Renting Movies Online: In-home movie streamers

Apple TV
Price: $229
Movie price: Rentals from $2.99; HD Rentals from $3.99; Movie Purchases from $9.99; TV Purchases from $0.99.
Our take: Whereas Roku's Netflix Player works in tandem with your computer, Apple TV is an all-in-one device that functions on its own. It ditches the all-you-can-eat pricing plan for an a la carte menu with the option to buy select content and watch it on the go via your iPhone or iPod. The device also lets you stream music and photos from your Mac or PC, a welcome option that neither Roku nor Vudu offer.

Setting up our Apple TV was just as easy as installing our Roku unit. In fact, both boxes contain the same video ports. However, unlike the Roku box, which supports 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios, Apple TV only supports the latter, which means it only works with newer, widescreen TVs. Fortunately, Apple loads its set top box with better technology, including a 40GB hard drive (a 160GB version is also available for $329) and the speedier 802.11n wireless standard. The Apple TV unit is also far more attractive, with a slimmer and glossier design.

During setup, you can choose between a wired or wireless connection and you can also opt to sync your Apple TV with media found on other networked computers. (Media can be shuttled back and forth between your computer and Apple TV as long as the media's format is supported by iTunes.) Alternatively, customers can skip the syncing process and access Apple's video library directly from their Apple TV via the iTunes Store. The device's on-screen menu is simple and elegant, resembling that of an iPod. The left hand of the screen is typically reserved for contextual graphics, which includes cover art for DVDs and music, logo art for podcasts, and poster shots for TV shows.

Apple's pricing starts at $2.99 for rentals and can reach prices of up to $14.99 for new movie purchases. Iron Man, for instance, costs $3.99 to rent and $14.99 to own. (By comparison, Vudu charges $3.99 and $19.99 respectively.) Rentals must be viewed within 30 days (or 24 hours after you first hit play) and non-rentals are yours to keep, but they're protected with DRM (Digital Rights Management, or copy protection) so you cannot burn them to DVD or play them on devices other than your computer, Apple TV, or iPod. Nevertheless, we applaud Apple for allowing its content to be shuttled onto other devices giving you more value for your dollar.

In another effort to stretch your dollar, the iTunes Store offers a bargain bin with films priced at $4.99 or $9.99. This selection includes films like The Waterboy, Bad Boys, Ice Age, and others. However, as a dealnews reader, does a $9.99 movie sound "Bargain Bin" to you?

Performance-wise, Apple claims its videos are near DVD quality. Although its files are compressed down to about 1.5GB (from their 4GB to 8GB size on an actual DVD), the quality loss isn't high and most videos looked sharp on our 42" LCD TV. We noticed some blocky backgrounds, but for the most part, video was on par with or slightly superior to Roku's Netflix player. We also commend Apple for its HD selection, which includes both movies and TV shows such as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Office, and 30 Rock. In addition to paid content, Apple TV also delivers free content to your living room. There's a dedicated YouTube channel and, as we stated before, you can stream any media from your networked computer.

Overall, Apple TV offers a more elegant interface than its competitors. It's more affordable than Vudu (next page), it lets you take your content on the road, and unlike the Roku player, it features a hard drive and HD support. However, its tiered pricing keeps it from being the stand out set top box it could be.

Verdict: With its elegant interface and minimalist design, Apple TV is by far the most polished of the three set top boxes. It also offers the most features, with 802.11n support and the ability to stream content from your computer. However, despite having better content, it has the highest up-front cost, and its content is expensive unless you've already got a lot of content to stream to it.