New Sony, Old Sony

April 30, 2006 By

Scoble's new Sony HDTV

Astute watchers of my Flickr feed noticed something new showed up in my family room tonight.

How did I get Maryam to allow this? Five simple words:

No payments for 18 months.

Heheh.

Here's the Sony model I bought.

It's awesome, by the way. It's HUGE and crisp.

My brother also has one, he did a lot of research and found it's the sharpest resolution at about a $3,000 price range.

That's our old Sony in the background. We're off to Fred Meyer to buy some cables and get it setup.

Maryam's reaction? She's playing Zuma and says "great, now I'll have to call in sick tomorrow." She loves it! See, Maryam, far better than a stove. :-)

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  • http://larrymyers.com/ Larry

    Scoble,

    Do you intend to pay it off before the 18 months is up? I’m always wary of offers like this, mostly because you have no idea what monkey wrench could be thrown your way 18 months from now. I figure with the exception of houses just about everything else should be paid for in cash. Yes, that includes cars too.

  • http://larrymyers.com Larry

    Scoble,

    Do you intend to pay it off before the 18 months is up? I’m always wary of offers like this, mostly because you have no idea what monkey wrench could be thrown your way 18 months from now. I figure with the exception of houses just about everything else should be paid for in cash. Yes, that includes cars too.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Yes. If you don’t they backcharge you 18 months of interest at 25%. Not fun.

    Of course, you can move the entire cost over to something else, like a credit card, or my house’s credit account.

    I agree. But, what the heck.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Yes. If you don’t they backcharge you 18 months of interest at 25%. Not fun.

    Of course, you can move the entire cost over to something else, like a credit card, or my house’s credit account.

    I agree. But, what the heck.

  • http://makemeswitch.blogspot.com/ Stefan Constantinescu

    CONGRADULATIONS!

    Now the problem you’ll run into: content

    Better sign up and get either hd cable or sat, I’m sure the 360 looks mighty pretty on that thing :-)

    Not bad for the price, I’m up to $1118 myself

    Noticed the Z-680′s on stands in the background, how shameful, get a real sound system to compliment your new beauty

  • http://makemeswitch.blogspot.com Stefan Constantinescu

    CONGRADULATIONS!

    Now the problem you’ll run into: content

    Better sign up and get either hd cable or sat, I’m sure the 360 looks mighty pretty on that thing :-)

    Not bad for the price, I’m up to $1118 myself

    Noticed the Z-680′s on stands in the background, how shameful, get a real sound system to compliment your new beauty

  • 7of7

    That’s great, can I have your old one?

  • 7of7

    That’s great, can I have your old one?

  • http://www.brandonlive.com/ Brandon Paddock

    Welcome to the world of HD, Robert!

    I also did a similar financing plan when I bought my Samsung 61″ DLP right after I moved out here. I did it to take advantage of a huge sale even though I hadn’t been planning to buy one so soon after moving out here. But I got a 12 or 18 month financing plan for about 75% of the cost. I paid about 25% of it in cash and then paid the rest off within a few months.

  • http://www.brandonlive.com Brandon Paddock

    Welcome to the world of HD, Robert!

    I also did a similar financing plan when I bought my Samsung 61″ DLP right after I moved out here. I did it to take advantage of a huge sale even though I hadn’t been planning to buy one so soon after moving out here. But I got a 12 or 18 month financing plan for about 75% of the cost. I paid about 25% of it in cash and then paid the rest off within a few months.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Stefan: Discovery Channel looks freaking awesome!

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Stefan: Discovery Channel looks freaking awesome!

  • Devil’s Advocate

    Congrats – but mind you there is a catch to these deals. You now have another line of credit open. When you pay it off – be sure to also close the line of credit or it will show as a ding on your credit report.

    I spent quite a lot of time cleaning this stuff up a couple years ago when I bought a house.

    BTW, I’d rather have a new (gas!) stove. :-)

  • Devil’s Advocate

    Congrats – but mind you there is a catch to these deals. You now have another line of credit open. When you pay it off – be sure to also close the line of credit or it will show as a ding on your credit report.

    I spent quite a lot of time cleaning this stuff up a couple years ago when I bought a house.

    BTW, I’d rather have a new (gas!) stove. :-)

  • Nigel

    Nice work Robert, check out an upscaling dvd player, I got a Vega 60″ Rear Pro & was stunnned at how much better dvd’s looked :) .

    Enjoy.

  • Nigel

    Nice work Robert, check out an upscaling dvd player, I got a Vega 60″ Rear Pro & was stunnned at how much better dvd’s looked :) .

    Enjoy.

  • Chris L

    Looks like Sony is still putting Memory Stick slots in their HDTV’s, but no SD slot. It’s the same deal as my Sony from 3 1/2 years ago. Seems that the Playstation 3 will actually have SD though.

  • Chris L

    Looks like Sony is still putting Memory Stick slots in their HDTV’s, but no SD slot. It’s the same deal as my Sony from 3 1/2 years ago. Seems that the Playstation 3 will actually have SD though.

  • http://www.torley.com/ Torley Linden

    Whoa that is YUGE! (As Donald Trump might say.) I’ve never seen something like that for myself in person… it looks regal enough to be on the bridge of the Enterprise!

  • http://www.torley.com Torley Linden

    Whoa that is YUGE! (As Donald Trump might say.) I’ve never seen something like that for myself in person… it looks regal enough to be on the bridge of the Enterprise!

  • http://wiredgecko.typepad.com/grouchyblogger Paul

    Oh wow that is huge! TVs like that are hideously expensive here in South Africa. Still, I could always save …

  • http://wiredgecko.typepad.com/grouchyblogger Paul

    Oh wow that is huge! TVs like that are hideously expensive here in South Africa. Still, I could always save …

  • http://www.brick-labs.com/ Eric D. Burdo

    Zuma? On that! Wow… now I am jealous…

  • http://www.brick-labs.com/ Eric D. Burdo

    Zuma? On that! Wow… now I am jealous…

  • http://www.msmvps.com/glach Matt Gerlach

    Congrats Robert. Welcome to HD gaming goodness.

    Robert, by any chance, have you tried “Bankshot Billars 2″…it is just pool. Its pretty cool, download the demo and give it a shot.

  • http://www.msmvps.com/glach Matt Gerlach

    Congrats Robert. Welcome to HD gaming goodness.

    Robert, by any chance, have you tried “Bankshot Billars 2″…it is just pool. Its pretty cool, download the demo and give it a shot.

  • Dave

    I’ve always had one problem with this kind of purchase :

    Product lifetime.

    Over the last 30 years televisions have come a long way. Prices have too. And lifetimes? Nope. They STILL have about 10 years before the picture degrades.

    I just can’t seem to justify spending $3000 for something like that.

  • Dave

    I’ve always had one problem with this kind of purchase :

    Product lifetime.

    Over the last 30 years televisions have come a long way. Prices have too. And lifetimes? Nope. They STILL have about 10 years before the picture degrades.

    I just can’t seem to justify spending $3000 for something like that.

  • http://dotnetjunkies.com/WebLog/paul/ paul

    When are you ever at home?

  • http://dotnetjunkies.com/WebLog/paul/ paul

    When are you ever at home?

  • Tim Toennies

    I’m curious, did you consider either of these Sony model’s: KDF-50E2000 or the KDF-E50A10? Both of them are the same price but $1200 less then the one you bought. I’m asking because my wife and I were looking at the KDF-E50A10 & decided not to consider the KDS-R50XBR1 because I couldn’t really see what the additional $1200 was buying us. What was your assessment?

  • Tim Toennies

    I’m curious, did you consider either of these Sony model’s: KDF-50E2000 or the KDF-E50A10? Both of them are the same price but $1200 less then the one you bought. I’m asking because my wife and I were looking at the KDF-E50A10 & decided not to consider the KDS-R50XBR1 because I couldn’t really see what the additional $1200 was buying us. What was your assessment?

  • Charlie

    Where did you get that deal?

  • Charlie

    Where did you get that deal?

  • http://dkgoodman.com/blog.html Dave Goodman

    You’re not worried that you’re supporting a company that’s evil? I’m talking about Sony, now. ;)

  • http://dkgoodman.com/blog.html Dave Goodman

    You’re not worried that you’re supporting a company that’s evil? I’m talking about Sony, now. ;)

  • http://www.thispile.com/ Jen Zug

    Very nice. I can’t believe we don’t have one yet, for all the OTHER geek equipment we have. Can’t wait to test it out at Maryam’s movie night this week!

  • http://www.thispile.com Jen Zug

    Very nice. I can’t believe we don’t have one yet, for all the OTHER geek equipment we have. Can’t wait to test it out at Maryam’s movie night this week!

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    I got it at the Sony Outlet north of Seattle in Marysville. I’m not sure I’d recommend them. It was a refurbished one, so got an OK deal (my brother got pretty much the same deal at Sony Only down in Portland, but his wasn’t a refurb). I also needed to rent a truck and deliver it myself.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com Robert Scoble

    I got it at the Sony Outlet north of Seattle in Marysville. I’m not sure I’d recommend them. It was a refurbished one, so got an OK deal (my brother got pretty much the same deal at Sony Only down in Portland, but his wasn’t a refurb). I also needed to rent a truck and deliver it myself.

  • http://www.activewords.com/ Buzz Bruggeman

    I am like Charlie….where did you, i.e. Tim, see those prices? Because the Scoble set is dazzling!

  • http://www.activewords.com/ Buzz Bruggeman

    I am like Charlie….where did you, i.e. Tim, see those prices? Because the Scoble set is dazzling!

  • http://www.jkontherun.com/ Kevin C. Tofel

    Robert, you picked up what’s arguably one of the best sets on the market. Sony’s SXRD flavor of Liquid Crystal on Silicon provides a 1920 x 1080 res progressively scanned. If there was a downside at all, it’s that the set doesn’t accept a native 1080p input. I doubt that’s going to be an issue for you since the Xbox 360 doesn’t output 1080p (although the PS3 will); be sure to check out one of the new HD-DVD players, not that I’m trying to spend your money. Oh and Maryam: you should see what a fire in a fireplace looks like in 1080p! ;)

  • http://www.jkontherun.com Kevin C. Tofel

    Robert, you picked up what’s arguably one of the best sets on the market. Sony’s SXRD flavor of Liquid Crystal on Silicon provides a 1920 x 1080 res progressively scanned. If there was a downside at all, it’s that the set doesn’t accept a native 1080p input. I doubt that’s going to be an issue for you since the Xbox 360 doesn’t output 1080p (although the PS3 will); be sure to check out one of the new HD-DVD players, not that I’m trying to spend your money. Oh and Maryam: you should see what a fire in a fireplace looks like in 1080p! ;)

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Dave: do you use a 1995 computer still too?

    This is a stunning TV. Life is too short to worry that something better will come out tomorrow. Will I get $3,000 worth of enjoyment out of this? Yes. Or, look another way, that’s $100 a month if you go on the payment plan.

    I just quit drinking coffee. What was my monthly coffee bill? About $100. So I just gave up coffee for HDTV.

    Paul: I’m never home, but now I have incentive to turn down speaking invitations!

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Dave: do you use a 1995 computer still too?

    This is a stunning TV. Life is too short to worry that something better will come out tomorrow. Will I get $3,000 worth of enjoyment out of this? Yes. Or, look another way, that’s $100 a month if you go on the payment plan.

    I just quit drinking coffee. What was my monthly coffee bill? About $100. So I just gave up coffee for HDTV.

    Paul: I’m never home, but now I have incentive to turn down speaking invitations!

  • Scott

    Kevin,what do you mean it won’t accept native 1080p input since it says in the specs that native resolution is 1920 x 1080 – do you mean not thru RGB or not even through DVI/HDMI?

  • Scott

    Kevin,what do you mean it won’t accept native 1080p input since it says in the specs that native resolution is 1920 x 1080 – do you mean not thru RGB or not even through DVI/HDMI?

  • http://markr.wordpress.com/ markr

    Shoot, I just bought I jvc 56″ and I love it, but I only got 1 HDMI port into the tv, and you got two. No fair. I have sattilite and a dvd player that want the HDMI port.

    SO when are we going to get a multi port for HDMI.

    Finally I am on the leading edge of some technology, and get to have these problems.

    The hell with it, I will just go back to my Sony Beta tape machine.

  • http://markr.wordpress.com/ markr

    Shoot, I just bought I jvc 56″ and I love it, but I only got 1 HDMI port into the tv, and you got two. No fair. I have sattilite and a dvd player that want the HDMI port.

    SO when are we going to get a multi port for HDMI.

    Finally I am on the leading edge of some technology, and get to have these problems.

    The hell with it, I will just go back to my Sony Beta tape machine.

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