I"m thinking about getting a BR player and since there's all the hoopla about some players needing firmware updates b/c not all of them are 2.0 profile etc. Would buying a BR laptop be a good compromise for the time being? I'm assuming that any necessary updates would be easier to update on a laptop vs. a standard player. Or would laptops come with the most updated software so it can utilize all the special features etc on a BR disc? And since I need a laptop anyways, this seems like a good idea.

Id wait till Macworld in January if I were you and hop on a fresh new Apple Macbook Pro with built in blu ray drive (LONG rumored...it would make a lot of sense to come out then, Apple is a key member of the BDA).

Simply no. If you are worried about future updates to Blu-ray, get a PS3. Within 48 hours it is being updated to BD Profile 1.1 via firmware 2.10. The PS3 is simply the most stable, future proof HD player of this generation and with its easy access to constant firmware updates one never has to worry about it.

Apple has announced nothing about Blu-ray and its been out for a year and a half. I wouldn't hold my breath on Apple.

Even the largest laptop screen is not likely large enough to give an indicator of the better quality of BD over SDVD, I would take the laptop money, get a PS3 AND an HDTV. You could still probably spend less than a BD-equipped laptop.

Get the PS3 if you want good updates. Get the laptop if you want something cool that serves zero purpose on a laptop.

If you have a projector, the laptop is extremely efficient. I run BD and HD DVD discs over a projector on a laptop for my film club all the time. As I type this, I'm running the Infernal Affairs BD on my laptop and projecting it at 100". Works great.

Unless he's looking for portability, he'd STILL be better off with a PS3 and a projector as the TV.

How do you run BDs and HD DVDs on the same laptop? If you have one laptop of each flavor then you must have some mad cash.

I run the 360 drive via USB. And the portability of a laptop alone makes it excellent for powering a projector.

PS3 Remotes suck. Why Sony picked Bluetooth is beyond my comprehension. They have USB adaptors for remotes but they dont give power on access.