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Is Best Buy selling Apple TV now? Well, that seems to depend on where you shop.

If you'll recall, last week Best Buy told us that Apple TV would be available starting Tuesday in all of its 800-plus stores a full two weeks before any other retail chain (excluding, of course, Apple's own stores, which have had it for sale since the end of last week).

Then, Best Buy took back its claim of an exclusive the next day.

Then Best Buy customer Chad Stutz of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, told Crave that he went to his local Best … Read more

Starting today, people can starting TiVoing you.

TiVo announced that it will let users send content, such as video montages and photos, over the TiVo network.

Anyone can go to OneTrueMedia.com, create an account, upload a video, add a soundtrack, use One True Media's basic editing tools and create a personal TiVo channel. The video creator can invite any TiVo Series2 or Series3 owners to subscribe to that particular channel. Subscribers can add the new channel to their Season Pass; all videos uploaded to that channel will be delivered to each user's Now Playing list.

Of course, … Read more

With HDMI and optical digital output, Apple TV should eventually be able to pass DVD-like surround sound just as soon as Apple adds surround-encoded movies and TV shows to its iTunes Store--right?

Wrong.

According to the specs on Apple's Web site, the Apple TV's maximum audio track bandwidth for video files is 160Kbps (that doubles to 320Kbps for audio-only files such as MP3s and AACs). That is far below the 640Kbps and 768Kbps surround Dolby and DTS soundtracks you'll find on any old DVD. And that doesn't even begin to account for the next-gen Dolby Digital … Read more

Another week, another cool touch screen video that everyone's e-mailing around the office.

The latest most-forwarded is the CeBIT demo video below, which is a collaborative effort between TouchKo, White Electronics Designs, and Groupe 3D. A cross between a monitor and a Wii controller (without the actual controller), the "touchless touch screen" responds to hand movements directly in front of it; you don't even have to come into contact with the screen.

Looks pretty neat, but also kind of exhausting. Although we haven't seen one available in stores yet, the concept of a "touchless … Read more

Remember how Best Buy told Crave yesterday that it was getting deliveries of Apple TV two weeks ahead of every other electronics retailer except Apple's own stores?

So, apparently that's an exaggeration, Best Buy spokesman Jeff Dudash said today. Best Buy will still be getting an initial shipment of 3,000 Apple TVs that will be available for purchase beginning Tuesday, March 27, he said, but he wouldn't say whether Best Buy will have the device for any exclusive period of time.

Best Buy is now deferring to Apple on retail shipment strategies for its latest product. … Read more

UPDATE: Full review (with hands-on video) now available.

Today we got our first in-person look at the Apple TV since its unveiling back in September of 2006. Company representatives were showing it off at a Manhattan hotel suite and gave us a loaner to do our own hands-on testing. While we conduct a full review, here's our first impression--and a video of our own Rich DeMuro diving into the box for the first time. … Read more

The blue-shirted ones scored a mini coup this week.

Best Buy said today that the just-released Apple TV will be available in all 822 of its U.S. stores starting Tuesday. That's two weeks ahead of all other retailers that are not named the Apple Store.

Granted, the set-top box will be available in limited supply at first. The initial shipment will be 3,000 units, which spread across more than 800 stores means there will be about five Apple TVs available at each store for the MSRP of $299.

Though there aren't many other consumer electronics stores … Read more

TiVo may be a life-changer, but there's a dark side for couch potatoes who are also pack rats: the dreaded full hard drive. If you're too cheap to get a new version (that would be us), you're stuck with a disc that seems perennially full: As we all know, the maximum storage capacity is always based on low-resolution recordings, which make Lost reruns look like moving impressionist paintings.

But if you do have a newer Series 3 box--or any other DVR with an eSATA port--there may be help for those who can't just can't bring … Read more

The release of Apple TV is imminent--the first hands-on review has appeared, pre-orders have already begun shipping, and it should be popping up in Apple Stores by the end of the week. It's fair to say that Apple's first living room entertainment device is going to cause some major waves in the industry. At the same time, though, it's neither the first nor only product of its kind. Plenty of others--known as digital media adapters or network media devices--are capable of streaming digital media from networked PCs. And iTunes isn't the only show in town when it comes to digitally delivering premium movies and TV shows. So, as the Apple TV rocket leaves the launchpad, we thought it only fair to present a look at the alternatives.… Read more