iPod Apple TV seems very limited can it be opened up & are there any alternatives

[MrPineapples]

So this Apple TV thingy seems like a great idea but it seems very limited.

As far as I understand the only video you can broadcast is video from iTunes (in the UK we can't even buy any video).

At the moment I just stick that on my iPod & plug the iPod into the TV.
Resulting in the same thing (with out the nice on screen GUI, and with a bit of hassle).

The thing is I have loads of different video files I'd like to watch on the TV but unless I were to spend time converting it all it's not going to work (correct me if i'm wrong).

So is there a product out there that does this? or do you think the TV get hacked to do this?

Just wondering?

 

[aristobrat]

I have a mini hooked up to my TV.

With the Perian codecs, Front Row can play pretty much any type of file you throw at it.

You're probably looking for something cheaper, but ...

I know some people are using their XBOX 360s for that, but from what I've read, you have to convert video to certain formats for that to work as well. I could be wrong -- I didn't follow the threads in-depth.

What I'd do is just wait. Since you can hook your iPod up to your TV now, you've got the basic features of Apple TV. Seems like after launches any product that's limited in function, within a month or two, people find ways to make it worth the way that they want it to.

 

[MrPineapples]

I forgot to note. I'm asking this partly for myself but also for my dad who doesn't have his computer in the main house.

He like's to d'load TV off the internet & then watch them with my Mum. It's a bit cold in his shed (where the iMac lives).

He'd like to do it on the main TV in the house rather than in his 'shed' there's wireless internet between the 2.

Does SlingBox do that?