I’m perfectly happy viewing videos on a MacBook Pro, iPad or iPhone (and probably in that order). However, sometimes, the TV really is the best device. In this instance, I wanted the kids to be able to watch video from their dance class so that they could follow along and practice daily. Obviously, this situation called for some hands-free viewing and the iPad and iPhone were easily disqualified. As glorious as the 17″ screen on the MacBook Pro can be, it is still too small for some pint sized kids.

So, the face-off was between an Apple TV or an Apple Digital AV Adapter. Since the Apple Digital AV Adapter only works with the iPad, and not the iPhone 3GS or MacBook Pro, the Apple TV prevailed.

While the Apple TV comes with a remote, you really need the free Remote app. If you want to search for YouTube videos via Apple TV, the virtual keyboard from the Remote app will make life remarkable easier. Using the standard remote to scroll through the alphabet to enter search terms or passwords is maddening.

What Works, What Does Not

Overall, I like the Apple TV, but it is not perfect. You may have a different experience depending on your network set-up. I have an Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station at one end of the house and an Apple AirPort Express Base Station at the other end for wall-to-wall Wi-Fi. The MacBook Pro usually sits in the same room as the Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station, while the Apple TV is closer to the Apple AirPort Express Base Station. If the iPad, iPhone or MacBook Pro is in the same room as the Apple TV, the video streaming works really fast. I don’t mind toting an iPad or iPhone around the house, so that isn’t a problem. However, I certainly do not have all my video and audio files stored on the iPad or iPhone. If I’m trying to stream video off the MacBook Pro, I end up seeing the spinning cursor if Apple TV has to pass through the AirPort Express and the AirPort Extreme to reach the computer. And, by spinning cursor, I mean minutes (instead of seconds) of white lines looping in a circle while the kids grow increasingly restless.

As a long-time Mac user, I certainly did not anticipate this, particularly since I’m using Mac products from the Apple TV to the various AirPort devices to reach the MacBook Pro. Most things just work. Unfortunately, in this case, there are a few hiccups.