JOOST . JOOST is a brand new internet TV program from the creators of KaZaa and Skype. The service does not broadcast live T.V., but functions more like an On Demand service, shows start when you click them. When testing the program, I was pleasantly surprised by the picture quality. While not every show is available, they do offer some bigger name shows like CSI and Laguna Beach. Price: FREE.
3. BitTorrent. While not the most legal of all the options, BittTorrent probably offers the most television content. Shows tend to show up within an hour of their airing and are completely commercial-free. Just watch out for the MPAA . Price: FREE?
4. TV Links . TV Links seems to have almost every television show on the planet. Since shows start streaming to your computer in about 10 seconds, you don’t have to download a thing. However, the quality is often quite poor and some shows can be divided into upwards of five parts. Not too fun when you want to sit back and relax with Jack Bauer. Price: FREE.