Apple TV is a digital media player and a microconsole developed and

sold by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance and entertainment

device that can receive digital data from a number of sources and
stream it to a capable TV for playing on the TV screen.

Apple TV is an HDMI-compliant source device. To use it for viewing, it

has to be connected to an enhanced-definition or high-definition
widescreen television via a HDMI cable to the TV's HDMI port, while
the TV is in HDMI mode. The device has no integrated controls and can
only be controlled externally, either by an Apple Remote control device
using its infrared capability or by the iTunes Remote app on iOS
devices, such as the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Apple Watch, using
its Wi-Fi capability.

Its Wi-Fi capability is also used to receive digital content from the
iTunes app using AirPlay or directly from iTunes Store, which is then
streamed to the TV. It also plays digital content from the iTunes
Store, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Now TV, YouTube and Vevo, along with the
TV Everywhere portals of several cable and broadcast networks, and
the video subscription portals of three of the four major North
American sports leagues: MLB.tv, NBA League Pass and NHL
GameCenter. It plays content from any OS X or Windows computer
running iTunes

Apple TV allows consumers to use an HDTV set to view photos, play

music and watch video originating from limited Internet services or a
local network. The first generation offered iTunes, Flickr,
MobileMe/.Mac and YouTube. The second generation added Netflix.
Both models supported downloading/streaming podcasts.
Supported Internet media services include:

 Apple TV can display photos from Flickr and iCloud in a slideshow,

with automatic cross-dissolve transitions, and optionally with the
Ken Burns effect
 Netflix streaming integration was added in the September 2010
revision.
 Disney Channel, Disney XD, Vevo, Smithsonian Networks and The
Weather Channel integration was added on August 27, 2013.
Yahoo Screen and PBS were added on November 19, 2013.
 The WWE Network was added around the time of its late
February 2014 launch, along with Red Bull TV and TV4 for
Swedish viewers.
 History, Lifetime and A&E were added in April 2014.
 ABC News, AOL, PBS Kids, and Willow TV were added in June
2014.
 CNBC, FOX NOW, as well as TV 2 Sumo for Norway and Esporte
Interativo for Brazil were added in July 2014.
 NFL Now and Showtime Anytime, as well as NRK for Norway and
SVT for Sweden were added in August 2014.
 CNN, Tastemade, TED and Young Hollywood were added in March
2015.
 HBO Now was announced March 2015 and was added to the Apple
TV in April 2015 as part of HBO's exclusive partnership with
Apple.
 NBC Sports was added in April 2015.
 USA Now and CBS Sports were added in May 2015.
Apple TV can be controlled by many infrared remote controls[83] or
paired with the included Apple Remote to prevent interference from
other remotes. Either kind of remote can control playback volume, but
for music only.

The Apple Wireless Keyboard is supported on the 2nd generation Apple

TV and later using the built-in Bluetooth. The consumer has the ability
to control media playback, navigate menus and input text and other
information. Third-party keyboards that use the Apple layout may also
be compatible.