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yeah...maybe. I'm still hard-pressed to see this as being cheaper than an $80/month cable box, especially when you consider how much time people spend watching sports. I don't really think it's okay to download yesterday's game today.

I would be all about a subscription service for the television shows. Music you listen to over and over again but do you really watch a TV show more than once or twice? If they could offer me unlimited television show viewing for $30 a month I would be there in an instant. It's so much cheaper than my cable and I don't have to pay for all the channels I don't want. I don't watch ESPN and yet Comcast makes me pay for 5 or 6 of them. I have been paying for those channels for years and have never watched one of them. Let me download the few shows a month I actually do watch and cut out the cable middleman.

People always focus on the video capabilities of the AppleTV, but I, for one, prefer the fact that you can browse up your music library visually right from your TV and don't have to deal with AirPort Express and a computer in the upstars office. That's the main reason I want the AppleTV.

I am interested in AppleTV as I refuse to pay the huge monthly charge for cable. I get the shows I want through iTunes now much cheaper and watch them whenever I want, either on my iPod or my TV from my iPod. The only problem is that Apple TV only works on an HDTV which I don't have and don't want - I don't watch enough TV to justify spending many hundreds or thousands of dollars on it.

Bummer... I can't figure out why Apple wouldn't have made this compatible with regular TV's. They've left me out on this one.

ALso, don't forget that iTMS TV shows and movies aren't HD quality. Cable/satellite are, and because their image quality is better, it's worth more money (in my view, at any rate).

I would not be adamantly agains a subscription service, as long as its not the only option. I don't want to have to switch from paying my satellite provider $30-$80/month, dogmatically, to paying iTMS the same amount. For iTMS tv shows I did a little math and here's what I came up with: One tv show times one episode per week times four, equals 8 dollars per month. So $32/month buys you 4 tv shows per month. Oh but wait, what about reruns, well, if I'm not subscribing then I'm not paying to see the reruns. With subscriber based tv you're paying to watch not for new programs, with iTMS you're paying for new programs and not repaying for reruns.

I do watch tv, but I watch very little prime time, I usually get hooked on a couple of programs that I enjoy watching and that's about it. So if subscription works out better for you then cool, but I don't want to be forced into another subscription service, even if it does provide what we've all always wanted - pick your own programs rather than being forced to pick packages, which has never ever worked for me. If iTMS can do both then great, otherwise I'm not interested.

I will get one... Within a year or two, for sure. About the time when I get a super-cheap HD bigscreen for under a grand around 2008 or 2009.

I RUSH for WAAAAAY better, like I did for Apple 13 years ago.
But HD tv, well, I've seen hundreds of shows at my moms in Hi-Definition. YAWN.... Football and basketball and tennis ARE better, but not enough to make me wanna spend big bucks.

I'll wait. But it's obviously in my future.

For those that don't read pigeon-english:

With subscriber based tv you're paying to watch not only new programs but also paying to watch reruns, with iTMS you're paying for new programs and not repaying for reruns.

For your live sports and local TV news, you use over-the-air digital TV (yup, it's an antenna, but it's either clear as a bell or not there - no fuzzy snow, rolling pictures, etc. like analog):

TV stations serving all markets in the United States are airing digital television programming today, although most will continue to provide analog programming through February 17, 2009. At that point, full-power TV stations will cease broadcasting on their current analog channels, and the spectrum they use for analog broadcasting will be reclaimed and put to other uses.

the number of people who want to simply be free of 'being forced to watch commercials.' I have to agree. I think the nails are being driven one by one into coventional television's coffin by this and other devices. I can hardly wait.

I agree with AshNazg. The only reason I bought it was to have a nice "Ipod" interface on my tv and surround sound. I may watch videos from time to time, doubtful about movies. Plus its a GREAT way to break the ice at get togethers with putting photos on the screen. Cant wait, its EXACTLY what I want.

Just say "no" to subscriptions. Why do you people want more monthly bills?

Don't forget iPhoto on iTV.

While at first this seems fairly insignificant part of what the device is designed to do. Jobs gushed (albeit briefly) over the experience of watching large, mega pixel sized digital family & travel photos on a Big HD Screen/ monitor.

THe more I think about it that may be the key to titling my buying decision over to getting one.

to GmanMac: EXACTLY! Imagine. You are having a family get together. Thanksgiving, Christmas, whatever...You make a iPhoto slideshow for your family and deliver it via hiDef TV. Grandma will love it. I see this as being a nice way to make families and friends come together and talk. It's a good thing definately. I actually can't wait to do this for my family. I know they will love it.

Watching download-quality video on a TV: yawn.

$299: yeah, right.

gotta agree about the iPhoto capabilities of TV, I think it'll be great at parties, family get togethers and all that.

TV is boring. Here in England we have 'prime time' TV shows like Eastenders. I don't know if anyone reading this has endured more than 2 minutes of it, but I for one HATE having to pay my BBC Licence Fee for a show that gives misery a bad name.

TV is definitly on my shopping list this year... need a HDTV first (bad move making it HD only )

I can't wait to get off the air, B.A. needs me!

Signed,

The Face

Cable and satellite do offer HDTV program and channels but it is still less than 10 % of all channels and even HDTV channels don't always show HD content

Informed, in my opinion your missing the point. Don't you see the possibilities of this in the future. I'm not talking ATV 1.0. Look further. A digital solution that will give you all of your media via web/wifi on demand. The way YOU want it. Do you know how many people said that the "motor car" would never take off? It's no different. This is baby step tech. Give it 10 years. It is the future, it is just who delivers it first and best. Hell, it might not even be Apple. Give some credit though, at least they have the onions to start the ball rolling. Big changes are coming whether you want it or not. My dream? I want to be able to do it all from my living room. Entertainment, communication, productivity, etc. That is where we are heading. Who cares if company X delivers a model T. The point is that they delivered it in the first place.

I'll wait for the 1080p version.

It'll take a lot more than that for me to give up my cable boxes.

Botox, by the time they have a 1080p version, the next standard will be on the horizon. Are you going to to wait for the 1224p version then? Technology moves forward, if you think you can keep up with the most current, it will just be outdated in a year anyway. The point is buy the forward thinkers products (whoever it is), it will only benefit consumers in the long run. Did you buy the best VCR on the market when it was available? If so, how often do you use it now? My uncle did back in the 70's. LOL. It actually had turn nobs. YES NOBS. You are always going to be behind anyway. Who cares. Plop down your $$$, one way or another you will anyway on the next best thing. Progress, do it, cuz you will anyway.

"I get the shows I want through iTunes now much cheaper and watch them whenever I want..."

This really isn't true, is it? If cable costs $60 a month and shows downloaded from iTunes cost $199 each, that works out to 30 hours per month (one hour per day) of tv viewing for the same price as cable. For half that cost ($30 a month), you'd get a whopping 15 hours per month, or half an hour per day. That's not a whole lotta viewing time where I come from!

"...shows downloaded from iTunes cost $199 each..."

Make that $1.99 each!

ZDNet's Graham gets it. AppleTV makes Windows Media Center look like a complete joke. Combine AppleTV with a wonder Mac computer and you got the best of both worlds!

Think Different.

All this is true, but the quality of the shows on iTunes are not up to par. Needs to be DVD quality before I buy

Couple of things I see happening in the media market that suggest Apple will easily be King of the Roost in less than 18 months - for everything. The first it bandwidth. It just keeps getting faster and faster all the time, and in 18 months it will be completely transformed, as the big telecoms are moving in (AT&T;, etc.). Second, the new Airport Extreme. Jobs mentioned that it will stream 720P (1280x720 resolution) over Extreme. I am very aware of the fact that there will be compression involved, but the quality will still kick the traditional broadcast 720x480 Interlaced signal into oblivion. My company does tons of 720P video and the difference between that and traditional NTSC is laughable, even with fairly aggressive compression schemes. Third, Apple will release a Flat Panel iTV Screen and it will be beautiful. There's just not chance that Jobs will create such a great user experience, enable through spectacular hardware and then fall face first in the mud when it plays back on a Sony or Panasonic TV. In 18 months, the internet will completely overwhelm traditional TV for all sorts of video content and that will be the end of TV as we know it.

Also, for my two cents, most HDTV cable programming stinks. The quality of the signal is highly compressed, with artifacts and smearing going on all the time. Playing a Blu-Ray disc on a 1080P Plasma is a different story - it's astonishing. But that's because the compression scheme is dramatically less than a broadcast signal. So when I hear all these yahoos complaining about the quality of iTunes movies, I just laugh. Even at 720P streaming, which I'm certain will look pretty damn hot, there will be critics. The present iTunes video compression is impressive and falls about 15 - 20 percent shy of a well compressed DVD. For now, that's close enough. It will get better as soon as iTV is released because Jobs already made it clear that 720P streaming was on the way. And for those clowns out there who say they won't do digital streaming until it's uncompressed 1080P - get a life! Just stop and think about how big the files would be. Then consider how difficult it would be to wirelessly stream it. Forget it. It won't happen for another 20 years, if ever. If you want astonishing digital video quality, go buy a Blu-Ray disc or HD DVD. And yes, you represent less than 1/10th of 1 percent of the viewing market and Jobs knows it.

Buying iTunes quality tv shows at $1.99 a piece just isn't an option for me. First of all, I'm already paying for basic cable in my homeowner's association (makes no sense to switch to Direct TV or anything else). Secondly, storing all these shows on your computer takes up too much space. Thirdly, they usually aren't available until the day after they originally air. I Tivo but often begin watching later so I can skip commercials.

I'm not saying that I definitely won't get an tv. It's just that if I do it will be more for the music and photo features.

I love my Tivo almost as much as my ipod. Buying shows a la carte is more expensive than basic cable especially if you have a family. If I start adding up all the shows that my wife and I watch, plus all the children's programming our two kids enjoy, tv just isn't a viable alternative. And what about all the older shows I Tivo like Seinfeld just to have around if there's nothing else I want to watch on. Then, there's sports and cable news channels.

If Apple can find a way to let the studios allow legal ripping of DVDs the way you can rip CDs in iTunes, then I say bring on the iServe (home version of the Xserve with built-in automatic backups) and tv. Much more likely to use my existing content on such a device.

And while I'm making my wish list, where is that WiFi iPhoto picture frame I can hang on my wall that wirelessly plays and syncs photos and slideshows from my iPhoto library?

ipodG8TR wrote "If Apple can find a way to let the studios allow legal ripping of DVDs the way you can rip CDs in iTunes"

Wouldn't it be better to have the BlueRay drive in your Mac able to stream HD video to your aTV like Front Row can play a DVD? I too don't want to lose the drive space.

The great thing about the aTV is that over time, without doing anything, it will just keep on getting better!

Also, I prefer the DVR capability on my Mac rather than on the aTV so I can manage the schedules, delete old TV shows, etc while someone else is watching via the aTV.

I think AppleTV is catching a wave that is swelling just outside of where most people, escpecially in the TV industry execs, might be looking.

First we had the 6 or 7 television stations in any major metro area. What came over the pipes were generally relatively few shows with high production values. Even with such a small number of channels, they would have to fill extra hours with low-production programs like game shows and talk shows.

Then came cable TV. At first offering 100-200 channels, now in many areas there are 500-1000 channels. Over time, this has fostered the goldn age of cheap program production with talk shows getting more sensational and diverse (today on Heraldo - "I am my own grandfather!") and of course the rise of the "reality" show. Over time, these low cost productions (compared to something like the HBO's Sopranos) are getting higher quality as writers and producers learn how to produce efficiently at these cheaper budgets.

Now we have the beginning of the new wave marked by YouTube, which in this trend brings us to what one might think of as millions of channels af unspeakably poor quality. But, over time, stars will rise out of this milieu (as in fact some already have). The age of super-low cost production may culminate in a general trend towards increasing production capability of amateurs to the point where they begin to rival the TV studios. At the same time, the TV studios will in a sense have to compete with them by also working at the super low cost level.

AppeTV is well placed to tap into this wave. I don't think it will be so much about the $.99 shows, but about enabling the new television - many shows produced more cheaply that need to be found through metadata/popularity searchs. THe old days of the TV exec deciding what few things will come down the pipe are over, and the era of TV program search takes its place. AppleTV and iTunes foster the new television eco-system.

The problem is that it doesn't have the content I want to watch when I want to watch it. For that, a cheap PVR with integreated freeview tuner is simply cheaper and better.

Maybe the AppleTV points at a new model, but this is very much early-early-early-adopter territory.

I will get a appleTV when I need to buy a new TV. and I will probably will get rid of cable or switch to just local channels and download the cable shows I want.
Of course, since a lot of TV shows are now available legally online for free, there are other options. (e.g., I watched Heroes on TV and watched 24 on MySpace)
What I really hate about cable TV isn't the commercials (my ReplayTV automatically skips them), its those stupid popups that have SOUND, so not only to they screw up the scene (and sometimes go over the captions), they also can make it so you can hear the dialog clearly.
I am hoping that the rise of the AppleTV and iTunes will make cable (and dish) companies enable "a la carte" programming choices, and lower rates. I want to buy the channels I want (incl. some I can't get with going to a higher plan), and not have to pay for the MTVs, ESPN, LifeTime, C-Span etc. If they don't they are going to lose the internet generation.

The Apple TV is going to be amazing! I found a community already, if you going to get one check it out appletvusers com