Buy a Sony HDTV with a Sony Card, get a free Sony PS3
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Dec 29th 2007 at 11:05AM }
If you haven't made the transition into the exciting world of high definition television, then it's time to get your act together. It's the aughts, people -- they're practically handing the things out with deluxe car washes at the Stop N' Go. However, If you're holding out for a nice deal before making your first step into the realm of HD, we humbly direct your attention to Sony's website, where they are currently offering a free PS3 with the purchase of a selection of SXRD and BRAVIA HDTV models.
Not so fast, buckaroo. Unsurprisingly, there are some stipulations to the deal. To get the offer, you must first apply and be approved for a Sony Visa, then use said Visa to buy one of the TV's on Sony Rewards. Deals like these are always less attractive when plastic gets involved, but we're of the mind that if you're going to drop a few Benjamins on a new TV, then a free PS3 is a welcome bargain. This deal ends on New Years Eve, though, so the time to apply is ... yesterday.
(Via Engadget)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Chris @ Dec 29th 2007 11:17AM
I'd do it but I already have a HDTV and im still waiting for the XOM review XD
roxxxo @ Dec 29th 2007 11:24AM
i c what u did there :)
Patrick @ Dec 29th 2007 3:18PM
id do that, sell the ps3 pay the bill with that plus whatever else and cancel the card too bad i live nowhere near a sony store
NBHS @ Dec 29th 2007 3:27PM
... You're acting on the assumption that you can -sell- a PS3.
roxxxo @ Dec 29th 2007 11:22AM
lol now they're giving ps3s away
Abuzar @ Dec 29th 2007 12:30PM
Haha, I guess they really are desperate! Seriously though, PS3s are pretty cheap now days. If you look around you could find a brand new one for the 330USD mark.
roxxxo @ Dec 29th 2007 12:55PM
one that isn't gimped?
aristokrat @ Dec 29th 2007 1:47PM
If I didn't have both already, I would actually be interested in this deal, except for the fact that the new ones aren't gimped. My main rationalization for getting one was that my PS2 got stolen and it didn't make sense to waste money on a second one now that the backwards compatible PS3 was out. Good thing I got it then, cause since they've only taken features out, which is a shame. I almost decided to wait until I could get a white one (is that ever actually coming out?), but I'm happy I didn't. I like having my fully capable PS3, not the gimped younger sibling that is out now.
Jake @ Dec 29th 2007 2:01PM
The amount of idiots in this world never fail to amaze me.
It's not a free PS3. You are not getting any discount on the TV. Shop around, I'll bet that TV can be found for at least $250 cheaper elsewhere.
Actually I'm not amazed, I know there are at least 11 million idiots out there..
ThornedVenom @ Dec 29th 2007 2:29PM
@aristokrat
How the HECK did you get your PS2 stolen?
Autopsy15 @ Dec 29th 2007 3:20PM
Someone probably...I dunno, came into his house and stole it?
Norm @ Dec 29th 2007 11:24AM
What is the refresh rate on those things?
Fernando Rocker @ Dec 29th 2007 11:27AM
Slow refresh rate... you know, to match the framerate of the PS3 games.
=)
simmcity @ Dec 29th 2007 11:43AM
why am i not suprised, fernando has something bad to say about the PS3 and sony.
Do you have something against Sony TV's now? are they too shiny for you, or wait is it because sony makes great TV's, so you just have to trash them to make yourself feel better?
Seriously stop the trolling.
Spartacus @ Dec 29th 2007 11:54AM
simmcity:
If by "great" you mean "underperformng" or "overpriced", then yes, you are correct.
Check the AVS forums or talk with a home theatre enthusiast, Sony rarely ranks in the top 3 in ANY TV format (CRT, RPTV, LCD etc.). Their LCOS sets are pretty good, but then again they don't have much competition (just JVC) in that arena, so it's tough to tell whether or not Sony or just the tech behind LCOS deserves the credit there...
Vol @ Dec 29th 2007 12:02PM
Fernando wasn't lying or trolling, just stating the truth.
Sony has brought it all upon themselves with their overhyped, overpriced, underdelivering, non-game playing, online incompetent, protein folding, non-rumble, non-hd-cable bearing, six-axis, 30 FPS, POS3 Blu-Ray player that they must give away now.
Yes, I am a PS3 owner too.
aristokrat @ Dec 29th 2007 1:37PM
I do think Sony is the world leader in 61" OLED inch-thick displays. Tell me that didn't make all of you jealous, Sony-hater or not.
Ironhide @ Dec 29th 2007 2:21PM
Well, if it's an XBR, while being overpriced, according to Jd Power and Assoc. has some of the best consumer satisfaction compared to many other brands. The TV should have around a 6 millisecond response time and a 120hz refresh rate. Most people don't realize this but that LCD panel is actually made by a joint factory by Samsung AND Sony. So technically it's a Samsung panel, the same that goes into almost any Samsung TV bigger than 37".
Still a good tv though even if it's a Sony
Kassu @ Dec 29th 2007 5:55PM
@ Fernando
I love and support you, in your great efforts towards giving Sony as much shit as you can.
*No sarcasm involved*
OTAM @ Dec 29th 2007 9:33PM
You would think after awhile Joystiq would just ban someone who says nothing but negative comments and trolls.
Rob Accomando @ Dec 29th 2007 11:31AM
Next: Walk into a Sony store with a wearing a Sony T-shirt and GET A PS3 for FREE!
a ham sandwich @ Dec 29th 2007 11:45AM
uh...an Sony?
Spartacus @ Dec 29th 2007 11:48AM
I'm pretty sure the headline should read:
"Buy a Sony..." not "Buy an Sony..." as the word "Sony" neither begins with a vowel or a vowel sound.
...
Yeah, this is a nice incentive, but seems a bit desperate... The SXRD LCOS sets are the ONLY electronics I would buy with a Sony label on it- and that's only because there is only one other company (JVC) that offers LCOS TV's and they are even more attrociously priced than Sony's.
Will @ Dec 29th 2007 1:07PM
""Buy a Sony..." not "Buy an Sony..." as the word "Sony" neither begins with a vowel or a vowel sound."
Shouldn't that be neither and nor?
Autopsy15 @ Dec 29th 2007 3:24PM
Ooh. Spartacus just got learned!
Spartacus @ Dec 29th 2007 8:05PM
Touche. Though in my defense, I was simply speed typing in the comments section, not submitting a suposedly proof-read blog entry ;-)
ackmondual @ Dec 30th 2007 11:01PM
Well then Spartacus, you should probably assuming that EVERYONE who makes minor typos and grammatical errors was speed typing. After all, we're all speed typing comments except for the few who actually post blogs on Joystiq
Spartacus @ Dec 31st 2007 5:48PM
Ackmondual:
My comment WAS pointing out a typo by the author of this blog, not a commenter- so, uh, I agree with you.
nick @ Dec 29th 2007 12:05PM
Here are the conditions...
1) Sony credit card account needs to be opened by Monday, December 31, 2007
2) need to purchase a qualifying HDTV *directly* from Sony by March 31st 2008.
3) Playtation 3 will be shipped 2 to 3 months after HDTV purchase
4) cannot be an existing SonyCard customer
Conflicting interest rates are cited, 15.24% variable or 32.24% (!!) default -OR- 14.49% variable and 23.99% default. They use prime + 6.99%. I'm not sure why there's two seperate rates mentioned.
Either way, this credit card has a HIGH interest rate, the the former being scary. If you do not pay off the TV within the first 12 months of zero interest, you're going to be paying way too much.
Incidentally, this is the same deal Sony offered last year around the holiday. They ended up extending it several times, but also changed the terms and conditions.
LaughingTarget @ Dec 29th 2007 2:16PM
Interest rates only come into play if you don't pay the card off every month.
What you can do is if you have the cash for the TV already, get the card, buy the TV, immediately pay it off and then cancel the card after the PS3 shows up, making sure not to use it for anything. If you already have a PS3, sell it, great discount on the TV.
PeacefulOutrage @ Dec 29th 2007 5:09PM
Uh, if you do this, you pay retail. You might as well shop the set you want on-line, and then buy the model PS3 you want with the savings.
Let's say MSRP is $3600, you find it for $2900. Buy the set and a PS3 and a few games or a controller. Don't fall into the debt trap where you buy the TV at 0% and end up paying 30% because the interest rate changed, even though you already made the purchase.
bm @ Dec 29th 2007 12:12PM
"making your first step into the realm of HD"
Umm, I did that ten years ago when I played Quake 2 in 1024x768.
roxxxo @ Dec 29th 2007 12:24PM
on a lcd?
bm @ Dec 29th 2007 2:47PM
Don't give me your bullshit, Sony PR man. Obviously HD screen/console manufacturers would rather have us forget the kind of high detail we've been enjoying on simple PC monitors for many years, with their buzzwords. Not gonna happen, though.
SoulBlade @ Dec 29th 2007 2:51PM
not quite the same as widescreen HD: 1280x720 or 1920x1080 but yea you got more than 720 lines of vertical resolution...
bm @ Dec 29th 2007 3:01PM
Yeah AND that was in 1997, mind you. Let alone anytime past 2000.
Abscissa @ Dec 29th 2007 5:15PM
BM- That's exactly what I've been saying lately. In fact, a few months ago, I bought a 21" VGA CRT (CRT = No "native resolution" bullshit, and if you already have the space for it, then who gives a crap if it isn't 2" thick) for only $25, and that thing goes all the way up to 1600x1200 (ie, higher than HD) and has ZERO frames of display lag. And ten years ago (TEN!), I bought a 17" version of the same thing for only $200. Want widescreen? Just letterbox it (You know, the same exact thing widescreen owners still have to put up with whenever they have a non-widescreen signal.) Granted those are still smaller than most TVs, but that alone doesn't account for such an enormous price discrepancy.
So yea, 2007, and it's $1000+ for an (only) 1080 set with native resolution crap to deal with (ie, anything lower looks even shitter than it normally would), a few frames of display lag, burn-in (if it's plasma), and HDCP (ie, DRM on the signal itself). I'm not remotely impressed. "But it's trendy and I can hang it on a wall!" Good for you.
DWells55 @ Dec 31st 2007 2:18PM
21" CRT that does 1600x1200 for $25? That's a pretty good deal you got there. I love CRT monitors but recently switched over to LCD. I just couldn't fit a CRT on the crappy desk in my dorm, so I got a 19" Samsung which I'm actually quite happy with. 2ms response and so far no noticeable input lag as well as decent color accuracy out of the box. On top of the space concerns, I guess I've just been kind of spoiled by playing my 360 on widescreen TVs that I wanted to go widescreen.
CRT is definitely a great display technology though. When I'm at home, the primary TV I game on is an old fashioned CRT RPTV 1080i screen. But it still looks good and there is absolutely NO lag whatsoever even fed with a 480i signal. I tested it using a laptop running a timecode video and the S-Video output using a camera to compare times on the screens (previously having tested with a 480i native CRT as a control).
In my friend's dorm across campus, I brought a 17" CRT from home to keep in his room. We both like playing 360 games and a lot of the kids on his floor LAN, but splitscreen sucks. The 17" CRT has a VGA cable for 360 attached to it and all I have to do is bring my 360 over and plug it in and we get our own screens. Call of Duty 4 still looks great and play just as well as I do on his 32" LCD.
mr nimblewick @ Dec 29th 2007 12:25PM
Man, too bad I want neither an HDTV nor a PS3. Otherwise, I'd be all over this.
Abscissa @ Dec 29th 2007 5:21PM
Post of the year, right there. +1
deaftly @ Dec 29th 2007 1:13PM
Hey at least you'll use the TV
Max Headroom @ Dec 29th 2007 1:30PM
Well, if you can't sell 'em, you might as well give 'em away.
Kamizar @ Dec 29th 2007 1:33PM
1. Apply for card
2. Get TV
3. Get PS3
4. Cut up card
5. ????
6. Profit
aristokrat @ Dec 29th 2007 1:41PM
Ah, do you Underpants Gnomes think of other equally lucrative schemes whilst you are in the North Pole helping Santa get things done during the Christmas season?
Would that make you Sony Gnomes?
aka Prof Chaos @ Dec 29th 2007 1:48PM
This would have been useful when I bought my Sony HDTV last year. If anything, I can use it as an excuse when I try to talk my wife into it.
playwhutyalike (hates games lists) @ Dec 29th 2007 1:48PM
Hmmmm. I do need a new TV for the living room, and am looking to aquire a PS3 or 360. BUT, I just installed Vista on my PC and with that the 360 can communicate with my computer.
What to do........well, it's too late anyways.
jynxycat @ Dec 29th 2007 2:10PM
Your 360 communicated fine to your PC when it had XP :P
Not to say I'm a blind Vista hater, just sayin'
playwhutyalike (hates games lists) @ Dec 29th 2007 2:21PM
I don't have a 360 yet.
SoulBlade @ Dec 29th 2007 2:55PM
what kind of communication are you looking for? the ps3 can stream media via UPnP if that's what you want. If you're looking for specific video formats, then it's a different story - I think the 360 can stream divx better from brief readings.
If it's a different kind of communication, I'm curious about the capabilities.
Autopsy15 @ Dec 29th 2007 3:29PM
The PS3 can do dvix now with the new update.
PS3 works pretty well with streaming media, although it does take a while if you add new pictures or whatever to your computer for the PS3 to add them to it's library.