Price is $399 msrp. (haven’t read all the comments so maybe someone already chimed in). You can use virtually any half-decent IR remote. It doesn’t need to be a fancy URC remote, although functionality is improved with a URC device.

More details here (and why people are really loving this thing)

http://tinyurl.com/URCpsx2

From the article:

The product lets you use any universal remote to navigate anywhere on an iPod with the press of a single button – even places on the iPod that you never knew existed.

What makes the dock smart are the “hooks” (as Johnson calls them) that enable users to do the unthinkable: like add the current song to a playlist – on the fly. Try doing that with an iPod.

The Apple TV has a hard drive, and unless I’m missing it, this doesn’t.  This is really an iPod dock on steroids, which is fine—but A) Nobody needs to make an “Apple TV killer”; Apple will probably do that by themselves; and B) Since no price is listed, I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that this item costs about 100X what mosts iPod docks cost—making all the comparisons irrelevant.

Hi Ryan, this is off topic, but it’s a good discussion because it is the way home entertainment is going to a certain degree through products like Apple TV.

You are correct that much of the demographic that still uses dial up can’t afford a product from Escient, Kaliedescape, etc, but there are many people that for reasons such as the emotional connection to buying a CD, DVD or Blu ray or simply want a backup copy of their media purchases.

Record stores are by the way at an interesting point in time. CD sales are down, downloads are up, and vinyl is in the midst of a solid revival that is highlighted by Best Buy’s re-entry into the category.

Vinyl is popular again for reasons such as some people prefer the sound of analog; some people like the feeling of looking at liner notes and some have never known anything different (old-school audiophiles, kids raised by parents with large record collections).

Until there is an improvement in the quality of service (QoS) provided by the high-speed Web providers and a large enough market with enough revenues to grow the market there will be room for physical and streaming media.

Experts in the video industry estimate that Blu ray will be a viable format for about 10 years,

Hi Bob.  This is getting way off task.  However, for those that can’t afford high speed internet, can they really afford even an Escient server at around $6000?  Blu-Ray media servers have been around for a while haven’t they (Axonix and now bankrupt Xperinet)?  Do we really believe the DVD medium won’t change because the players exist?  That’s like saying brick-and-mortar music stores can still survive because Sony still makes CD players. 

I do agree that many people like having the physical media.  But even my parents, who love their CD’s, haven’t purchased one since they bought an iPod and a mac.  And as a Control4 dealer, the item we sell with every installation is a Rhapsody subscription. 

Here’s the thing, me saying luxury items (Kaleidescape) won’t exist is like saying there’s no place in the world for Rolls Royce.  I believe people will continue to buy things just because no one else can - not because they have chosen not to get high-speed internet access.  BTW, our local electricity provider is currently running fiber to every neighborhood to provide internet and cable tv.  I don’t think instantaneous streaming is too far off.  I can’t wait!