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I'm not convinced that AirPlay is the sole reason for its 'success.' If I had to guess, I would say its as well as it does based on name recognition - that of Apple - compared to the others.
 
its true for me, i knew the apple tv was good for itunes media access and youtube browsing.. but nothing i wanted to spend £99 on.

when apple showed mountain lion could 'airplay' to a tv through this thing, i was sold.
 
Airplay streaming is true for me too. I was interested in ATV but airplay sold it for me. I have since learned more about its other features and enjoy them more than airplay now, but it was airplay that got the ATV in my house in the first place.
 
My ATVs may not have as many channels as my Roku has, but it is quite jarring to be watching a film and suddenly, mid-sentence, it breaks for a commercial.

I love my ATV while my Roku is useful only as a backup provider.
 
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