Apple TV 40GB

Several people are missing the point here, including some people who have berated other reviewers for missing the point. Here's the deal:

Apple TV is most like having a video iPod installed permanently in your living room, with some important additions. When you open up iTunes on your computer, it will appear like an iPod does in your 'devices' list. You can then sync or drop videos, music, photos and podcasts onto it. Like an iPod. These will sit on its hard drive, and allow you to access them without your computer being switched on. Like an iPod. You can then watch/listen to/look at these things on your telly (at 720p for video, which is the minimum standard for HDTVs at the moment).

Unlike an iPod, however, it will also stream content over your network dynamically, from up to 5 different computers. So, if your main computer is 'sync'd', you can view stuff on your friends' Macs, or that other PC you have at home (provided these are switched on to allow the streaming to take place). There's also a menu option to view trailers for current cinema releases, also in HD, streamed over the net.

There are *rumoured* features apparently planned with the release of Mac OS X 'Leopard', that will allows Mac users to broadcast their screen wirelessly via their Apple TV onto their HDTV.

Yes, it's quite pricey, but it's also really cool. That's Apple all over, so nobody needs to be surprised. The major catch is that, at present, iTunes Music Store buyers based outside the USA can't buy much in the way of movies, TV shows etc. This turns a 5* product into a 2* fancy paperweight for UK users. If, however, you have found a way to buy US ITMS content, or have other plans to use it to show your own films, then this product's potential is awesome, and for that I still give it full marks.

Everything I needed. I have tons of dvds decoded on my mac, which is in my bedroom. Now I stream them to my lcd, via apple tv. Betst buy in a long,long time. No more searching for dvd to watch, just scroll the menu. Stream or sync your films it's so easy. My advice is to treat yourself.

The free "Take 2" software update in February 2008 has given the Apple TV a host of new features. The hardware is exactly the same, but the new software makes it a far more attractive device. If you're still unsure what the Apple TV really does, here's a quick list:

- It can sync your entire iTunes Library, showing your Music, Movies, TV Shows and downloaded Podcasts in beautiful High Definition on your TV. It can also stream content from iTunes Libraries on other computers in your house: Macs or Windows PCs, Desktops or Laptops.

- It can directly access Apple's Movie Trailers server, showing you the latest Movie Trailers in either Standard Definition or High Definition for free, all streamed over your Broadband connection.

- It can directly access Apple's iTunes Store, allowing you to browse, preview and purchase individual Songs, entire Albums, Music Videos and TV shows. These are downloaded and stored on its internal Hard Drive and are automatically synced back into your iTunes Library.

- It WILL be able to rent Movies directly from Apple's iTunes Store later in the year. This will be massive. No more trips to Blockbuster, just search for a Movie and click Rent.

- It can directly access ALL of the audio and video Podcasts on Apple's iTunes Store, for free, either streamed or downloaded over your Broadband connection. You don't need to subscribe to anything and you don't need to involve iTunes. Just search for a show and listen to (or watch) it instantly. Podcasts are a great source of free education.

- It can directly access the 80 million videos available for free on YouTube! The videos are higher resolution than you may have seen on the YouTube website, and they're far more fun to watch with other people on your TV, rather than on your own, on your computer. And if you have (or create) a free YouTube account, you can Favourite and Rate any of the videos you watch, and view all of your Subscriptions.

- It can directly access pictures of known contacts on Flickr. You can view a list of their Sets and then view a slideshow of their photos in High Definition, complete with Ken Burns effect, Transitions and Music from your iTunes collection.

That's the basics of what the Apple TV does. It's really a hybrid device. Some of the content on it is a mirror image of what's stored on your computer, and some of it comes directly from the Internet, streamed in real-time. Yep, half of what the Apple TV does doesn't require a computer. All you need is a decent Broadband connection, a router with Wi-Fi ideally (or Ethernet) and a High Definition TV with Component or HDMI inputs.

The Apple TV is super easy to set up. It can run off just 2 cables: an HDMI cable to the TV and a power cable to the wall. There's no power brick as the transformer is integrated within the Apple TV itself. The Apple TV runs completely silent, since it has no fan. It turns on instantly and goes to Sleep in about 3 seconds. It looks beautiful and it's extremely compact at about 1/4 the size of a typical DVD Player.

The Apple Remote that comes with the Apple TV is also a great piece of design. How many Remote Controls can you operate without re-adjusting your grip? How many Remote Controls can you operate without looking at them? How many Remote Controls work even if you're pointing them in the wrong direction? The Apple Remote does all of this.