You know, we never thought that it was that big of a deal to change CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs by hand. Seriously, if you're too lazy to walk two feet to your entertainment center you probably didn't want to see Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch that badly in the first place. On the other hand, we are gadget fiends and part of us can see the logic in something like Sony's 400-disc Mega Charger. Hell, if a Blu-ray player is good, one that holds 400 discs must be 400 times as good, right? Well, maybe. As far as players go, this guy does pretty well, according to the reviewer at Electronic House. In fact, video quality was deemed "excellent" and on-screen navigation was a snap. And you can't find fault with any player that supports Gracenote (especially if you're going to store hundreds of discs in the thing). On the other hand, the lack of Netflix and DLNA integration, WiFi, or even memory for BD-Live functionality (you'll have to supply your own USB thumb drive, it seems) just might cramp your style. So what do you think? Do you have 400 Blu-ray discs? Think you ever will have 400 Blu-ray discs? Then hit the read link and check out the sordid tale for yourself.

While nothing here solves Blu-ray's number one problem, price, there's no denying Sony's got some fun tech on display in its new 400 disc Blu-ray MegaChanger and the new BDP-S1000ES single disc Blu-ray player with WiFi. The MegaChanger presents a lovable XMB-style, Gracenote-powered onscreen menu for sorting through all the media stashed in your MegaChanger, and the S1000ES packs in 802.11n for BD-Live, along with premium analog outs and some dashing good looks for the well-heeled enthusiasts. $1,900 and $700 of respective awesomeness? Well, that's up to you decide.

When we first got our hands-on the 400 disc MegaChanger pictured above we'd hoped it would be out a little earlier; but never the less the wait is almost over as Sony officially announced plans to release the BDP-CX7000ES in August, for the hard to swallow price of $1,900 -- about $400 less than rumored. The good news is that it does just about everything we can think of, like handle any Blu-ray Disc, DVD or CD with ease, and of course works with the latest codecs delivered via bitstream or LPCM. Now if you just have to have a Blu-ray changer, but wish it was half the price, you can wait a few more months for the BDP-CX960 for $800. You will however have to be willing to forgo things like RS-232 and IR-in, as well as the ES badge. Also shipping in August with the ES MegaChanger is the BDP-S1000ES. This standalone Blu-ray player is at the top of line and for $700 you get just about every feature and spec Blu-ray has to offer, as well as built-in WiFi and a DLNA client. The full details of all three are in the release after the jump.

There's no doubt that Sony has a 400-disc Blu-ray Mega Changer on the cooker -- heck, we saw the thing last year at CEDIA -- but up until now, there's been no indication of its nearness to market. According to a vague Swiss product page and a report from Sony Insider, however, the launch date is indeed drawing near. If hunches prove legitimate, the BDP-CX7000ES will allow 400 of your favorite BD flicks to sit within a single console, and we've every reason to believe that this one will support BD-Live and actually load films with some amount of haste. You know, very much unlike the 200-disc HES-V1000 that's already out there. As of now, it's looking like the unit will run right around $2,300, placing it squarely in rarefied air and ostensibly out of reach for the vast majority of home theater junkies.

[Via Sony Insider]