San Francisco -- Further details have emerged regarding Apple's upcoming Apple TV set top media device, due to be released this February for US$299. A first look over at Macworld News describes how the device, once hooked up, will appear in iTunes under the source list, much like a mounted iPod or other device currently does now. Select the Apple TV icon and you can choose which data is synched to the Apple TV from your Mac (such as movies, TV shows, music, playlists and photos).

Apple currently estimates that the 40 gigabyte hard drive that ships with the Apple TV can hold 50 hours of video data or 9,000 songs or 25,000 pictures.

In environments where more than one computer is present, the Apple TV will synch with one computer to store data on its hawrd drive but will also link with up to five other computers and stream data from them using an 802.11n networking protocol for wireless synching as well as an Ethernet connection when applicable.

The Apple TV will only synch with iTunes libraries once it's received permission from the user. When the Apple TV tries to connect, it displays a PIN code to the TV screen that must be entered for the Apple TV to synch with the library.

Apple has taken an unexpected stance with the included USB port on the Apple TV device, booth representatives citing that the port will be unable to connect to an external hard drive and is for "maintenance use only".

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