I was hoping Apple TV would allow additional codecs, and I have a feeling Apple would love to support them. Unfortunately, Apple can’t ship the Apple TV with codecs such as Xvid. Shipping them would cause problems with licensing and most importantly, keeping the content providers on board with the iTunes platform. However, Apple can make installing codecs as easy as possible in hopes the device will becoming a modder’s dream. Unlike devices like Microsoft’s Xbox, Apple is not selling the Apple TV at a loss, so if people are buying them for the sake of modding that’s only more money in Apple’s pocket.

Depending on how the Apple TV modding scene matures, I could easily see myself picking up one down the road. I’m avid podcast/vidcast subscriber and always searching for a method to bring that content into the living room. My current solution is Xbox Media Center, but with more and more content being pushed out in H.264, the Xbox’s 733 MHz Pentium III can’t keep up. While the Apple TV would satisfy my podcasting needs out of the box, it would not satisfy my TV habits. I need the Xvid codec for my shows, which the modding scene will certainly make a reality.