Im sure there is a thread for this already. I recently sold off my 360, PS3, and Blu-ray titles to switch to just PC Gaming and purchasing a Apple TV. I went through the whole "fad" of blu-rays and are looking to find a simple alternative, Apple TV seems to fit the bill perfectly for me. I am realizing that simple downloads are easier for me through itunes and have bought dvd's and blu-rays less and less for the past few weeks. I really want to get into the digital downloading scene for all my movies now and i think this would be a great way to get into it. My main question is this for you guys, Apple TV a good buy right now?
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Apple TV good option for a college student?
- Thread starter vaderhater245
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Well, there's always the "they might get refreshed soon" argument, but for price and quality, yea, they're great! 
I'm finding myself becoming more portable with my media now and would love to take my movies with me more often. I've noticed through some research that Apple hasn't updated the AppleTV much at all. only reason i asked the question in my post. lol Can HD Movies be bought on the device and then transfered to a computer? or can that only be done with regular movies?
makes sense I guess. Say i buy a movie through itunes on my laptop. about how long does it take to transfer the movie to the AppleTV through my airport?
I don't buy much from iTunes but my personal handbreak rips (avg about 1.3 gigs) transfer via airport in about 15 minutes.
The other way to go might be the Roku box plus a Netflix account. Now that Roku supports downloaded rentals and purchases from Amazon, you get pretty much the same selection as in the iTunes store. Amazon isn't currently renting HD movies but that may change now that they have a set-top box to play them through. The Roku is only $100 but you will need a good fast internet connection for the live streaming.
The netflix account will give you access to all available DVD and Blu-Ray titles and allow you to stream a smaller number of movies instantly for no additional charge.
I have both devices. I can't get myself to pay $5 for iTunes HD rentals, so I get most of my newer movies from Netflix (mostly Blu-Ray). I use the Apple TV primarily to play movies ripped from my own DVD's and to play my iTunes music through my AV system.
The netflix account will give you access to all available DVD and Blu-Ray titles and allow you to stream a smaller number of movies instantly for no additional charge.
I have both devices. I can't get myself to pay $5 for iTunes HD rentals, so I get most of my newer movies from Netflix (mostly Blu-Ray). I use the Apple TV primarily to play movies ripped from my own DVD's and to play my iTunes music through my AV system.
thanks for the suggestion KevinC867, I've heard of that device before. I think I might be going with the AppleTV still. I'm at the point where I will be graduating soon and will just need a nice small media player for my TV. Im kinda growing up and giving up console gaming. I have a simple 32" HDTV, HD video really isnt that important to me atm. I went through that phase already and its too expensive for a graphic design student. I shall be getting the standard 40Gb Apple TV once my freaking blurays sell on craig's list. Thanks for the input from everyone. I always read stuff on these forums but rarely post. You guys are awesome!
I would get the Mini just refershed you have internet mail iLife and front row is basically the same software on apple tv.
Gonna have to pipe up here. This statement is not true at all. While I agree that Netflix is still the way to go with rental movies (and yes, even downloads), where Roku with netflix suffer (and suffer big) is with TV. You CANNOT watch tv shows through netflix UNTIL the show has been released on DVD. Which means you have to wait up to 3-6 months to see the shows everyone else is watching today. This can be a big issue for a lot of people. Itunes allows you to watch TV shows the day they are released. You just don't have that option at all with Netflix or Amazon.
Also, don't discount the free video Podcast content you can get via Itunes. There are a lot of shows you can watch for free, via podcasts (I watch all my news shows these days via podcast). All of that content as well, is unavailable on a Roku.
You get ACCESS to far more content with the ATV. Although, in many cases, its not the most economical way to get that content.