Recently we have seen the advent of Google TV and a re-imagined Apple TV hit the markets and a lot of consumers are wondering what the difference between the two services is and how they differ from an HTPC.  Digital Trends explains in their article, highlighting the strengths and limitations of the two services.  Apple TV is very proprietary as you would expect and is mostly a way to connect your TV to iTunes so you can rent shows and movies as well as being able to display YouTube video and soon NetFlix.  Google is trying to take over by working to get Google TV integrated into TVs as opposed to offering a separate box and it will include a web browser to stream content, it will integrate with your cable service and it will even have apps. 

“The surging interest set-top media boxes such as Roku, Apple TV and the Boxee Box is starting to look a lot like the sudden buzz around tablets: Microsoft was puttering around with the same concepts ages ago, but nobody really cared. Now that Apple and Google have focused their laser-like engineering teams on the problem, years of antiquated GUI design are searing off in months as both companies work their magic on the long-neglected “ten-foot interface.””

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