Internet TV: Apple TV

December 16, 2010, By Christopher Ford 3 comments

The newest iteration of the Apple TV is $99 and for users of iTunes (which, after all is most of us) it makes a really compelling argument why you should choose it. The Apple TV streams almost everything you have on your computer right to your television, allowing you to watch, listen-to and enjoy all the stuff that you've been collecting in your computer over the years. Music and movies come straight out of iTunes, which isn't such a big deal for music, but you'll have to convert movies to an iTunes-friendly format first (if they aren't already compatible).

Besides the music and movies, you can also stream your photos off of your computer, making some pretty awesome slideshows. This feature is one of my favorite uses of the Apple TV, especially when I've got guests coming over. I just put on a playlist of music I've selected and a slideshow of a photo album, giving me some good music as well as something interesting going on the television that doesn't require constant attention. Plus my kids love watching photos too. To be fair to the Roku, this is something you can achieve with photos off of a Flickr account while listening to Pandora, but it's much easier (and more elegantly done) on an Apple TV.

The Apple TV will also stream Internet content like the Roku, with almost the breadth of content the Roku has. With the Apple TV you can stream Netflix and Pandora and Flickr, as well as YouTube videos (which are curiously absent on the Roku). And via the iTunes Store you can stream podcast versions of many of the Internet-only TV channels you might have enjoyed on the Roku. Keep in mind that Hulu Plus, MLB, UFC and NHL are absent from the Apple TV. You can also rent movies via Apple TV, a feature that it seems Apple really wants consumers to choose, but one that I have honestly never used. As for the interface itself, it's superior to the Roku (in my opinion) but not so much that it eliminates the Roku from consideration.

Something exciting to consider that you can do with an Apple TV is a brand new thing called "AirPlay." When your Apple TV is on a network, your iPhone or iPad can "see" it and send video and audio to it. Why is that exciting? Imagine you're surfing YouTube on the couch and you find something that you want to show your wife while she's watching some podcast or movie she's into on the Apple TV. All you have to do is push a "button" on your iPad or iPhone and the video is automatically sent to the Apple TV - playing it on the television but streaming it off of your phone or tablet. To me, it's stuff like this that makes me feel like I'm living in the future.