Apple TV Review

I am certainly pleased with mine. I find it works very well puts me one step closer to my dream of having all my media accessible at each television without having a complete PC in each room.

Since there is just a simple HDMI connection, you can easily move it from one room to the next if needed. Of course at $99 a pop, you can also just spring for a couple of these little gems.

It is small and compact and easily hidden just about anywhere near the TV. I'll admit the little remote had me worried at first but there are iPhone apps that easily work just as well if not better. If nothing else, a little velcro will keep it secure to the regular remote.

The interface is simple and easy to navigate. Setup is a chore with but it is only needed once and the on screen keyboard is nice compared to some. The Apple "channel" is a bit lacking. It will allow you to 'rent' a selection from the Apple Store but not 'buy' one. I think that's lame. Who wants to pay $3.99 to rent a movie when you can buy it for $9.99. Also, the choice for HD vs. SD is hidden away in the settings. Personally, I'd like to be able to choose between HD and SD when I buy the show, not in the overall preferences on the account. I might want to buy Disney's Earth in HD but don't really care to watch (or pay for) season three of SpongeBob in HD.

There are also a lot of selections in the Apple store for rent that can be watched a channel away on Netflix for free. I imagine this interface will change greatly over time. There will be channel additions and deletions without a doubt. Hulu would be nice to see but I'm not holding my breath. 

Now, if I can just get all my TVs updated with nice new HD flat panels that will take HDMI.

Apple TV Sales Hit One Million: "

Does this mean that Steve Jobs's Apple TV is finally something more than just a hobby? The set top box has managed to sell one million units in around 11 weeks--not spectacular, but certainly a marked increase over its predecessor, which took closer to a year to achieve that number. The second generation Apple TV also faced stiffer competition when it launched at the beginning of October, thanks to an ever increasing number of entries (like Google TV) all competing in a field that seems far from mature."