Apple TV. Just another Shiny Box for Gadgets Freaks?

In a nutshell, Apple TV allows you to download Movies, TV Shows and Music Videos from iTunes and watch them on your existing widescreen tv.

First you'll need to get your hands on an Apple TV box, which is essentially a huge hard drive that you sit near your TV and connect to your PC/MAC via a wireless connection.

You purchase your chosen movies, TV show episode or music video via iTunes and it'll sync to the Apple TV box. Then you grab a drink and snack, turn on your TV and you're all set.

There are two versions of the Apple TV box, the only difference being the size of the hard drive. A 40GB version will give you 50 hours of video and costs $299. The 160GB version costs $399 and gives you 200 hours of video. Both come with a remote and are shipped free. Available now.

Of course, having purchased the movies, tv shows and music videos via iTunes there is nothing stopping you from connecting your PC/MAC directly to your TV (with 3rd party software), or simply watching them on the PC/MAC. But for you gadget freaks, this is a nice addition to your collection of shiny boxes.

No info on European roll-out of Apple TV. I suspect that there are some licensing issues to overcome.

More info available here