I still think HD DVD was better. But I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles (please add obnoxious sarcastic laugh). BD Profile 2 kinda brings it up to where HD DVD was originally less people forget. With Black Friday quickly approaching we'll see how lower BD players effect sales of PS3. Sony might have won the HD battle but did they sacrifice their position as gaming guru? Discuss amongst yourselves...

I don't know if the inquirer is "techie" enough to just say build an HTPC or to set up your 360 or PS3 to stream content. For average folks, doing things like this is time consuming, confusing and for the most part out of the question.

I personally own an ATV, 360, PS3 and HTPC all streaming and syncing with bells and whistles. In my opinion, the ATV is the easiest and most efficient means of accessing movies in both standard format and HD for the typical user. It's interface is easy to use and as with all apple products, networking is a piece of cake. I haven't demoed VUDU or ROKU so I can't say if they are equal to or better than the ATV. However, simply for easy of setup and use I would recommend the ATV (even if its in stage 2 of its development)

The most important question to ask yourself when considering a console purchase is “What do you intend to do with it?”

To Play Games:

It comes down to personal choice. Both systems are equally competitive as far as games although the 360 has a year lead and about 200 more available titles (although not all good). Ports of games to PS3 have tended be slightly less in graphics and features although some ports do stand out. PS3 however is hitting its mark and this year will have a bunch of great games. Also, developers have more experience making games for PS3 so multiplatform titles will not have the graphical differences as 1st year titles did.

Social Gaming:

Personal Preference. PS3 is free and the games support some large multiplayer games. However, mods and cheats may be an issue and online support is solely the responsibility of the game developer. Xbox Live costs 50 bucks a year but with that comes a highly organized gaming network that includes match making, cheat protection, and in game social networks. Of course PS3 is coming out with HOME that will in base form function like Live but a release continues to be unknown.

To Stream Media:

TVersity and other programs work very well on both systems. The dashboard crossbar of the PS3 makes it easy to access media. However accessing the media (i.e. music) while playing a game, (I do not believe) is capable. The 360 is a media center extender so media organized on a windows pc via media center will already be available on the 360. The downside of the media center is a standalone program that runs and requires you to quit to access the 360 Dashboard. On the other hand, the 360 offers access to media (i.e. music) while playing a game through its in game dashboard access. Nice feature for gamers.

Connectivity:

PS3 has integrated wireless. 360 is an add on. Of course, depending upon your wireless network, wireless may or may not be good thing. The PS3 also has an internet browser, however, I personally do not find it easy to use and would much rather hop on my PC or mac to surf the internet. The PS3 also lacks in downloadable media, although it will be coming in the very near future. No movies, no rentals. Nothing. The 360 has a wide range of available media including HD content. It’s another debate as to whether or not the HD rentals from Xbox are truly HD but nonetheless they are there.

I’m sure I’ve missed a bunch of points for each system but based on the guy asking the question, I’d have to favor the 360. I feel there are more introductory game titles for the 360 and its capability to run HD content is just as good as the PS3.

I own both as well as a bunch of HD content (HD DVD, BluRay). And I also stream content from both my Mac and Vista HTPC.

While it is true that a HTPC can outperform these players in upconvert quality, the point behind any standalone player is to bring it to the living in a way most people can use. It may be cliche but there are still people who don't know how to set the time on their VCR (yes people still use them). For someone looking for a cheap way to upconvert in the living room, an HD DVD unit is good investment. Plus you can find HD movies on the cheap.

Nice deal! I want the Old Spice

I agree TrentD, I believe HD-DVD is a better format but the war does need to come to an end. Although, in retrospect I could care less as an adopter of both formats.