Photos: Hands-on with the UK Apple TV

Crave has just spent an fun few hours playing with one of the first Apple TVs for the UK press.

Just in case you don't know, Apple TV is a wireless music and video streamer, designed to play content stored on your PC or Mac. It's not a new idea, but the way it's been implemented is pretty cool.

Unlike rival streamers, for example, there's a 40GB hard disk inside. This means that content on your computer can be copied to the Apple TV so that you can watch and listen to it even when the computer is off, and to reduce the reliance on Wi-Fi, which can be a bit flaky.

It uses the draft 802.11n wireless spec, which offers faster transfers and greater range than 802.11b or g standards -- although you'll notice most difference if you're streaming from one of the newer Macs.

You can only sync (copy) content from one computer, but you can stream stuff from up to five.

The box is pretty small, and has most of the connections you could reasonably ask for, such as HDMI, component video, optical digital out and analogue audio (although there's no Scart -- this was designed in America, don't forget).

The menus look as pretty as everything else Apple makes with plenty of fancy transitions, spinning things and general loveliness. It's reminiscent of Front Row, the Apple equivalent of Media Center on the PC. The header at the top tells you what source you are currently watching or listening to -- at the moment, we're looking at stuff stored on the Apple TV's hard disk.

Keep an eye out for a full review, but in the meantime, have a click through our photos to get an idea of what the product is like to use.

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