If you’ve not yet come across Apple TV you haven’t been missing much. It is basically a wee box which allows you to rent high definition movies, buy high definition TV shows and listen to your iTunes music through your TV. You can also access your photos, podcasts and YouTube movies on the box. It plugs into your TV via HDMI and can connect to your home network wirelessly. In effect it is an HTPC (Home Theater PC) but at a much greater price than comparable devices. Well that has all changed with the recent Apple announcement that the 40 GB model has been dumped and the 160 GB model has dropped $100 off the price tag.

You can now get a 160 GB Apple TV set-top box for $229. It is a cute white box with an iPod style remote control and it is very easy to set up and use. This recent price slash has sparked rumours that Apple is planning something big for the product and to be honest they’ll have to because other than the visual style there is very little to recommend this over other similar devices even with the price drop.

Apparently the new iTunes LP/Extras format supports the resolution output by the Apple TV. There are also suggestions that gaming may make some appearance on the device, although it is pure speculation at the moment.

The Apple TV box has reasonable specs and rental prices for movies are $4.99 for a new release in high definition and $3.99 for a library title. However the device only supports a very limited range of video and audio formats which drastically limits what you can play via your home network. For big Apple fans this will no doubt appeal but it will take more than the latest price cut to convince me of Apple TVs charms.