OK, I have a launch 60G, it is fully backwards compatible with PS1 & PS2 games, the 80G is not, but since you are not a big gamer this is probably not going to be a problem.
Motorstorm is a nice looking game as is F1 Championship edition & DiRT ( I put up links in the other post you made)
So with your $100 coupon the 80G is probably the way to go since I would imagine you will probably download a bunch of HD movie trailers like I did!
The PS3 uses a standard laptop hard drive & is very easy to upgrade if you ever need more room.
This is the HDMI cable I'm using right now.
It's cheap but it works, & yes you use a standard cable, only if you go Composite (it's included), component or S-Video do you need a proprietary cable.
I put a list of current & future games on your other post too.
Absolutely get the
Bluetooth remote it's much better than using the controller for movie playback.
Also I wouldn't get any extra controllers just yet, the Dual Shock 3 controllers with the rumble features will be out next year.
This is the wheel/pedal combination I use, if you like driving games get a force feedback wheel, it's much better driving with the wheel instead of the controller.