october 6 2010 review by anandtech

The new Apple TV doesn't exactly have hardware specs to write home about. It's A4** based and presumably doesn't have any more memory bandwidth than the standard A4 you find in an iPad or iPhone.

AirPlay

The real potential with AirPlay is the ability to stream more than just iOS video content, but your OS X desktop or videos played on your iMac or MacBook Pro, WiDi for OS X. Apple could probably sell more Apple TVs as a Mac streaming adapter if it enabled this sort of functionality.

What the Apple TV does well is integrate into the iTunes world. Music you've got on in iTunes can easily stream to your TV. With Google TV and the Boxee Box shipping later this year you're better off waiting if you want a good way to bridge Internet content with your TV.

**The Apple A4 is a package on package (PoP) system-on-a-chip (SoC) designed by Apple and manufactured by Samsung. It combines an ARM based CPU with a PowerVR GPU.

october 4 2010 review by legitreviews

Apple has finally started shipping their second generation Apple TV this week and we got a pair of them that just arrived from Shenzen China today.

Everything you want to watch streams wirelessly to Apple TV. HD movie and TV show rentals play over the Internet to your widescreen TV, while music and photos stream from your computer. Video looks crisp and clear.

Setting up Apple TV is about as simple as it gets. Just plug the power cord into the wall and connect Apple TV to your widescreen TV using an HDMI cable (not includeD).