Apple TV, take 2: No PC required, HD movie rentals, Dolby Digital sound

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Apple TV has been a bust thus far, but Apple hasn’t given up on the concept yet. Here’s what Jobs just announced during his MacWorld keynote.

• It’s a free software update. No having to buy Apple TV V2 or anything.

• Most importantly you no longer need a PC/Mac to use Apple TV. You’ll be able to rent movies, including high-def movies for $4.99, right from the device itself. You can also buy music right from the device. Note that Jobs said he’ll never let iTunes have a music rental service.

• Apple TV now supports Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.

• Apple dropped the price from $299 to $229.