If you had a friend or three to split it with then it might be worth the $$$. Also it looks like it is not at a distance only on screen.
"SpyderTV is a colorimeter that scientifically measures contrast, brightness, color, tint, and color temperature presets on your TV and helps you make the necessary adjustments to dramatically improve your picture quality. The SpyderTV sensor is attached to your laptop or desktop computer using a USB cable, and then attaches to the front of your TV screen. Then the sensor analyzes the test patterns on the DVD. Based on the information it sees, the software running on your computer instructs you how to adjust your settings accurately without any guesswork. The SpyderTV is like an electronic "eye" that makes scientific measurements and tells you how to make the right adjustments that would be impossible to make with the human eye alone. "