Apple TV new interface shown off in hands-on photos

Apple has a new version of Apple TV, its set-top box that's used to stream movies and TV shows to your telly. CNET UK has gone hands-on with the new system, which boasts an identical design but a revamped interface, so click through the photos above to ogle it for yourself.

The headline feature of this new version of Apple TV is that it supports 1080p video, up from 720p in the previous version. It's good to see Apple catching up in the image quality stakes.

The interface has been given a refresh, though it's not running the same app-filled iOS software that adorns the iPad and iPhone. Big, friendly icons are the order of the day here -- hopefully this revamped look will make the system easier to navigate.

Using AirPlay you'll be able to 'mirror' the video that's playing on your iPhone or iPad, and Mac OS X Mountain Lion -- the new version of Mac OS X that's landing in the summer -- will let you output your computer's display to a telly using Apple TV. It'll be interesting to see how that mirroring tech (which works over Wi-Fi) handles 1080p videos.

The new version of Apple TV has iCloud, so you'll be able to view all the photos and movies that you've got assigned to Apple's cloud storage service. Photo Stream in iCloud meanwhile is an app that'll put all your pictures on your telly, so you can force unwitting relatives to view your holiday snaps on the big screen.

Apple is rumoured to be working on a proper TV set, so this could be the last edition of Apple TV we ever see. It costs £99 and will be out on 16 March (alongside the new iPad), so let me know whether you'll be buying one in the comments below, or over on our Facebook wall.