“But it has to be said, the Apple TV is a great way to take advantage of your large, high-def, widescreen TV. The old Front Row-style interface has been phased out in favour of a far more appealing look in the free version 3.0, which is available through a software update from the Apple TV menu,” EMOIZ.com reports. “The 160GB hard drive is still a little pokey for the average film buff and there’s no DVD or Blu-ray drive. There’s no web browser to speak of either. In short, it’s limited. So why not just get a Mac mini, pimp that up and use Front Row as the front end? The mini lacks none of these limitations.”
EMOIZ.com reports, “There are other alternatives, too. It’s possible you already have a set-top box that can double as a media player: a games console… The Apple TV [also] has set-top box competitors, of course. However, they almost always have a fatal flaw… The Apple TV, like the Mac, is designed for everyone to be able to use, easily, and works equally well with Windows and Macs. The new Apple TV 3.0 software is far easier to use, and integrates content from linked computers far more simply. The ability to rent and buy from the iTunes Store directly from the Apple TV is the main draw, as is its ability to play content already on your Mac. If a powerful media centre is what you want, the Apple TV isn’t it. But if you want a very good media centre that everyone can use and which matches the Apple aesthetic, the Apple TV is the one for you.”
There’s much more in the full article here.