An iPod for your TV

DIGITAL CONTENT is one of the next big things in the consumer technology arena in the form of films, television series and music downloaded from the Internet. Upping the ante last month, the smart folks at Apple released a device that for all intents and purposes is an iPod for TV.

Staff Writer

May 26, 2007

Called Apple TV, the gadget is about the size of four compact disk jewel cases stacked on top of one another and bears the slick, sexy Apple design so many people drool over. It plugs into any TV with RCA or HDMI inputs and supports newer generation high definition (HD) TVs.

Delivering a resolution of 720p or 1 080i – the same resolution MultiChoice will be using later this year when it launches its HD signal – the picture quality is stunning.

And because the Apple TV is remote controlled, you can laze on the couch and enjoy multimedia without moving a muscle. Just like an iPod “syncs” with your PC (loaded with Apple’s iTunes and populated with all of your favourite media, of course), the Apple TV syncs over the wireless network in your home and buffers selected content on to its internal hard disk.

Besides allowing users to “sync” with one instance of iTunes, another three iTunes libraries can be added, meaning that when friends visit they can simply stream their media to the Apple TV.

Hats off to Apple for building something so simple and easy to use and so appropriate to the market’s needs. For a little over R2 500 it’s well worth it.

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