[josephlord]

I think you are wrong about the importance of the current TV platforms to many people. TV is less important to single and certainly childless people who have more opportunity and desire to go out and socialise rather than stay at home.

I don't really see anything in the list that really needs Apple's help.

  * Had a beautiful display

Have you looked at the mid/high end Sony or Samsung TVs recently? I would be interested in how you think they could be significantly improved.

  * Seamlessly plays movies and TV shows from computer

DLNA does this pretty well these days. If you mean specifically from DRM protected iTunes videos it might be a narrower question that only Apple can really answer. Sony TVs (probably others too) can act as DLNA renderers so if you have a DLNA controller app on your phone it can push content from the PC/NAS/server to the TV without having to go through the TV UI.

  * Was good enough, without obvious flaws, that it eliminates

Not sure what this means. Most TVs (if you ignore the small size super cheap ones) handle HD very well and many especially at the mid/high end from major brands also upconvert pretty well. Certainly beyond the average viewers ability to see the problems in most cases.

  * the anguishing 'which HD TV do I buy?' decision.

That is all about you but I don't think you would go that far wrong with a mid/high Sony/Samsung.

  * Can be put in a part of the house separate from the computer, for social events  

Put it where you want it!

  * Can also easily play music, for social gatherings.

Most now support this. Either from DLNA or USB device. Having said that the capability of the speakers in slim stylish devices is distinctly limited. Apple will also have this issue. Of course if you have a separate (possibly surround) amp and speakers there is no problem but that solution lacks elegance and style.

[graeme]

Oops, my formatting got messed up. This was supposed to be one point:

'Was good enough, without obvious flaws, that it eliminates the anguishing 'which HD TV do I buy?' decision.'

Specifically I was thinking of MP3 players before the iPod, or my parents' own HD TV purchasing decision.

The 'separate part of the house' point was to counter the common cry of 'just use a computer monitor', which is the current solution.

[josephlord]

I probably should have parsed it better despite formatting.

Still the point probably stands that if you guess how much an Apple TV would cost and look at what you can get for the same money you will probably be impressed by most aspects except possibly the UI.

[graeme]

You're probably right. But I don't care enough to look. I suspect there are other people in the same boat, and that an Apple TV could open up a new market for high-end TV purchases.

I could be wrong. But one of Apple's assets is that it's trained consumers to trust it's merchandise across categories. If Apple makes it, and I have a need for it, I'm comfortable buying it.