Already had Harmony Remote working with AppleTV. Streaming to Airport Express is a welcome and long-awaited feature though. Now to download & test.

You've misunderstood. This update isn't necessary in order to use a universal remote. The whole point of a universal remote is that it has a database of codes that third party remotes use, and failing that can learn the codes directly from remotes, and can therefore replace any IR remote. The Harmony database includes the Apple remote codes and therefore can already be used to replace an Apple remote.

This AppleTV update takes the idea in the opposite direction: the AppleTV's receiver can learn to respond to non Apple remote codes. This is useful because many TV manufacturers ship TVs with remotes that will also control the same brand's DVD players. So let's say you've got a Sony TV, no Sony DVD player and an AppleTV. The Sony TV's remote has play, skip, menu etc. buttons (for controlling a Sony DVD player that you don't actually have). Now, with this update to the AppleTV, the Sony remote can be used to control the AppleTV.

In conclusion, this update eliminates the requirement for a universal remote if you've a simple setup of a TV and an AppleTV, and the TV's remote control has the necessary play, skip etc. buttons.

Now all they have to do is make it useful by allowing DVR functionality. Why this has not be implemented is beyond me. ATV has far less functionality than competing units.

Maybe because ATV is supposed to replace your cable box, not supplement it. Why pay a flat subscription rate to the cable companies when you can have a la carte!

I predict a DVR in my aTV just as soon as there's an FM tuner in my iPod.

(Half past never.)

This is pretty cool. I don't have to have the G5 that holds my music turned on for the Airport Express.

I think it should stream to Macs and iPhones / touch too.

My AppleTV is rebooting right now with 2.3. I am totally psyched about the AirTunes. I've been wondering why this wasn't there before!! Now my home music system is complete.

Jim

that actually made me laugh out loud... so true...

Hah, I swore the Apple TV had the AirTunes capabilities since launch! Well, the new IR stuff sounds good.


And @ people who might want to turn this into a DVR vs. no-DVR discussion,

Please stop while you're behind. The iTunes Store, which provides content (a la carte) to Apple TV users, is in direct competition with cable TV boxes/subscriptions.

Now a Netflix Instant Watch portal similar to the flickr photo album portal? That's a possibility (though I suspect Apple would want to enhance such a service by making the movies actually download to the hard drive and make all Instant Watch movies browse-able right off the device, rather than requiring interaction with a computer).

Yep, the Netflix and Flickr tie-ins would be nice. A Safari browser and optional keyboard for the AppleTV we be nice too.