We've all been there: A big game is on TV, and we're stuck somewhere we don't want to be, like work. This World Cup season will be especially difficult to catch, with a Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and a final showdown, all starting on June 11 and wrapping up on July 11; that's a lot of sports to keep up with. You can rest easy, though, because we've found some software and an app to help you sneak around, high-tech style... No one will notice, promise.

Stream the World Cup in Secret via iPhone, iPad or Web
This debriefing may actually look more complicated than it actually is. But if you're at all tech-savvy, it should be a snap. First, you have to set up your home computer to receive the football, then it will re-encode it in an iPhone or iPad-friendly format and beam it over the internet, ready for you to receive at work -- or wherever.

It'd be smart to invest in a EyeTV hybrid TV Tuner Stick for HDTV and Analog TV

before doing anything else, though.It runs $149.95, You'll want to see it as your own personal

DVR. That's what it is, since it receives basic cable TV (both

digital and analog), over-the-air for free with an

antenna, in HD. It also captures video in standard definition from analog

sources like VCRs or camcorders and comes with video cable for

composite (RCA) or S-Video and an EyeTV remote. Just install the

included CD with EyeTV software, and you'll have everything you need.

Once

you've plugged the tuner stick into Mac or PC USB and done the

installations, go into the EyeTV software's preference window and

click on the iPhone tab. Click the boxes to "Enable access from EyeTV

for iPhone/iPad" and "Use my EyeTV." This will set up EyeTV to stream

your household's Freeview signal to an iPhone or Ipad while you're

away.

The last step is to follow the onscreen instructions to

set up a free My EyeTV account, giving yourself a login name and

password to tap into your computer from the Apple devices.

Once you've done all of that, switch to your iPhone or Ipad and dive into the App store and download the EyeTV app to

your device of choice for $4.99. Don't forget to click "Add EyeTV" once

it's all installed. Your iPad or iPhone will hop online and seek out

the TV signals on

offer from your home computer. Once it's made a connection, you'll be

able to watch live broadcasts and change channels, schedule recordings

to be saved to your home computer's hard drive, and watch back

programs you've saved previously.

If you don't have an iPad or an iPhone, you can stream through the web, too. Just point your browser to live3g.eyetv.com

and log in using your My EyeTV details. You'll be able to choose from

any of the live TV channels received by your home computer, and even

watch recordings remotely too.