View Full Version : Sony 400 disc Blu Ray Megachanger
spartanstew
07-23-09, 07:09 PM
Two models coming later this year, priced at $800 & $1900.
More info HERE. (http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/news/2009/07/sony_organizes_your_entertainment_collection_with_ new_400disc_bluray_discdvd_megachanger.php)
Can't imagine many getting the $1900 player, but the $800 player could be a worthwhile purchase, especially if it streets for $600 - $700.
I already have 2 of the Sony 400-disc HDMI up-convert DVD changers. I love them. I'll definitely be upgrading to the $800 model Blu-ray/DVD changer, but not until the price comes down - perhaps by the holidays.
I'm trying to convince my wife to let me buy two, although I don't have anywhere close to that many Blu-ray disks. My argument? These should have better DVD up-convert quality, they have a vastly improved user interface, they are Internet connected for firmware updates, and I'd like one for TV shows and one for movies (which is my current setup).
Surprisingly, these still do not appear to be chainable though. :(
400 scratched bluray discs at $30 a pop (that you'll need to buy again and again) or 3 or 4 2 tb drives and buying hd movies online at $19.99...
Decisions, decisions...
Personally I'd be afraid to put 400 bluray discs in one device. What if the device goes at once!
hdtvfan0001
07-30-09, 05:25 AM
400 scratched bluray discs at $30 a pop (that you'll need to buy again and again) or 3 or 4 2 tb drives and buying hd movies online at $19.99...
Decisions, decisions...
Personally I'd be afraid to put 400 bluray discs in one device. What if the device goes at once!
:rolleyes:
Odds are if you can afford to buy 400 BD disks, you won't have much to worry about regardless.
BattleZone
07-30-09, 07:50 AM
400 scratched bluray discs at $30 a pop (that you'll need to buy again and again) or 3 or 4 2 tb drives and buying hd movies online at $19.99...
It isn't hard NOT to scratch up your discs, but besides that, HD downloads don't compare to Blu-Ray quality and features.
I can't wait to see what the GUI on the cheaper model will be like.
That will be my deciding factor on purchase.
Two models coming later this year, priced at $800 & $1900.
More info HERE. (http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/news/2009/07/sony_organizes_your_entertainment_collection_with_ new_400disc_bluray_discdvd_megachanger.php)
Can't imagine many getting the $1900 player, but the $800 player could be a worthwhile purchase, especially if it streets for $600 - $700.
I had their CD carousel and it worked well but was huge. I didn't see any mention of what the standard DVDs are upscaled to. My Sony BD player upscales to 1080/60p, but my two Sony upscalers don't produce nearly as good a picture which makes me think that they don't upscale at the same standard.
Rich
It isn't hard NOT to scratch up your discs, but besides that, HD downloads don't compare to Blu-Ray quality and features.
On large changers it is. And blu ray discs are ALOT easier to ruin then cds or dvds.
On large changers it is. And blu ray discs are ALOT easier to ruin then cds or dvds.
I have two of the Sony 400 disc DVD changers and they've never scratched my discs. I would trust that these wouldn't scratch Blu-rays either.
And blu ray discs are ALOT easier to ruin then cds or dvds.My googling reveals the opposite: BD is a lot harder to scratch than CD or DVD, and BD will even withstand steel wool and still play without a hitch.
hdtvfan0001
07-30-09, 06:12 PM
My googling reveals the opposite: BD is a lot harder to scratch than CD or DVD, and BD will even withstand steel wool and still play without a hitch.
Agreed.
There is a link to a great complete photo library of how BD disks are made here:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=162246
spartanstew
07-30-09, 06:29 PM
My googling reveals the opposite: BD is a lot harder to scratch than CD or DVD, and BD will even withstand steel wool and still play without a hitch.
This is true.
However, so far Blu Ray players have shown to be much more finicky with disc imperfections than SD players are/were.
So, while BD disc don't scratch as easily, the smallest scratch could hinder playback.
But I also agree with Reaper. I had a Sony 300+1 DVD/CD player filled with assorted discs and after 5 years of use, every disc was just like new.
Christopher Gould
07-30-09, 08:07 PM
same here 200 disc DVD changer and all my discs look new. i think they would recieve more scratches coming in and out of the case than just being left in the changer.
quickfire
08-01-09, 04:21 PM
I have the Sony 400 disc mega changer also...its performed flawlessly for over 3 years now,I like the idea of just hitting your guide button and selecting the movie...very nice!
I'll most definatley buy the Blu-Ray version within the next year!!!
I dread manually typing in each title name(with the exception of a few DVDs that already have the info on disc!)
I have the Sony 400 disc mega changer also...its performed flawlessly for over 3 years now,I like the idea of just hitting your guide button and selecting the movie...very nice!
I'll most definatley buy the Blu-Ray version within the next year!!!
I dread manually typing in each title name(with the exception of a few DVDs that already have the info on disc!)
Hopefully these new units pull the Metadata off of the discs or internet along with the coverart to make for an awesome GUI.
I checked out the PDF instruction manual for the new Sony BD changed, and it pulls metadata from Gracenotes.com over the internet connection. Unfortunately, it uses the XBAR GUI and only shows the cover art in a single column list, versus displaying multiple rows of cover art (a la Netflix on client players). It does permit searching by title, genre and cast, though, so there are multiple options for finding what you want...
I checked out the PDF instruction manual for the new Sony BD changed, and it pulls metadata from Gracenotes.com over the internet connection. Unfortunately, it uses the XBAR GUI and only shows the cover art in a single column list, versus displaying multiple rows of cover art (a la Netflix on client players). It does permit searching by title, genre and cast, though, so there are multiple options for finding what you want...
Does that manual tell you what standard DVDs are upscaled to? Just curious, can't imagine paying $1800 for the unit and filling it with BluRay disks, for about $8000.
Rich
Does that manual tell you what standard DVDs are upscaled to? Just curious, can't imagine paying $1800 for the unit and filling it with BluRay disks, for about $8000.
Rich
I couldn't find it int he manual, but the the Sony Style page (http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665925651) says it upscales to "near HD quality" when using HDMI connection.
Here's the Sony support page (http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-documents.pl?mdl=BDPCX7000ES&LOC=3) with a link to the manual.
I checked out the PDF instruction manual for the new Sony BD changed, and it pulls metadata from Gracenotes.com over the internet connection. Unfortunately, it uses the XBAR GUI and only shows the cover art in a single column list, versus displaying multiple rows of cover art (a la Netflix on client players). It does permit searching by title, genre and cast, though, so there are multiple options for finding what you want...
Nice, thanks for confirming this Drew!
I couldn't find it int he manual, but the the Sony Style page (http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665925651) says it upscales to "near HD quality" when using HDMI connection.
Here's the Sony support page (http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-documents.pl?mdl=BDPCX7000ES&LOC=3) with a link to the manual.
I couldn't find it in the manual either, but if it says "near HD quality" I don't think it means 1080/60p. I know my single disk Sony upscalers don't upscale nearly as well as my Sony BD player and that upscales at 1080/60p. And that is High Definition, I believe, not near HD. My Sony upscalers do put out a really decent upscaling picture, but nowhere near as good as the BD player. Oh well, I wasn't gonna buy one anyhow just curious. :lol:
Rich
I think I may spring for this myself, but I have to find room in the entertainment cabinet. The dimensions are 17"W × 9.5"H × 21 7/8"D "incl. projecting parts" ... I would have to take the back panel off my cabinet to fit this beast!!!
Christopher Gould
08-03-09, 07:22 PM
I think I may spring for this myself, but I have to find room in the entertainment cabinet. The dimensions are 17"W × 9.5"H × 21 7/8"D "incl. projecting parts" ... I would have to take the back panel off my cabinet to fit this beast!!!
thats why when i built my new enterainment center i built it 24" deep. my 200 disc changer use to hang out the back of my old center.
thats why when i built my new enterainment center i built it 24" deep. my 200 disc changer use to hang out the back of my old center.Seriously, that's what I'm going to need, especially when you plug in the HDMI cable (unless I get right-angle adapters), but still and all ... :nono:
hdtvfan0001
08-04-09, 12:22 PM
I have a multi-drawer DVD rack mount setup, so inserting one Blu Ray at a time is not a big deal....besides...the exercise to get up out of the reclining theater seats every two hours or so between movies is a good thing. :D
I've never been a fan of multi-changers...as everyone I know who had one kind or another...including some very expensive ones...had jamming or freeze-up problems at one time.
I have a multi-drawer DVD rack mount setup, so inserting one Blu Ray at a time is not a big deal....besides...the exercise to get up out of the reclining theater seats every two hours or so between movies is a good thing. :D
I've never been a fan of multi-changers...as everyone I know who had one kind or another...including some very expensive ones...had jamming or freeze-up problems at one time.
I've had two of the Sony 400-disc DVD changers for a few years and haven't had a single problem with them.
I love sitting down in my recliner and THEN deciding what I want to watch, an episode of this or an episode of that, or maybe I'll finish watching a movie that I started the other day.
One of the things that I love about these Sony DVD changers is that they remember where you left off for something like 40 discs.
hdtvfan0001
08-04-09, 12:44 PM
I've had two of the Sony 400-disc DVD changers for a few years and haven't had a single problem with them.
I love sitting down in my recliner and THEN deciding what I want to watch, an episode of this or an episode of that, or maybe I'll finish watching a movie that I started the other day.
Glad you are an exception to the rule with the multi-changer problems...:D
But you don't understand...I need the exercise to get up and put in a new Blu Ray...:lol::lol::lol:
Just ask Mrs HDTVFan...:D
Glad you are an exception to the rule with the multi-changer problems...:D
But you don't understand...I need the exercise to get up and put in a new Blu Ray...:lol::lol::lol:
Just ask Mrs HDTVFan...:D
No, I get it. I need the exercise too, I just don't want it. :D
hdtvfan0001
08-04-09, 01:59 PM
No, I get it. I need the exercise too, I just don't want it. :D
!rolling
You can buy alot of donuts for the price of one of those changers....:D
!rolling
You can buy alot of donuts for the price of one of those changers....:D
Ow! :)
I've googled and found anecdotal evidence of disc-changers causing problems, but nothing that leads me to think they are systemically flawed players.
hdtvfan0001
08-04-09, 03:57 PM
I've googled and found anecdotal evidence of disc-changers causing problems, but nothing that leads me to think they are systemically flawed players.
Not systemically flawed, but not uncommon either.
Not systemically flawed, but not uncommon either.OK, I'll ignore the "exception to the rule" comment then! :p :lol:
hdtvfan0001
08-04-09, 04:48 PM
OK, I'll ignore the "exception to the rule" comment then! :p :lol:
Fair enough...:D:lol:
Christopher Gould
08-04-09, 06:49 PM
only problem i have ever had was about when i hit my first 100 discs or so on a 200 disc changer. i think it was off balance. with 100 on one side it didn't like to load. with them space out and now with 200 it works prefect.
I am now waffling on getting the BD Megachanger, as a quick count of just the boxes in the movie cabinet shows I'm over 400 individual discs, and I didn't get to the 2nd cabinet (TV series) and the overflow shelf yet ... How would I ever decide which discs to file in the Megachanger? Which should be relegated to life on the shelves?? :confused:
Oh, woe is me! :p
hdtvfan0001
08-05-09, 02:32 PM
I am now waffling on getting the BD Megachanger, as a quick count of just the boxes in the movie cabinet shows I'm over 400 individual discs, and I didn't get to the 2nd cabinet (TV series) and the overflow shelf yet ... How would I ever decide which discs to file in the Megachanger? Which should be relegated to life on the shelves?? :confused:
Oh, woe is me! :p
You're a movie animal.....I'm only at about the 220 mark....but I've seen a few folks in my area with over 2,000.
I keep telling them to start their own Netflix or Blockbuster. :D
One of those fellow has a 200 DVD changer now, and was talking about going to the 400 BD changer ones it bacame available. He is a big fan of changers...had them for years now.
He indicated that if the disks sit in there for over 6 months, despite his best efforts, dust gets on some and he is forced to manually clean them anyway....but otherwise, he love's his.
The dust reason alone may be good enough reason to keep the DVDs and BDs in their cases in the cabinets!
spartanstew
08-05-09, 08:55 PM
I am now waffling on getting the BD Megachanger, as a quick count of just the boxes in the movie cabinet shows I'm over 400 individual discs,
BD's?
spartanstew
08-05-09, 09:27 PM
Yes, I know.
I was asking if all of your discs were blu ray or if you were including SD DVD's in your total.
Yes, I know.
I was asking if all of your discs were blu ray or if you were including SD DVD's in your total.Oh. Didn't get that (obviously!) ...
I was counting all. On the BD front, I have ~35 ...
(The changer upconverts, so I'd use it for my non-BD movies as well.)
spartanstew
08-05-09, 09:36 PM
Gotcha. Yes, that's the issue I ran into when I had a Sony 300+1 CD/DVD player. Once I got over 800 DVD's it was basically worthless, as the chances of a movie being in it were less than 40%, so I sold it and put them all back on the shelves.
I am now waffling on getting the BD Megachanger, as a quick count of just the boxes in the movie cabinet shows I'm over 400 individual discs, and I didn't get to the 2nd cabinet (TV series) and the overflow shelf yet ... How would I ever decide which discs to file in the Megachanger? Which should be relegated to life on the shelves?? :confused:
Oh, woe is me! :p
Do what I'm going to do, wait for the price to come down and buy two! I have two Sony 400 disc DVD changers now and I can control them seperately with my Harmony remote. Awesome.
Regarding the dust issue, I've never had problems with dust collecting on the discs while they're in the changer.
hdtvfan0001
08-06-09, 05:02 PM
Once I got over 800 DVD's it was basically worthless, as the chances of a movie being in it were less than 40%, so I sold it and put them all back on the shelves.
That's always made me wonder when enough is enough on "collecting" or buying DVDs...
@ 2 hrs per movie X 800 DVDs = 1600 viewing hours =
@ 8 hours per day of watching those DVDs = 200 days; or..
@ 4 hours per day of watching those DVDs = 400 days
Even for those of us who watch alot of movies (and I do)....the formula is more like...
@ 10 hours per week of watching those DVDs (1 per day X 5 days a week) = 160 weeks = about 3 years of pretty continuous viewing.
Let's see...if someone gets started in 2009........:D
Christopher Gould
08-06-09, 06:03 PM
The dust reason alone may be good enough reason to keep the DVDs and BDs in their cases in the cabinets!
mine has been in my charger for around 10 years and i have a very dusty old house. i do not have dust on any of my discs in side the changer.
hdtvfan0001
08-06-09, 06:07 PM
mine has been in my charger for around 10 years and i have a very dusty old house. i do not have dust on any of my discs in side the changer.
Could very well be....but I do know of 2 cases where multi-changes had a problem with this...and both were mounted in a rack with proper ventillation.
I'm guessing it may have had to do with the actual design of the players themselves, especially the loading door.
mine has been in my charger for around 10 years and i have a very dusty old house. i do not have dust on any of my discs in side the changer.Good news! :up:
That's always made me wonder when enough is enough on "collecting" or buying DVDs...
@ 2 hrs per movie X 800 DVDs = 1600 viewing hours =
@ 8 hours per day of watching those DVDs = 200 days; or..
@ 4 hours per day of watching those DVDs = 400 days
Even for those of us who watch alot of movies (and I do)....the formula is more like...
@ 10 hours per week of watching those DVDs (1 per day X 5 days a week) = 160 weeks = about 3 years of pretty continuous viewing.
Let's see...if someone gets started in 2009........:DThe thing is, no one runs out to buy 800 DVDs. Instead, collections of this size have likely grown over time, with people buying one or two movies a week on New Release Tuesday, and more than likely those movies were watched right away (or by the end of that weekend). I know people with more than 800 books, but I never would assume that they bought them all at once or were over some arbitrary limit because it would take XX hours to read them all. A collection is not instant, it's grown, and it's usually grown because it has value to the collector.
One of the reasons I like mine is when company is in town, we can pull up the list of movies real fast and go through them instead of you standing there at the shelf throwing out names.
Xbox for the streaming of stuff from Netflix here and there, but not happy at all with the compression artifacts.
I did screw up pretty bad - I copied all of my discs and put the originals in a spare bedroom, then I wrote on them with a sharpie. Now when I run into a few of them that fail, I have to eject it, go get the original and put it back in that slot. I should probably just replace them all, but I was scared to death the changer would damage the discs - I also liked not having to deal with the adverts. I have some of the first DVDs made, talk about horrid menus and previews.
I never typed in the names to the changer, I just put them in my Harmony. I"m looking forward to the BD changer, have about 45 BDs sitting in a bookcase in another room. I never liked the interface in the 400 changer, and do like the new one.
spartanstew
08-06-09, 07:04 PM
That's always made me wonder when enough is enough on "collecting" or buying DVDs...
I never collected DVD's so that I could watch them (well, some I did). In fact, some are movies I've never watched. I used to host a lot of get togethers and movie nights in my theater. I wanted to have a good selection of movies that the guests could pick from. Keep in mind, almost all were aquired via Columbia House deals and I paid less than $5 on average per disc. We also frequently had relatives visiting for 1 week or more at a time and they'd use the theater quite a bit since they were usually vacationing and I was usually working during the day. I just liked being a good host.
I being much more frugal with Blu Ray.
BAHitman
08-06-09, 07:31 PM
problem I see with the changers is you are stuck in the room the changer is in... I think it much better to just put the DVDs/BDs on a media server and then you can watch them wherever you have a device capible of viewing it...
I have over 4TB of storage and looking to expand that as soon as the 2TB drives get cheap enough...
spartanstew
08-06-09, 07:33 PM
problem I see with the changers is you are stuck in the room the changer is in...
Nah, I had mine connected to a Channel Plus Modulator so it was distributed to every room in the house (although not upconverted).
hdtvfan0001
08-07-09, 08:53 AM
A collection is not instant, it's grown, and it's usually grown because it has value to the collector.
I represent that very position in several areas. :D
My point is that at some point, one migrates into their own home version of Netflix. :D
I never collected DVD's so that I could watch them (well, some I did). In fact, some are movies I've never watched. I used to host a lot of get togethers and movie nights in my theater. I wanted to have a good selection of movies that the guests could pick from. I just liked being a good host. I being much more frugal with Blu Ray.
I can totally relate - I spent alot of money building a dedicated Home Theater (not media room)...projector, screen 7.1 TX surround..you get the idea. My wife and I love watching movies regularly - and we have "theater nights" for our "visitors/company" as well.
Since we are still about 2-4 years away from quality, reliable downloaded HD movies...the only alternative is to create a library that meets the expectations for viewing with choices. Totally agree.
The challenge is "when is enough enough?". I have seen DVD collections exceeding 3500 movies. I personally know of (locally) at least 6 people with collections in excess of 1000 movies.
It can be an addiction of sorts, and gets very expensive.
The good news is Blu Ray is a wonderful delivery platform for HD content, and the prices are now 1/2 (on average) of what they were just a year ago. The forecast is that both hardware and BD disks themselves will continue to experience lower pricing models.
Once a more robust infrastructure of faster broadband is rolled out in the mainstream, downloaded HD content will likely take more of a lead. That's what keeps me away from a megachanger investment at this time.
In any case...many of us who have the means, the opportunity, the facilities to view HD movies in "all their glory" are indeed spoiled. :)
I for one, can live with it. :lol:
Jay Leno has too many cars?
Women have too many shoes?
Someone has too many movies?
Nah ... :p
hdtvfan0001
08-07-09, 11:44 AM
Jay Leno has too many cars?
Women have too many shoes?
Someone has too many movies?
Nah ... :p
YES, YES, and maybe. :D
spartanstew
09-07-09, 05:14 PM
Review of the more expensive model. (http://www.electronichouse.com/article/review_sonys_400_disc_bdp_cx7000es_blu_ray_megacha nger/?utm_source=EHWeeklyNewsletter&utm_medium=email)
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