Apple TV - Low-down , hacks, tips & tricks

AppleTV streams. You can bring your iTunes into your living room by streaming stuff from iTunes on your Mac or PC through your AppleTV to your TV set.

AppleTV does HDMI and Component video. If you've got an old TV that still runs with composite connections, you need to think about upgrading to a newer system.

AppleTV has a USB2 and an Ethernet port. Right now the Apple docs say that the USB port is meant for diagnostics and service. But we geeks don't take those kind of footnotes for an answer. If you're looking for speed or don't have wireless, Apple says you can use the Ethernet jack to connect directly to your computer.

AppleTV outputs a variety of resolutions. 1080i, 720p, 576p and 480p. No 1080p, which was pretty much expected. It does not support HDCP.

Cables are sold separately. You'll have to buy your own HDMI or component video cables and any other cables needed for hooking up your Apple TV.

You can play your homebrew videos as long as they play on the iPod. The specs say you'll be able to play "H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): 640 by 480, 30 fps, LC version of Baseline Profile; 320 by 240, 30 fps, Baseline profile up to Level 1.3; 1280 by 720, 24 fps, Progressive Main Profile. MPEG-4: 640 by 480, 30 fps, Simple Profile". Of course, we all want to be able to play any video that plays in QuickTime (including DivX, etc), but the AppleTV will not (out of the box) play any video that is not playable on the iPod. But savvy hackers have a fix for that! Read on!

You can listen to audio and see pictures on your TV. You don't need external speakers for the audio.

It will work in Europe. Apple is very PAL friendly. AppleTV does 576p 50Hz PAL.

You don't have to buy Apple Extreme. Even though the system requirements list Apple Extreme, Apple's docs make it clear that you don't need it. (The system requirements say: "AirPort Extreme, Wi-Fi 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n wireless network6 (wireless video streaming requires 802.11g or 802.11n), or 10/100BASE-T Ethernet network")

AppleTV works with a standard Apple Remote. One is included in the box.

AppleTV is small and quiet! The Apple TV won't take up a ton of space like other home entertainment components. It's only 7.7" square and 1.1" high.