my DVD player kicked the bucket.
i want to replace it with something that plays DVDs and streams netflix and hulu .. wirelessly.
any suggestions?

A Playstation 3 will do all that, plus Blu-ray.

does it matter that my TV is a big ole one? standard def and shit.

Nah, it comes with cables for SD TVs.

I just looked though and Hulu is blocked on PS3 unless you do a workaround, which is a bit of a pain. They're lame like that, wanting you to watch on a computer, not a TV.

Yeah, does Hulu work on any device other than an actual computer?

Man, the Wii would be the perfect thing if only it played DVDs. Really stupid that it doesn't. I have a PS3, too, and I honestly don't like the thing that much. The interfaces, etc, just aren't designed very well, and the web browser really blows. It's funny; when it comes to interfaces and design in the gaming world, Nintendo is totally the equivalent to Apple, and Sony is totally like Microsoft/Windows. (And well, Microsoft is Microsoft.)

hmm.. maybe i should just get a cheap windows box with a dvd player or some shit

You stream hulu and others to an Xbox 360 or PS3 using a PC app called Tversity.
http://tversity.com/

All else being equal though, I wouldn't buy a console unless you know you are going to play games.

You can get a blu-ray player with streaming netflix for less than $200, but it won't be wireless and blu-ray seems silly with standard def.

I'd just buy a $40 budget DVD player and spend the $100 or so on a Roku box. The Roku's are wireless, easy to set up and don't take up much space. Spend the extra money to get an HD model so you can use it with your next TV.

You've apparently done this before.

Yeah, I've installed Roku's at all of my parental unit's domiciles. Great devices, and they keep adding new functionality through firmware updates. Mom's geeked about a last.fm type service called Pandora after the last one.