Oh, Dave, how can you not grasp the greatness of the little black box?
Both hubby and I and my brother "cut the cable" because of Apple TV. That is, we cancelled cable service and got rid of the DVR, because everything we watch is either downloadable or streamable, or both.
Everything is in one place. Everything. TV? iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, network sites. Click and play.
Live sports? Click and play.
Movies? Netflix. Search and play. (if it's choppy, dude, upgrade your connection. That's not the Apple TV's fault.) Or rip your existing DVD and play.
Music? Click and play. Radio? Yep, through iTunes, click and play.
My toddler knows all her extended family on sight, even the ones she only sees every few months, because I have all their photos as the Apple TV screensaver.
I no longer have to have the DVR, the DVD player, and the cable box, plus their attendant spaghetti of wires, plus the laptop, all cluttering up the living room (and seriously, why would I want to watch something on the laptop when I have a beautiful large TV set and a nice speaker system?). Just one little black box, with a remote slightly larger than a stick of gum.
Try setting up a Roku box some time if you think the Apple TV ain't all that.