PS3 vs. Standalone Player

[ThugKing6669]

Hi everyone. I've finally decided to get into the whole blu-ray craze. The only problem is I'm not sure what to get. I will be purchasing a 1080p HDTV to go along with whatever player I choose.

I've been looking at the Panasonic BD35K and the Sony Playstation 3. The PS3 seems like a good choice since I am a gamer as well. Both seem to feature the same kind of features (BD Live, DVD Upscaling 1080p, etc.), but I don't know which one to go with.

Can anyone who owns either or both give me any help deciding which one to go with. Also, how well does the PS3 hold up when being used as a Blu-ray player?

I realize that a stand alone player would perform better than a game system, and I would prefer a stand alone, but if the PS3 is good enough I wouldn't mind going with that as long as it's durable enough to be used as both a Blu-ray player and a gaming machine.