EMediaLive.com: Kaleidescape Introduces Home DVD Server

Kaleidescape, Inc. has introduces the Kaleidescape System, a DVD Server that allows users to store their entire movie collection on hard disks, and to access any movie in their collection from any viewing area in their home. A Kaleidescape System consists of rack-mountable hardware components, proprietary operating system software, and Kaleidescape's Movie Guide Service. A basic Kaleidescape System has one Server (with five disk cartridges for storing up to 160 movies), one Movie Player, and one DVD Reader. Additional cartridges can be added to the Server, up to a total of 12, which is sufficient to store 440 movies. Additional Servers, Movie Players and DVD Readers can be added to the System as required by each homeowner to increase movie storage capacity, the number of viewing zones, and to make it more convenient to import DVDs onto the Server(s). Kaleidescape's proprietary operating system software enables the hardware components to communicate with each other within the home, via the home Ethernet, and with Kaleidescape's Movie Guide Service, via the Internet. The Movie Guide Service provides detailed information about thousands of movies.

The Kaleidescape System works by importing an exact replica of the DVD files onto the server, including the copy protection. Since no additional compression is applied, no quality is lost. The same bits are streamed to the Movie Player located in any desired viewing zone. The content resides on the Kaleidescape Server and can only be played on the Kaleidescape Players within the home; it cannot be copied to PCs, rewritten to blank DVDs, or accessed via the Internet. Kaleidescape manufactures its products under license from the DVD Copy Control Association, Inc. and Macrovision, Inc., among others.

Once the movies are imported, homeowners can have instantaneous access to their entire movie library utilizing a proprietary user interface which provides multiple ways to browse and select movies, play movies, jump to favorite scenes, pause, resume, and exercise parental control over which movies are available in each viewing zone. Each room can be configured for individual preferences such as audio settings, the screen aspect ratio, and parental control. Movies can be selected either by the on-screen movie list sorted by title, genre, director, or actor; or users can peruse the vivid cover art which appears on-screen and automatically shuffles similar titles into view. Homeowners can even scroll through their user-programmable favorites menu, a recommended movie list or a pre-selected "watch-soon" list. The Kaleidescape Movie Guide Service can be controlled with current AMX, Crestron and IP-based touch panels, or universal remote controllers.

The Kaleidescape System has been designed for the anticipated widespread availability of HD content. The capacity of the Server is sufficient for storing large HD movies and the Movie Player hardware is designed to support both 720p and 1080i video output.

Pricing will depend on the amount of movie storage as well as the number of viewing zones. A base Kaleidescape System lists for $27,000 and includes a Kaleidescape Server with sufficient storage for 160 DVD movies, a Movie Player for playback in a single zone, and a DVD Reader for importing DVDs. The storage capacity can be easily expanded to over 400 movies for less than $6,000 and an unlimited number of Movie Players can be added for $3995 per zone.