Apple TV roundup

Plenty of blather in the blogosphere on Apple TV and some interesting hallway conversations here at Microsoft. Loyal readers know that I have struggled with getting PC content on my TV for a long, long . . . long time.

Some thoughts on Apple TV after reading Gartenberg, Pogue, Toeman, some Newsweek dude, Thomas  Hawk, etc.:

First off, since I have an Xbox360 that connects wirelessly to my PC filled with photos, movies and stuff, I won't be buying one - certainly not for $300.

That being said, I would really like to get a better remote media user experience on the Xbox360 - a little album art at least. I am not a fan of "remoting" my Media Center PC since the navigation and controls are so different than the XBox. Just last night my wife hit the "Media Center" button on the remote and everything changed on her.

Apple TV will be the right solution for some, but my prediction is not many, at least not in the first iteration. As Gartenberg notes, it really depends on the purchase driver. What does it really bring to the (family) table? If I want a great DVR and scoop up kids shows and American Idol on a 250Gb drive then a TiVo or Comcast/DirecTV box is all I need.

If I want a casual gaming console that can also front end my collection of photos and videos, plus have the option to buy/rent content in standard/HD, then Xbox360 is the way to go.

If I am a rabid iTunes user (and there are not many of them in terms of content quantity purchased) and want to extend that content onto my TV then Apple TV is ideal.

In the case of the Media Center, it’s missing a service connection and scant few actually have a TV connection. Therefore, the extenders are not as interesting for me. I still would like to try one upstairs on the guest room TV just for kicks if I can find one for $99.

It’s just a matter of what is driving your purchase.

Apple missed some key areas here – I agree with the concept of set top fatigue, lack of DVD was a miss, 40Gb drive (as was noted, "is this 1997?"), no volume control on the remote, etc. They will get fanboys, iTunes hounds and device fanatics but I would be surprised with this version of the system making major inroads into the American household (like the iPod did into people’s pockets).

We'll see!