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Both Microsoft and Apple want to be your go-to home entertainment brand. But, right now, Apple is charging a little less for the privilege.

Let’s say you want to be able to [legally] download movies then watch them on your big screen HDTV. You can go with the Microsoft model, that is, buy a 20GB Xbox 360 Pro or 120GB Elite (since the Arcade doesn’t have the out-of-the-box storage capacity to make a fair comparison) for $350 or $450, respectively, and rent HD movies for $6 a pop. Or, you can go with the Apple model and buy a 40GB Apple TV for $230 or a 160GB model $330, with HD movies going for $5.

The cheapest Microsoft-based system costs $356, $350 for a Pro and $6 for a single HD movie.

The cheapest Apple-based system costs $235, $230 for an Apple TV and $5 for the single HD movie.

Either way, you’ll be able to watch HD movies on your big screen far more easily than how I do it.

iTunes HD Movie Rentals $1 Less Than XBL [1UP.com]