The major difference I've seen so far being that AirPlay actually works. Seriously, I tried DLNA to the PS3 and to other computers, and on the rare occasion that the products that said they were DLNA compatible actually produced video, they were often choppy. Same hardware and network all around, replace the PS3 with an ATV, use iTunes, and it all worked perfectly from the first moment, not even a stutter. After my previous experience with various DLNA clients and servers, I was very impressed.
but that’s the Apple way, take something already out there, give it a cooler name and a sexier UI
True, true, and true. But add two: making it work seamlessly, and charging more. Like I always say, Apple is rarely the first to do something, but Apple is often the first to do it *right*.
For a lot of things the reason Apple does it right is because they own the whole thing. When you control the hardware and software on both ends it’s easy to make it work smoothly. I experimented with a lot of DLNA software before I found one that was pretty good. And I still don’t use it because I’m just not geared that way, if I was willing to setup a media PC I would but argue with computers all day at work I don’t like to at home. For me stick on a thumbdrive and sneakernet it to the bluray is the way to go.