One of my post-Christmas gift card purchases this year was a 40GB Apple TV. I wanted one for quite a while, and gift cards are the ultimate enabler! When there was no refresh for the Apple TV at MacWorld, (because who doesn’t hate buying something only for the new version to come out immediately afterward?!) I took off for the Apple Store to make my purchase.

I have to say, the Apple TV is one of my favorite gadgets in the house right now. It took a bit of fineagling to hook up–we had to buy a component switcher box for our kind-of-ancient HDTV to accomodate more than two HD devices, I had to go to the store twice to get enough cables for everything, and we had to rearrange everything in the entertainment center. But it was worth it, trust me!

Once we got everything hooked up, the first thing I did with the Apple TV was install Boxee. One thing I really like about Boxee is that it doesn’t overwrite the default software. You can still use everything on the ATV as designed, including streaming iTunes from your computer, purchasing content from iTunes directly on the ATV, YouTube, etc. The Apple TV on its own is wonderful, but the Apple TV with Boxee…it’s amazing.

I have a large library of media, and it’s growing all the time. I also use services like last.fm and Pandora on a regular basis, and have really wanted to have a way to use them at home that didn’t involve sitting in front of the computer. Boxee not only lets me view AVI files without converting them for iTunes (a HUGE boon, because conversion takes forever), but I can also listen to Internet radio (such as last.fm and Pandora stations), watch videos from all over the Internet, catch up on podcasts, and even see what my friends on Boxee are watching.

I do use the “normal” Apple TV set up from time to time too, to watch iTunes-purchased video, or to listen to specific playlists that I’ve created (like the ones that filter my husband’s massive death metal collection OUT). It has been great for parties or when I’m just working at home and want some music on in the background. Who needs a stereo?

I like the Apple TV on its own, but I love the Apple TV + Boxee because it doesn’t dictate to me how I have to use my media. I’m getting really sick of DRM and constraints (see the recent Boxee/Hulu dustup courtesy of the content owners who just don’t GET new media) and I like being able to watch and listen MY way.

With the Apple TV and streaming Netflix on the XBox 360, I barely need satellite service anymore! Between the two, I have thousands of movies and TV shows at my fingertips. If there was a live sports stream available that was comparable to what’s on ESPN and Fox Sports Southwest, I think my husband and I would dump DirecTV and go rogue with our entertainment.

If you’re looking for a pretty easy media solution that doesn’t involve buying a whole new computer, I highly recommend the Apple TV. It’s hackable for those inclined to do so, but also simple, valuable and user-friendly for people who aren’t interested in hacking and just want to use it as-is out of the box. I think it’s a wise investment for anyone who doesn’t want to create their own media center PC or Mac.