With everyone talking about the iPhone, the new Apple TV set-top box might have gone under the radar but I think it will definitely bring digital entertainment closer to the living room. Whereas full-blown HTPC's cost rather a lot more (and offer a lot more too), this little gadget is priced at $300 and includes 802.11n Wi-Fi, 40GB HDD, and 720p output via HDMI. I think if you're not after PVR (say you got the MultiChoice one already), it's a very viable alternative - I'd love a slick UI for my music, podcasts, and the odd downloaded TV show. I wonder what the local pricing will be - I guess about R3,000? I think it's real competitor is the Xbox 360, not so much HTPC's.
http://www.apple.com/appletv/
http://www.apple.com/appletv/
