Over the past few months, a variety of reports have speculated about the future of the Apple TV. Some have flat-out asked if the device “will die,” and although I can’t be sure of that answer, I still like to believe that Apple wants to make it the cornerstone of any home theater. So if you’re asking me to answer that question, I’d say, “Not yet.”

Regardless of my own stance, there are still a host of issues surrounding the Apple TV. First off, it is estimated to have sold just 400,000 units, according to Forrester Research, which is an astounding 600,000 units shy of what the research firm originally believed Apple would have sold by now.

To make matters worse, Apple has yet to provide a decent array of videos on its iTunes store. And ever since Steve Jobs called the Apple TV a “hobby,” some have wondered how dedicated the company really is to seeing this product succeed.

Yet while Apple’s questionable dedication may stand in the way of the Apple TV’s success, there are still a few ways the company can turn the tide.

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Starting early next year, PS3 owners with Internet access in Japan will reportedly be able to download a host of HD offerings directly onto their PS3 hard drives (see our previous coverage). So now that both Sony and Microsoft are trying to provide video services to device owners, it begs the question: Does video have a place in the world of video games?

It depends.

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Although the adoption of CableCARD tuners has been relatively slow, Dell hopes it can jump-start sales by including CableCARD-enabled digital cable tuners across its high-end PC lineup. So far, the company has yet to announce all of the computers on which the tuners will be installed, but it did say that its XPS 420 will use ATI’s Digital Wonder.

CableCARDs, which plug into your computer and allow you to view programming offered by your cable company on your monitor, have always been on the minds of the people at Dell, according to the company, but they feel that now is the best time to get in on the CableCARD game and start offering computers with CableCARDs included, starting next year.

And while Dell may believe these tuners will help sell computers, I’m not so quick to agree. In an environment in which people are becoming increasingly portable, CableCARDs are not. According to Dell, CableCARDs are locked down and only work in a specific city. Once you venture outside of a cable company’s sphere of influence, they become practically useless.

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With the official start of the holiday shopping season almost a week old, I thought it was time to find some of those products that you may have on your Christmas list and tell you why you should wait until after the holidays before you cross them off. After all, any savings will help you buy something else, right? So without further ado, here’s a list of products that are currently way overpriced. Please feel free to share your list of products in the comments.

Cowon A3 Portable Media Player: If you’re in the mood for something a bit different than your current PMP, the Cowon A3 is not a good place to start. Sure, it’s quite powerful (it sports a 800×480 screen and supports DivX, Ogg, MP3 and AAC), but at $350 for 30GB and $400 for 60GB, your money is better spent elsewhere.

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In a move that should help create a more streamlined process of watching video in your home (and maybe even reduce your cable bill), TiVo and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) have unveiled an external adapter that will connect to your TiVo and allow for cable providers to use switched video without sacrificing the DVR’s functionality. Even better, the external adapter will eliminate the need for yet another set-top box. The adapters will begin shipping to TiVo and other CableCARD device owners in the second quarter of 2008.

Switched video (also called switched digital video) is a term coined by the cable industry to describe the distribution of video through a cable with limited capacity. A non-switched video system will eat up huge sums of bandwidth because any and all available channels must be made available through a coaxial cable. A switched video system, on the other hand, will only make available those channels that have been requested, freeing up much more bandwidth and ostensibly allowing for a considerable amount of cost savings for cable providers.

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If you’re unwilling to pony up the kind of cash it takes to buy an HDTV and maintain a monthly satellite or cable subscription, but you still want to view HD content, you’re in luck — especially if you already spend much of your time in front of a computer. With the help of some of the following tips, HD content without an HDTV can be at your fingertips.

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With Microsoft’s announcement of the Windows Home Server launch yesterday, the propaganda machines on both sides of the aisle are heating up. On one end, people are claiming that Windows Home Server will soon prove to be the one product that will finally revolutionize the way we enjoy movies and music in our homes. On the other, there is the claim Windows Home Server is nothing more than a mass storage device that can do everything a NAS storage device can do now. And while that may make sense to some, the real benefit of Windows Home Server is its ability to store huge amounts of data, allowing you to access your files from anywhere in the world.

More than anything else, two features of the multimedia industry have emerged over the past year: People want the devices in their homes to talk to each other, and those same people are more than willing to watch video on their computer screens. In fact, the head of Alcatel’s (ALA) fixed communications division, Michel Rahier, stated just last year that he believes “there will be about 100 million subscribers to IPTV by 2010.” And while this does not necessarily mean that all of those people will be watching shows on their computers, it makes Windows Home Server an even more valuable commodity in the home.

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With yesterday’s announcement that it will offer support for the My DVR Expander, progressive viewing, TiVoToGo, and a multi-room viewing feature, TiVo is finally giving its Series3 and HD boxes an upgrade.

It’s been worth the wait.

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Pinnacle, a company best known for its PCTV line of tuners that allow you to bring television to your PC, has announced a new set of TV tuner devices that may make it easier for you to watch your favorite shows on your computer.

The first — a PCTV HD Ultimate Stick — is a portable TV tuner that connects to any PC via USB 2.0. Once connected, the installation-free device will allow you to watch any SD or free HD content on your computer and even allows you to record the show you’re watching.

Unlike other products of its kind, the HD Ultimate Stick runs the PVR software (Pinnacle TVCenter Pro) straight from the device, alleviating any need to install software before you start using the product. Interestingly enough, the Stick is flash-based, which means you can record shows directly to the product, but considering its price ($129.99 direct), the undisclosed capacity will probably be quite small and recording long shows may be difficult. Pinnacle is claiming the stick can record up to two hours of programming.

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As an Apple TV owner, I typically find little reason to use different solutions to take media from my computer and view it on my television. That said, there are a number of products out there that may be able to give you what you want, in some cases without having to pay the $299 it takes to have an Apple TV. You decide. Read more of this story