Google and partners set to challenge Apple TV

yeah, please explain how you get hulu to work on your ps3 (without the help of Windows)

... and in Europe we are still waiting for the opening of iTunes store for us to buy/rent movies! Come on Apple, it's time to move! Give us what you promissed!

This was cool, till I saw Sony's name.

They'll stick some bullshit proprietary connection like Bravia-Link and only make it work with their own TV's.

Sony is full of retarded idea's like that.

I also have an Apple TV. It just plugs so well into my all Apple house that it just becomes part of the furniture. I stream audio to or from it, it plays movies and videos, and runs a slide show of my favorite photos on my HD TV during parties while I get to control the music selection from my iPhone quickly.

It is a neatly hassle free device that does what it foes extremely easily and reasonably well.

Apple has created an ecosystem. Google has so far just created a scattering of cool devices mostly centered around search, even though search isn't actually the right central concept for most devices. But, it is nice that somebody is trying to compete. It is surprising that Sony hasn't upped it's game here. It isn't surprising that Microsquish has failed, but the magnitude if their failure is somewhat awe inspiring.

I thought Hulu blocks the ps3. Has that changed?

Arguments like this rely on a false premise. I don't want any of those things, so why is it an issue for me if PS3 does them and ATC doesn't? What I want is streaming of my iTunes music library and home movies, internet radio, view all my family photos (either as slide shows or the very cool floating photo screen saver), and download the occasional TV show or movie rental.

If you can convince me the PS3 does that all better than the ATV for less money I'd buy it, that would be a convincing argument. I don't see anything out there, though, that matches the ATV interface or seamless stream/sync functionality.

Oh and I forgot to mention, people who come over just love the picture screen saver while we listen to music. Before Apple TV my photos just sat in my computer. Now Apple TV helps me share them and a cool and unique way that people just love. So again it's for me and maybe you. So if you don't own one reserve your negative comments!

Hey I agree! The Apple TV has it's short comings but that can be attributed to the fact there has not been a hardware update since it's release. But for me it has change my living room experience!! First I love the rental, 2.99 to 3.99 not bad considering blockbuster has gone up as much as 5 bucks for rentals(yea I know all about netflicks, but I have no interest in subscriptions). Second, I have totally given up on the DVD. I got tired of storing them anyway and with hard drives being relatively cheap and a great little app called Handbrake, all my DVD's are stored away! Now I just download a movie I want and the quality is good to great and perfect for me. Also I know Blue Ray is nice and all but to be honest I had it with spinning discs! I believe the future is getting away from that and damn blue Ray is one huge file!! I like knowing I can fit a ton of movies on a 500GB hard drive in H.264 coding. It really looks great. Third, I make a lot of home movies using iMovie and my kids love watching and showing there friends the movies daddy made of them that I have synced to Apple TV and last but not FINAL OR LEAST I love the Air Tunes that Apple TV offers. I sync my iTunes music and stream to my Airport Express(another great Product) that is connected to my receiver and I have music controlled from my iPhone using the Apple Remote App all though my house. So it's for me!!

Maybe they buy it because it does what they need it to do, I mean not everyone has the same requirements right?

So lets see from your list...

- Have a DVD player and the iTunes HD moves are good enough for me®
- Have my multi-room FiOS dvr that does that, don't mind the subscription
- Can download TV shows and movies through iTunes
- Can't access BBC iPlayer anyway
- Don't feel the urge to use Hulu
- Don't game
- Don't watch music vids much
- Already have plenty options for web browsing and wouldn't use TV
- Don't read comics
- Not short of hard drive space

So there you go. Horses for courses. I'm sure the PS3 is very good, it's just not for me.

Agreed! My Verizon FiOS set top box does this too but who needs it?