Customer Reviews
Nice. 
2008-07-02
Setup was quick and easy. I used the ethernet connection since I have one in the cabinet. Synced to my computer no problem. Streams from my daughter's computer as well. Familiar interface - everyone in the family can navigate the system. My only complaint is the lack of lyrics. If Apple can do this on the iPod, they should be able to do it on Apple TV.
Amazing little box. 
2008-06-28
First off go get yourself a flickr account for $25 a year and pump it full of every photo you have ever taken. No need to synch photos from your home computer when they can stream effortlessly from the web. .Mac is a bit more of a hassle i think. More $$$ too. Flickr is the best and cheapest site for packing thousands of high rez photos. You can even use flickr for the screensaver. I swear without Flickr this machine would be half as cool. So thats the skinny on the photo aspect of this.
Once Apple partners with Netflix this will be the ultimate. It is nice to get the latest slop off this box for a few bucks but once I can get any film then i will be happy. I'm sure it's in the works. if I am conceptualizing it in my basement i am sure there are businessmen riding the idea like a donkey. Even though I can not rip my own DVDs to this i do not care. Wild workarounds are not for me either. Once we can rip a DVD like a CD in a few minutes then perhaps I will want that feature. Still if i can access anything in the future for a few bucks or a monthly fee then i will never buy a DVD again. only the short sighted will think of the loss of the DVD market. They have 2 choices the way I see it. Either allow us to rip our own store bought films, or make it all available to us online. Anything less will just create a bottleneck and keep many folk from coming to the market at all.
So anyway... back to Apple TV. It should have a terabyte hard drive. 160 gigs today is peanuts. It will do me fine for a while. Hopefully they will allow a stackable USB drive to attach in the future. Hopefully.
Films download nice and fast. Fast enough to begin watching right away anyway. Youtube is amazing. Fast & funny. The podcast was never my thing but I took a look and it's almost all free and very fast too. If you are into it you will be happy. the TV shows are more plentiful than the movies which is a bit backwards. Anyway, very nice. Could be a bit cheaper. TV shows should be no more than 99cents, especially old garbage.
Short films are amazing and now have a new home on Apple TV. I can not wait to delve deep into that section.
Music sync is nice and fast just like an ipod or iphone. I don't sync everything anyway. i'd fill it up in right away if I did. Hence the small hard drive. If I could get all my music on there I would, but until then i'll just put some of it on.
A few more settings would be nice. Music playlists for specific photo albums would be cool.
A pointer mouse like the Wii would be nice, or a wireless bluetooth keyboard?
A DVD drive for ripping my own store bought films. If Apple thinks I'm going to shell out more money for films that I own they are smoking something.
All in all, a great little product that can only get better.
Once you all start commenting then I'll add more...
Amazing 2008-06-27
No words... great product!! Maybe the only flaw is that you cant create video playlist you have to play one by one. Highly recommended!!
Good product great potential. 2008-06-23
Great product with a lot of potential. See awkward TV about what this can do.
Pros
1. Can play all video content
2. Compact size
3. Nice interface
4. reasonable price
Cons
1. Sometimes sluggish in menus
2. 160 gig of space is insufficient if you are storing a lot of full res video
3. Max resolution it will play is 720p, sufficient for dvds but not for 1080i video
4. No way of turning it off (uses 20watts at its most off state). Over a long period time it uses power
5. Heat. It gets very hot.
Overall I am quite satisfied with the product. Just keep in mind the cons above.
Not Quite There Yet 
2008-06-21
Linking up to iTunes worked flawlessly. Syncing up to my computer(s) did not. I've had several technicians look at it but we keep getting partial solutions. I have a standard LinkSys WiFi and we've checked it out. Sometimes my computer will "see" the Apple TV network - other times not. I've tried it with 3 different laptops (one a MAC) all to no avail. So I'm disappointed that this product does not work as well other Apple products. I'm still an Apple fan - but ......
As advertised 2008-06-16
Your computer is the center of your digital life. Your TV is the center of your entertainment life. Apple TV brings them together. What if you want to play movies from your iPod or computer on your TV? Apple TV brings iTunes Music and Videos to your TV and home-theater system. With up to 200 hours of video, 36,000 songs, or 25,000 photos at your command, there's always something good on TV. With Apple TV, you can browse and watch thousands of free YouTube videos streaming directly from the Internet. Apple TV connects to your TV via an HDMI port or component video and audio ports. Its built-in, superfast 802.11 Wi-fi wireless capability syncs your iTunes library from any Mac or PC in the house. Best of all, what's on Apple TV stays in sync: Anytime you change your library in iTunes, it changes on Apple TV ? wirelessly, automatically. Audio formats supported - AAC (16 to 320 Kbps); protected AAC (from iTunes Store); MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps); MP3 VBR; Apple Lossless; AIFF; WAV Photos formats supported - JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG TV compatibility - Enhanced-def or high-def widescreen TVs capable of 1080i 60/50Hz, 720p 60/50Hz, 576p 50Hz (PAL format), or 480p 60Hz System requirements - Mac or PC, iTunes 7.1 or later / Mac OS X v10.3.9 or later / PC - Windows XP Home/Professional (SP2), 32-bit edition of Windows Vista (requires iTunes 7.2) AirPort Extreme, Wi-Fi 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n wireless (wireless video streaming requires 802.11g or 802.11n); iTunes 7.1 or later Unit Dimensions - 7.7 by 7.7 inches (197 by 197 mm), Height - 1.1 inches (28 mm); Weight - 2.4 pounds (1.09 kg) Built-in 48-watt universal AC power supply
I want my Apple TV 2008-06-12
A great product that far exceeded my expectations. The picture and sound are excellent on my HD TV and sound system. If you love your iPod and your Mac you'll love Apple TV. Apple was very helpful with questions about wireless set up. Be sure to check system and wireless requirements. This is the future!
Excellent media server 2008-06-10
I wanted a device that serves up my computer media (for me, that's photos and music files). I don't surf the web, etc. on my TV...I watch the TV while using my laptop. Therefore, a media center PC provides too much functionality at too much cost for my uses. I also have a DVR for recording, so this device doesn't need that capability. I like the simplicity.
1. Set up. This was very simple. The password interface is a bit awkward, as there is no keyboard, but so far that's the only time I'd need a keyboard. The Apple TV linked to my wireless network quickly and the connection is solid. I like that my media is on the device, as I'm not increasing my network traffic when I use it, only when I synch with my computer...which is done via iTunes. It's a very familiar process. 5 stars here.
2. Performance. Music serving is very smooth. The iPod style interface is very familiar. I like it. If you don't like the iPod interface, you will not like the Apple TV. Photo serving is also very smooth. It's a nice touch that the screen saver for my plasma TV during music playing is my own photos. Movie downloading has gone well. Movies look great on my 720p plasma at a 10 foot viewing distance. At that distance, my eyes can't tell 720 from 1080. Maybe fighter pilot eyes could, but my old eyes can't. If you want 1080p, you need Blu ray. With DSL, an HD movie is an overnight download. That's a fact of life for me. I'd like a faster internet connection, but I can't get one....that is not a fault of the device. I give 5 stars here, too.
caveats: If you want higher resolution, look elsewhere. HDMI cables are not included, but I got mine from monoprice for about $6. No DVR capability...it serves up media from your computer or iTunes (okay, or youtube, but that's not as good on an HD TV as it is on a computer in my humble opinion.
Low quality. Frequent crashes. Runs hot. Overpriced. 2008-06-03
If you don't mind paying a ridiculous price (unfortunately typical of Apple products) for an antenna quality picture running on a device that will crash approximately once a week, and runs so hot you'll want to place it high enough so the kids can't reach it; then AppleTV is the product for you!
Pros:
1. Easy WI-FI integration.
2. HDMI connection (for those of you who don't like lots of wires)
3. Integrates very well with iTunes
4. Easy to use, intuitive interface (typical of Apple products)
Cons:
1. Not nearly enough disk space for a multimedia device. For $40 more, Apple could have easily put an additional 360 GB!
2. No HDMI Cable Included
3. Runs very hot.
4. Before the first few firmware updates, this device crashed daily requiring me to manually unplug it, then plug it back in to the wall. Following the firmware updates, crashes have been reduced to only about one per week!
5. Don't be fooled by the new 'HD' content offered by Apple -- we're not exactly talking Blu-Ray quality here, folks.
6. Extremely over-priced. If you're an Apple fan, you're either used to this or oblivious. Don't worry.
7. Five button remote control is not only limited in function, but easily lost.
Slow, unreliable and not ready for prime time 
2008-05-24
I've had a 160 GB Apple TV for a year now and have a real love-hate relationship with it. Unfortunately, after a year, the hate is winning out. I've used macs for years and am savvy with OS X so you'd think this would be pretty easy for me to deal with the problems related to the Apple TV. Sometimes, yes. But even after a year with this product I am confounded by how itunes "loses" it, how I have to reconnect (and reload all the data onto it) and how much time this sucks away from my life. And I'm not even beginning to mention the fact that if things go as the RIAA and others would like them to, the only "legal" content you can put on one of these things is what you buy in digital format outright. Thus, no converting legally purchased movies to AppleTV (or ipod/iphone) formats lest you risk being labeled a criminal by corporate america.
This machine is a waste of money and Apple needs to give everyone who bought it there money back.
