True, Apple TV does not currently support 1080p.  It displays at 1080i; which, at $229 for such a small box, I would have thought there'd be more interest in making it something more useful -- like a Media Director.

Looking at the alternatives, a Fiire Box for $499 or similar barebones PC for $400 - $500, I'm guessing that there is some other reason why people aren't snapping up ATVs and hacking them into MDs.

Maybe I'm missing the point. Is there some other preferred hardware that I'm overlooking?

Hi all - I realize there's a few threads on turning Apple TVs into Media Directors such as

http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=2474.0   and

http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=2358.0

but I'm curious about the device's limited movement into the Linux MCE world. Given the $229 price and sweet form factor, it seems that the box is screaming to be used as an affordable, and powerful, Media Director. I'm guessing there's a few people thinking about mounting one of these behind their LCD/plasma screens.

Is anyone out there thinking the same thing or had any luck setting it up?