Apple iTV – is it HD Ready

Our analysis of the Apple presentation from yesterday outlined the relatively low quality of the movie downloads.

One of our readers has pointed out that while Steve Jobs only announced relatively low-resolution movie downloads for the current iTunes Store yesterday, these are a ramp up from the previous offering, and are likely to ramp up again in the near future.

Further investigation of the iTV video streaming device that Steve Jobs (unusually) previewed at the presentation reveals that it contains an HDMI connector – this is a clue to the real nature of the device when it ships sometime in 2007. An HDMI connector is the connector that is required for Plasma and LCD TV’s to be able to display the words HD Ready.

We suspect that when the product is shipped it will be capable of displaying at the much higher resolution and quality that customers would expect.

If this is the case then we expect the box to ship sooner rather than later. In this case holding off on any HD quality movie images would be a wise step, as the iTV box would then warrant the $299 sticker price.

As we noted before at the launch of Amazon Unbox, Apple is at a great advantage in terms of established brand and owning a ‘living room’ device. The only other contenders in the game being the cable and satellite companies, and probably Microsoft.

If I were the marketing exec at one of the broadcast providers I’d be figuring a way to get my set top box to work with Apple’s or better still tie in with Sandisk or Creative to provide ‘un-tethered’ solutions fast.