Just to add another endorsement of Slingbox/Slingplayer. I'll also add that the upload speed of your internet connection makes a significant difference in the picture quality, especially when using ASDL. Mostly for the Slingbox quality, I upgraded upload speed from around 450 kbps to 3000 with Uverse at the house, and the picture quality with the iPhone even over 3G is really excellent now. I'd also recommend that you hardwire Cat5 cable from the Slingbox to your router. There are wireless solutions, but they have drawbacks that you can do without.
On the iPhone, the 3G capability allows me to watch in the car on long trips (when it's my wife's turn to drive, of course), and it really helps make the time go by. Depending on the program, I connect the sound through the car radio, and my wife can at least follow the audio.
The iPad suffers just a bit on 2X, as you might expect, but it is still quite acceptable, and as previously posted, Sling has committed to issuing an appropriately high-res version of Slingplayer for the iPad. Actually, the iPad has become my preferred non-televison device for watching live TV now, since its form, weight, and screen size are often the best-suited for the situation.
I have also had Elgato, and while I had no complaints, the interface and overall design of the Sling solution struck me as much more elegant. There is a new device/software just released that you may want to look into, although it looked a little klugey to me.
By the way, I think I use Slingbox more within my home network than anywhere else, especially since I got the iPad. Watching on the screen porch, or in my library--places where I wouldn't want to have a TV--is just such a pleasure since the bandwidth available intra-network maximizes the picture quality.
Also, if you watch on your Mac, you can use the Slingbox plugin with Safari and get true HD quality. I'm spending six weeks in Europe this summer, and as I did last year, I'll be able to watch home TV there (over wifi), including being able to follow the Tour de France without having to learn a lot of French cycling commentator jargon.
It takes a little practice to time fast-forwarding through commercials, but it's a skill worth developing. At low bandwidth, Slingplayer allows you to create a preference for the control function over picture quality, which you can take advantage of to zip through commercials more adroitly.
Once you have Slingbox you'll find yourself using it in all sorts places you haven't thought of--it's an easy product to recommend.
