S1Digital Intros Media Center-Integrated 100-Disc Blu-ray Changer

There are media center PCs, and there are Blu-ray players. Rarely do the two every intersect in any meaningful way, but S1Digital has managed to create the first Blu-ray Disc Changer that is actually fully integrated with Media Center.

The device itself (titled the S1Digital Blu-ray Disc Changer) is a real beast; it holds one hundred Blu-ray Discs--which will probably take quite awhile to collect--and would much rather be connected to a Windows Media Center PC (Vista, Win7 or Windows Home Server) than directly to your TV. The reason? When linked to Media Center, all one hundred of the Blu-ray Disc titles can be scanned and loaded into your computer, where metadata can be downloaded and attached. Once this is done, users can easily scan their BD collection on their PC (a far more elegant solution than thumbing through BD cases on a dusty rack) and hit the play button on their PC.

Moreover, S1Digital's bundled software takes care of all the work, as "every movie and audio disc will automatically be stored on the hard drive, catalogued and metadata and cover-art will be downloaded; as each movie or album is stored, it is immediately available on the customer’s home network from any S1Digital Media Center (or other PCs and certain media streaming devices) for playback."

It's shipping now for big home movie buffs, but it's not even close to cheap. At $1499, you're probably buying this only if buying 100 Blu-ray Discs didn't significantly hurt your wallet.


S1DIGITAL INTRODUCES FIRST BLU-RAY DISC CHANGER FULLY INTEGRATED WITH MEDIA CENTER
 
S1Digital continues to grow its digital entertainment ecosystem with the introduction of a Blu-ray Disc Changer.
 
New Rochelle, NJ – February 3, 2010 – S1Digital, the leader in digital entertainment solutions, today announced the launch of the S1Digital Blu-ray Disc Changer. The changer can hold 100 discs and seamlessly integrates with any S1Digiral Entertainment Server or Media Center.
 
When connected to an S1Digital Media Center or any third party Microsoft Windows 7 or Vista PC that includes media center, customers are able to load up to 100 Blu-ray and/or DVD movies into the S1Digital Bly-ray Disc Changer. Using the included playback software, each disc will be scanned and metadata and cover-art automatically downloaded to the server. Once catalogued, users can view more information about the movie, or watch the movie by selecting the appropriate cover-art, which is all available on the familiar and easy-to-use media center interface. The changer is simple to use and enables almost instant access to movies without having to physically find and load each movie.
 
“No other solution currently on the market integrates a Blu-ray changer with media center,” said Paul Heitlinger, president of S1Digital. “For customers that want instant and direct access to their movie discs, this is the only solution.”
 
When connected to an S1Digital Entertainment Server or any third party Windows Home Server, customers can automatically archive their Blu-ray, DVD and CD discs to the server*. With the included software, every movie and audio disc will automatically be stored on the hard drive, catalogued and metadata and cover-art will be downloaded. As each movie or album is stored, it is immediately available on the customer’s home network from any S1Digital Media Center (or other PCs and certain media streaming devices) for playback.
 
“A typical Blu-ray disc can take an hour or more to archive,” continues Paul Heitlinger. “With our solution, you simply load up the changer and hit go. You don’t have to load each disc one by one. The changer will automatically move from disc to disc so customers don’t have to worry about spending days manually storing movies and music.”
 
The S1Digital Blu-ray Disc Changer is currently shipping and available for an MSRP of $1499 from http://www.s1digital.com/S1Digital_Blu_ray_disc_changer_p/bdc.htm. Dealer and reseller enquiries are welcome by contacting sales@s1digital.com or by calling (201) 402-1920.
 
For more information on S1Digital, visit www.S1Digital.com.