Apple TV (fall 2010)

Pros: 10 minute set-up with moderate A/V knowledge. HDMI to TV, Optical chord to speakers, download latest version of iTunes, enable home sharing and your good to go. The chords and router which you may already own, are more expensive than the device.

Cons: No volume control means fumbling two remotes. Library not yet fully stocked. Some may ask "what else?" when it comes to features. Problems with

Summary: Consider this a new product line with extremely low barriers to entry . More network deals and software updates will evolve this into a must have over the next 12 months. For now, this is one of the best ways to see your Netflix instant queue on your big screen and if you don't mind using your Mac or PC as a library, this is the best way to play your movies and music using your home theater.

Now that I can so easily play media from my computer on the big screen, it finally makes sense to buy high-quality movies and tv shows with replay value from iTunes as opposed to buying blu-rays/dvds.

First they got all my music purchases, haven't bought a cd in years. Then they get all my gaming purchases through their app store -- I've stopped using console and handheld gaming systems thanks to the iphone and ipad. Now they'll get my movie dollars, too.

It sounds like the folks at apple have realized hat its about media spending market share. They cancharge $100 bucks for a cool new device; the real money is in their cut of the $500 plus/year those folks will spend on purchases and rentals. And the customers don't mind, because we were spending it anyway!

Welcome to 2010.