Well, it looks like some competition for the Apple TV is arriving soon, in the form of a hardware device that hooks up to your television and streams video content. It will be around $100 and available to current Netflix members. The hardware is designed by Roku, who makes an audio product called the SoundBridge.

I must say, the price point is definitely tempting - cheaper than the Apple TV. Also, the content streams for free instead of paying for each download. You do pay the monthly Netflix fee that most customers are already paying. One could see it as paying $100 to bring “Watch Now” to your television.

The downsides are that the content isn’t comprehensive, and the hardware looks really hokey (the remote looks like a toy), and the onscreen interface looks rather “meh” in comparison to Apple’s glossy UI.

Stil, despite my misgivings aside, I’ll still likely get one, mostly due to the low price point of $100 - although I already have an Apple TV. $100 is a very low entry point, especially considering the price of movie tickets these days. Add on the fact that the content streams for free as opposed to Apple’s pay per play, and it looks like a really good deal.

I wonder if Apple will react in some way. I really hope they change their 24 hour rental limit, or lower their prices for the Apple TV hardware or movie rentals. The Apple TV now has some competition and that means the consumers will benefit.

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