I pulled an Apple TV out of the trash and I really enjoy it.

I would have never paid for one, having used games consoles for streaming before it. But now that I've got it, I would find it difficult to go back.

The VLC app plays my entire media collection off my NAS without any config. None of the apps I've installed have had ads.

I'm sure a cheaper setup would work, like a mini-htpc running linux, but then my wife wouldn't be able to use it.