One of the biggest outstanding questions is: what is the unspecified "Intel Processor" in the AppleTV? Rumors has mentioned several likely possibilities including the Core-derived E1000 series chips which are quite specifically optimized for the sorts of applications, including H.264 video encoding/decoding and very high quality progressive scan image optimization, that AppleTV includes as its key features.

But thus far, nobody seems prepared to say specifically. Some sources suggest that the prototypes used thus far have been heavily "black-boxed" and used a different processor than the final version will -- much as the Apple-Intel Developer Reference Computer used Pentium 4 processors instead of Core Duo.