But let's back up just in case you're unfamiliar with the US$299 Apple TV (formerly known as the iTV). It's a way to wirelessly play all your favorite iTunes content from your Mac or PC on your widescreen TV, including movies, TV shows, music, photos and podcasts. Using Apple TV's new interface, you can browse and view your collection of digital media from said TV using a tiny but useful six-button Apple Remote. You have to point the remote, which has a 30-foot range, directly at the Apple TV box

The Apple TV has a 40GB hard drive (33GB of usable space) that can store up to 50 hours of video, 9,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each and is capable of delivering 720p output. (There are also upgrade options for the device; more on that later this week.) It comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and optical audio ports. Using AirPort 802.11 wireless networking, Apple TV can auto-sync content from one computer or stream content from up to five additional computers to your TV without any wires.

On the bright side, it's Apple easy to set up and sync with your computer; I connected it to my widescreen using an HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) cable from Xtreme Mac (and more on that tomorrow), though you can also connect it with other options such as component video. After connecting, I glanced through the instruction book, synced with my 24-inch iMac and the Apple TV was good to go. I then streamed media from not only my Mac, but my son's, daughter's and wife's. The Apple TV does a great job of simplifying a network of Macs and integrating them into a shared entertainment network.

While syncing works just fine with an older AirPort Base Station, you may want to spring for the US$179 AirPort Extreme, which uses the 802.11n draft 1.0 wireless standard to transfer data at up to 300 megabits a second, if you're going to be streaming media from your Mac, an iPod or the Internet. When streaming, you have to wait for the media to arrive before viewing or listening to it on your Apple TV -- so the faster the wireless connection, the better.

The integration with the Mac and the iPod is impressive (I haven't tried it with a PC). You can do things such as begin watching a movie on the TV, but finish viewing it later on a 5G (video enabled) iPod.

If you leave the Apple TV active on your TV, the system will default to a screensaver of your iPhotos or a default set of natural landscapes. Very cool. Playing music shows the relevant cover art, if available. Another nice touch is smart resume. The Apple TV "remembers" where you stopped watching a movie or a TV show -- even if it was being watched in iTunes on your Mac Returning to a previously watched video file gives you the option to resume from that point, or start from the beginning.

Another plus is that the Apple TV is small and sleek (measuring a mere 7.7 inches per side and just 1.1 inches high), taking up little real estate among other video devices. In fact, compared to DVD players and VCRs, it's downright petite. Once you plug it in, it stays on. There's no cooling fan so it operates quietly, a gotta-have feature for a component in a home theater set-up. However, it does generate laptop-like heat, so make sure the Apple TV has lots of ventilation.

Unfortunately, Apple has limited the device's audience as it only works with wide screen or high definition TVs, not a standard TV. That eliminates a lot of potential users, and I think this may be reflected in Apple TV sales figures when they're reported later this year.

The quality of the video is so-so at best, mainly because the iTunes Store currently has movies available only in "near-DVD quality" --a maximum of 640x480. which fits a wide screen but isn't the best video quality. The Apple TV can convert the 480p video into the 720p format (or 1080i) of your TV, but I found the results to be a bit blurry, soft and sometimes chunky. In other words, since there's currently no HD content on the iTunes Store, most iTunes movies and TV shows don't look especially great on a big-screen TV.

The Apple TV doesn't have the multimedia capabilities of such devices as the Xbox 360. The Microsoft gaming system can download HD movies, but the Apple TV can't. You have to go through an intermediary Mac or PC to do this, which involves a couple of extra steps. Along the same lines, you can't use the Apple TV to directly go online and look for videos at, say, YouTube. The only content the Apple TV can pull directly off an online connection is movie trailers from Apple’s QuickTime site. There’s no way to record shows or movies coming in through a cable or satellite television connection. Also, there's no Internet radio support.

The Apple TV has an acceptable, though far from comprehensive, set of network and A/V jacks: two video output options: component (red, green, blue) and HDMI. If you connect to a TV or an A/V receiver via HDMI, as I did, the single cable will handle video and audio. Otherwise, audio can be output via analog stereo (red and white RCA jacks) or optical digital. There's also a single USB 2.0 port on the back, but Apple says it's a service jack. We'll see if it's used for other purposes in the future. There's no support for surround sound at the moment. However, since there's an optical audio out and HDMI out, we can only assume this is possible and is coming.

If you're an iTunes addict, you'll probably find the Apple TV worth the price. But non-addicts may want to at least wait until HD content makes its way to iTunes before you spend your moolah.

Apple TV requires iTunes 7 or later running on a Mac with Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later, or a Windows PC with Windows XP Home/Professional (SP2). An 802.11b/g/n wireless network using AirPort, AirPort Extreme or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet networking required. Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended. Apple TV requires an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen TV. iPod games won't play on Apple TV.

Macsimum rating; 6 out of 10.