Apple TV is a little white box that puts the contents of up to six iTunes and iPhoto libraries on your big screen TV. It connects to your HD television and sound system via HDMI or component video and audio cables, and it syncs the iTunes and iPhoto libraries on one Mac or PC -- wirelessly via WiFi (super fast 802.11n) or wired via Ethernet -- to its built-in 40GB or 160GB hard disk. It can also stream content from up to 5 other Macs or PCs, providing an even wider choice of music and video. With Apple TV, all of the media available on your home network -- all of the music, videos, and photos on up to six Macs or PCs, can be watched and listened to on your HD TV and big honkin' stereo (or surround sound) system in another room.

You control what you see and hear in that other room by pointing a tiny Apple Remote control, just like the one that comes with most new Macs, at the Apple TV box. Here's what it looks like:

The Apple TV and Apple Remote are shown in the foreground; the main Apple TV menu is displayed on an HD TV behind it. The HD TV, of course, is not included.

Setup was a breeze. I connected the Apple TV box to my HDTV via component video cable, plugged in the power cord, then turned on the TV and followed the on-screen instructions for connecting to my wireless network. I launched iTunes 7.2 on my office Mac, typed the short pass code shown on my TV screen in the den, clicked a few times in iTunes, and Apple TV began synchronizing my iTunes library to its 40GB internal hard drive. Finally, back in the den, I used the Apple TV remote to set up streaming audio and video from two other Macs�my son�s iMac and my MacBook Pro�so I could enjoy their iTunes and iPhoto libraries in addition to the ones on my office Mac. Bottom line: In less than 15 minutes Apple TV was up and running and I was on the couch munching popcorn and enjoying a movie.

I watched feature films and TV shows I purchased from the iTunes store as well as feature films I converted from DVD myself using Handbrake. The video was not quite DVD quality but in both cases it looked surprisingly good. And while the audio quality wasn�t 5.1 surround sound, it was, again, pretty darn good.

Listening to songs from my iTunes music libraries was also impressive. The home theatre sound system in my den made my music sound better than it had ever sounded playing through the Mac and powered speakers in my office. And being able to choose songs, artists, and playlists on the TV screen with the Apple TV remote control was a treat.

Finally, using Apple TV to display slide shows from iPhoto was the icing on the cake. I loved being able to select background music, and turn on the Ken Burns effect and gorgeous transitions without leaving the couch. And the photos looked spectacular�everyone who saw them said they never looked better, even on the Apple Cinema Display in my office.

Before I offer you my conclusions, here's a bit of technical information you might find useful:

The maximum resolution for video is 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, or 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps, in your choice of .m4v, .mp4 or .mov file format. But since at present the resolution of video purchased from the iTunes Store is 640 x 480, you only get the higher resolutions with video you rip or shoot yourself.

On the audio side, Apple TV supports AAC; protected AAC; MP3; MP3 VBR; Apple Lossless; AIFF; and WAV files.

And it supports JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and PNG graphics files.

Last but not least, Apple TV won�t work with any old TV -- you must have an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen TV capable of 1080i 60/50Hz, 720p 60/50Hz, 576p 50Hz (PAL format), or 480p 60Hz.

I really like Apple TV a lot and use it often. I love listening to music in the den and I enjoy having a library of video available instantly. I do wish it supported true high-definition programming (e.g. 1080p) and 5.1 surround sound. So for now when I want the most immersive and engrossing experience, I still pop in a DVD. But for most movies and TV shows and all of the music and photos on several Macs in my house, Apple TV is a terrific addition to the HDTV setup in my den. I�ve spent more time in my den over the past three months than I spent there in the previous three years.That ought to tell you something.

One last thing: I'm pretty sure the Apple TV box is capable of 5.1 surround sound, but the iTunes Store doesn't sell video with it and I have yet to figure out how to create files that have 5.1 audio and work with Apple TV. If you happen to know how to do it, please drop me a line. Thanks.

The Bottom Line

Apple TV lets you enjoy the contents of up to 6 iTunes and iPhoto libraries on your HD TV wirelessly. The video quality is better than you'd expect and the audio quality is pretty much the same as iTunes. Sure I'd like it better with real HD content and surround sound, but even so I'm getting a lot of enjoyment out of it and recommend it to anyone with a large media library they'd like to enjoy in another room on an HD TV and/or an excellent audio system.