Apple TV

Apple TV is a digital media player developed and sold by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance designed to play digital content from the iTunes Store, Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Flickr, iCloud, MLB.tv, NBA League Pass, NHL GameCenter, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, Vevo, Smithsonian Networks, The Weather Channel, ABC, PBS, WatchESPN, HBO GO, Sky News, Crunchyroll, Qello or any Mac OS X or Windows computer running iTunes on an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen television.

Apple offered a preview of the device in September 2006, and began shipping it the following March. It initially shipped with a 40 GB hard disk; a 160 GB version was introduced two months later, and the earlier model was ultimately discontinued.

In September 2010, Apple announced the second-generation version of the Apple TV. About one-quarter of the size and one-third of the price of the original Apple TV, the new device could stream rented content from iTunes and video from computers or iOS devices via AirPlay. This version no longer had a hard drive; however, it does have an undocumented internal 8 GB flash storage, speculated to be used for smoother playback of streamed media. All content is drawn from online or locally connected sources.

The third generation of the device was introduced at an Apple event on March 7, 2012, with new features such as higher resolution (1080p) and a new user interface.

On January 28, 2013, Apple released a third generation "Rev A" which included component changes.

Notable competitors include WD TV, Roku, Google TV, YouView, and Chromecast, as well as Smart TVs from companies such as Vizio, Sharp, Sony, Samsung, LG and others.