AppleTV

The AppleTV is a device that syncs wirelessly with a Mac or PC computer so media &mdash; movies, television shows, music, etc. &mdash; can be transferred to and from it while it connects to a flat-panel (component or HDMI -ready) television. Any additions, subtractions, or alterations performed on the computer's iTunes archive would be reflected, automatically, on the AppleTV unit. Conversely, the AppleTV unit can utilize iTunes through the online connection and obtain (ie purchase) media in lieu of the computer.

The 40 GB hard drive space is enough to retain several television show episodes, as well as a few movies and a significant number of audio files and photos. Files over and above the 40 GB limit can easily be sent back to the computer to be archived there.

AppleTV makes use of the simple, elegant Apple Remote, and the interface is remarkably similar to the Media Menu interface accessible on any Mac OSX machine.

Relevant to the iPod, AppleTV takes over the role that an outfitted iPod (video), with appropriate dock or cables, would perform in, hooking up directly to compatible television to display media. iPod and AppleTV can both store and use the same media files, and do not require multiple copies (or licenses) of said files.