The hard drive died and I need to replace it. How do you open the case to access the hard drive? There are a boat load of small screws and a dozen or so of what looks to be specially keyed grommets.

I didn't find any freely available service manuals for that model with a quick Google search. Give Sony or a Sony reseller a call and see what they say. Easy serviceability is one of the disadvantages of highly integrated devices. Often the device has to be substantially disassembled for any type of repair. You can also methodically and slowly start taking screws out and determine which ones retain the outer casing. In addition, it is possible for there to be interlocking plastic clips molded into each half of the casing that could require taking the casing off in a certain direction or require a special tool to release the clips without breaking them.