Apple TV

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Streaming performance
We used two Windows PCs to stream content to the Apple TV--an old Dell laptop (with an 802.11g Wi-Fi card) and a Dell desktop on a wired network connection. Both were connected to a Belkin N1 router, to which the Apple TV also was connected wirelessly. For streaming tests, we concentrated on video rather than audio--the higher bandwidth of video files has always been the biggest challenge. We purchased two movies (The Royal Tenenbaums and The Incredibles) and three TV episodes (one each from Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and The Office) to give the Apple TV a streaming torture test, and the results were impressive. Even before syncing, each of the videos was watchable within a few seconds of selecting from the menu. Once it buffered up, the video was smooth and stutter-free in every case, even though it was streaming wirelessly from a laptop to a router in the next room and from the router (again, wirelessly) to the Apple TV. That said, don't expect to fast-forward and rewind while streaming as easily as you would on a DVD--each time you do, the file needs to rebuffer to the new location. Still, we've played with a lot of media streaming products that completely fall down when trying to rewind and fast-forward through long movie files, so the fact that the Apple TV offers usable navigation while streaming is a definite plus. As you'd expect, response time is much faster, smoother, and more DVD-like if the file has already been synchronized to the Apple TV's internal hard drive.

Overall, we'd rate the streaming performance as excellent, and that was even while streaming from an 802.11g laptop (which is theoretically somewhat slower than the 802.11n maximum wireless speed). Of course, it's always important to note that streaming performance is reliant on the vagaries of one's network. Don't expect smooth sailing if family members are simultaneously battling on Xbox Live, downloading a BitTorrent file, and making a Skype call, for instance.