Apple has revealed details on the much-anticipated iTV, actually dubbed “AppleTV”. The product aims to spread the wealth of the iTunes store by automatically synchronizing iTunes content from a single PC and streaming to up to five other computers or your television. No, it is not limited to videos, photos and music can be streamed as well. Content from sites such as Apple.com can also be streamed.
AppleTV supports 802.11b/g, 802.11n for wireless streaming and Ethernet connectivity. The device sports a 40GB hard drive which can be used to, for example, auto-stream unwatched movies. The content is saved on the AppleTV hard drive for later playback. Steve Jobs said that the AppleTV has been designed with "widescreen TVs in mind"; it includes an HDMI connector and resolutions of up to 720p. The device also offers component, RCA audio, optical digital outputs as well as USB 2.0 connections. It is unclear whether storage expansion is possible. Jobs said that AppleTV is powered by an Intel processor but did not indicate what model.
Expect the AppleTV to be available for $299 in February 2007.
Early take: pricing is a little higher than I expected for what's essentially a 40GB iPod rigged up to handle TV output. It will debut amongst some serious competition. Sling Media's SlingCatcher is a definite contender, and the Xbox 360 may even be counted among the devices definitely making a bid for entertainment dollars, especially with forthcoming IPTV support. The fact is that PC-to-TV streaming has been around for 2+ years, and other players in the space are starting to turn out compelling products.
That said, the ecosystem provided by the iPod-iTunes-(and now)-AppleTV triumvirate looks tight and easy to use. There's no question that Apple TV will be a success. Whether or not it becomes as ubiquitous as the iPod is another matter, and that may come down to just what AppleTV supports. While many users will be enthralled to use AppleTV to stream iTunes Store purchases, many of us are looking for that killer device that can also handle Xvid and DivX, which Apple TV cannot do straight out of the box and may not be able to do with hacks, either. Time will tell.
Source:
Ars Technica + neowin.net
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