in about a month my wife and i will be moving into a new apartment where we'll be getting new furniture and everything.  we don't have a DVD player at this point, and to minimize the total number of hardware we own, it's quite likely we'll be getting a ps3 or xbox 360 as a substitute for a DVD player.

we already have a wii, and we have a minimal need for the games that are on ps3 or xbox 360.  i am interested in some of the sports games on HD consoles (like NHL 09), but don't care about shooters or most of the other games.

so i'm debating between a ps3 or 360.  i would probably be getting a ps3 if not for the fact that 360 now has direct netflix streaming.  i do not want to set up software to stream netflix from my PC to my console, because i do not own a PC (a laptop, yes, but i use it for work).  i am committed to getting high-speed internet access, and i'll be getting a plasma TV ~50 inch.  thinking of a panasonic, i welcome your opinion on the TV as well.

anyway, ps3 appears to have better interface for media entertainment, like they have a remote control for the console, right?  that plays a big role.  i don't think the 360 has one.  ps3 is also bulkier, which is a minus.

what do you guys think?  360 or ps3?  has anybody tried netflix on 360?

i could also end up getting a standalone blu-ray player if i can find one cheap, like below $100, or maybe $150, so that i don't feel like i'm wasting money on a ps3 or 360.

You need a Ps3.

The Ps3 and the 360 are pretty much the same size. The difference is the 360 has an external power brick.

And you're interested in blu-ray apparently.

And you can download movies on the PS3 (buy not rent)

And MLB The Show is exclusive to Ps3 Madden and NHL are multiplats.

(Im pretty sure 360 has a remote)

Get a PS3, the Xbox is so loud that it will damage your DVD watching experience, and the PS3 obviously has blu-ray capabilities, and if you are into sports games, the exclusive MLB the Show

Also, both have media remotes, 1st and 3rd party, though the PS3 is harder to integrate into an all in one remote as it works by bluetooth

Well the 360 has a remote, but I'd say the PS3 because of blu ray, would be bad to buy a blu ray player in one year... I also don't think that the NXE would suit well to a media entertainment experience.

"Minimal Gamer?"

You need a PS3, it has the most minimal amount of games.

 MY thoughts also get a PS3

If you're not interested in the games, I would just watch for a great deal on a Blu-ray player. Prices have dropped tremendously, and should continue to fall further.

If you're interested in the 360 Netflix streaming, it is possible that a Blu-ray add-on drive may be produced for the 360, though with the aforementioned price drops happening this may not come to pass.

The Bluetooth remote can indeed be annoying if you like to use one universal remote for all your devices. If not, it's nice not having to worry about line-of-sight.

well with so many posts you have I would think you have read enough on this site to make a decision...

Well for starts the 360 Does have a Remote for it, it even has the Media Server connection button on the remote, if you have certain versions of Vista then it would be a dream come true.

Think about uploading ALL your DvD's to you Hard Drive on the PC then just streaming them to your 360, or you can pay the $8.95 a month for Unlimited Movie Downloads / Streaming to your 360.

Even if you don't use Netflix, 360 has a Huge selection of TV and Movies on it's own.

360 + Vista Media Server is a dream come true if your into storing DvD's.

I love Netflix, I don't even use my Media server anymore, I have over 57 movies lined up, you can flip through the movie boxes like a Rolodex on the 360.

Don't get me wrong the PS3 is nice with Blu-ray... but it's not to user friendly when it comes to Media servers, from when I tried anyway. Also services like Netflix might be the way of the future.

Also don't go with Plasma unless you get the rotating pixel plasma, Plasma TV's are very, very, easy to burn images on screen when gaming.

They have gotten better, but still not perfect.

LCD or DLP. DLP because they are cheap and have a damn nice picture.

Not to mention Samsung (or was it Mitsubishi?) just came out with Laser DLP, witch will be better then any Plasma or LCD on the market, or so many say so far..

 Can you read?

This really isn't true.  A good plasma screen will not easily suffer permanent burn-in.  There may be a break-in period, but the superior picture quality makes it worthwhile.

EDIT:  (@ OP) I definitely agree that Panasonic is a good choice for the television.