The Apple TV is probably Apple’s most under-appreciated product. What is it?
- It’s an iPod for your TV.
- It’s a High-Def set-top box
- It’s a movie-rental portal
- It’s a great way to see and show your photographs large. (And other people’s photos as well.)
- It can be part of a time-shift personal-video recorder setup.
- It’s also Apple’s foothold in your living room.
I use mine mostly to watch podcasts, TV shows and movies. You can rent or buy movies or TV episodes from your couch with the remote control. This is pretty cool, but can be kind of expensive. I’m not at all thrilled about buying a DRM-protected movie that I need to find storage space for somewhere. I’d much rather rent, watch and forget, but Apple and the studios offer many of the most popular movies for sale, but not for rent.
Most of the content I watch, I did not buy from the Apple store. I record shows off the air with the EyeTV. The EyeTV software can export the show specifically for the AppleTV. iTunes sends selected content down to your AppleTV via your network (Ethernet or WiFi). iTunes sees the AppleTV as essentially a network-connected iPod. It can sync photos, video and music to the AppleTV just like it does to an iPod.
I’m planning to blog more about this soon, probably starting with Boxee.
