PS3 VS XBOX360 VS PC (new angle)

It'd have to be PC. The Xbox has a god awful media player, and it's Media Center Extender thing is equally god awful in a completely different way. The PS3 requires you run special software on the PC side of things if you want to stream content, and it's only real saving grace is the bluray drive. Of course I'd recommend you only watch movies with the PS3 if you have no interest in it as a game console. That's because the PS3's bluray drive is the ONLY bluray drive that can also read PS3 game discs. So why waste the laser's finite life on movies when standalone bluray players will ultimately get cheaper as time goes by, and can be replaced with ease. If you use your PS3, and the drive craps out, then you lose your movie player AND game console at the same time.

What I would highly recommend, is a cheap slimline or compact PC running Windows or Linux and then booting straight into XBMC. XBMC is what Windows Media Center should be/have been. Plays virtually anything you throw at it, free, regularly updated, and loads of options you'll never find in a commercial solution, like being able to automatically skip those annoying intros on DVDs. You can also scrape sites like TV.com and IMDB to get info about TV shows and movies.

I like to rip copies of TV shows/movies I buy on DVD, then store them on an external drive connected to my main computer. I then stream them, via my HTPC. No having to hunt for a specific disc if I'm in the mood to watch say Pysch or maybe watch the movie PCU. It's all right there, ready to go.

About the only thing you can't really do very easily with XBMC is watch/record TV, but it's free so you can't complain too much. And if you're running Linux you could probably easily set up MythTV to automatically record shows and dump them into specific directories that you can then access via XBMC to watch later.

If you don't really care about really high def stuff, you could probably jump on ebay and find an original Xbox. With a quick softmod or modchip installation, you can install the Xbox version of XBMC, which is a bit "slicker" than the other versions, since it was the original. XBMC used to be called Xbox Media Center. The only real issue is that the hardware of the Xbox is a bit limiting in terms of what can be decoded.

Anyway, the PC is a MUCH better platform for this sort of thing. The other two lock you into their own proprietary solutions.

It's far too noisy. It has little to do with anything else but all the 360s I've heard are far too loud.

The PS3 did make the cut and was not loud and while it does eventually rev up the fans it has not approached the level of any 360 we've heard.
Bob

If you are interested in having media capabilities first and foremost, you'd have a better time with a PC. Then you could download or install a couple games and switch between them.

I've heard the PS3 makes for a solid home theater box, considering it has Blu-Ray and internet connectivity, so if you didn't need a computer, I'd consider that second. I haven't spent a good deal of time with a PS3 though, so don't just count on my opinion.

Now, I love my 360s for the games and the LIVE service, but indeed, the media capabilities are lacking. I've had extreme difficulty in linking one Xbox to my Windows desktop for music streaming. It simply won't work, with WMC freezing up on both ends. I do like the video marketplace and the Netflix options, but considering most of my media content exists on my Mac, I often use iTunes, Hulu, or I go in the other room and see what's playing live in HD. That said, the Xbox is a really, really great gaming console. I just finished playing through Halo ODST and it was a memorable experience. I much prefer the game selection for the 360. And for casual gamers like yourself, it's very convenient to have the Arcade available for separate game downloads, be it for a simple family-oriented game, or a complete game such as an Xbox original or a something through the Games On-Demand service. It's useful.

-BMF