Kaleidescape claims new 1080p upscaling DVD players "rival Blu-ray"
New Kaleidescape Movie Players Produce Stunning Video Quality from Ordinary DVDs, Provide Viewing Experience That Rivals Blu-ray
1080p Player and 1080p Mini Player Expand Kaleidescape's Reach in Home Entertainment
SUNNYVALE, CA, June 18, 2008 - Kaleidescape, Inc., the market leader in entertainment servers, today introduced the 1080p Player and 1080p Mini Player – two Movie Players that produce stunning video quality from ordinary DVDs, providing a viewing experience that rivals Blu-ray. The new family of Players makes it possible to enjoy the Kaleidescape Experience even with DVDs and CDs that have not been imported into a Kaleidescape System, and a new form factor makes it possible to place a 1080p Mini Player anywhere in the home.
The 1080p Player is designed as a 1U rack mount device, and includes a DVD/CD-ROM drive for import and direct playback of DVDs and CDs. The 1080p Mini Player offers the video and audio performance of the 1080p Player, in a smaller package with a lower price. It is ideal for inconspicuous installation in viewing rooms where owners desire that A/V equipment be hidden.
"These new Players have achieved our goal of producing beautiful high definition video from the DVDs that we've all been collecting for years," said Michael Malcolm, Kaleidescape founder, chairman and CEO. "The new 1080p Players leverage Kaleidescape's extensive Movie Guide database to make the viewing experience even more entertaining. Our patent-pending video bookmarking changes the way rental movies are enjoyed – no more annoying trailers, advertisements and DVD menus. And the compact 1080p Mini Player saves valuable space so customers can enjoy their movies and music in more locations throughout the home."
"The new Kaleidescape Movie Player produces the best quality video I have ever seen from any source device," said David Raife, owner of Paragon Technology Group with offices in Aspen, Vail and Steamboat Springs, Colorado. "It makes DVDs look absolutely beautiful."
Features and Benefits of the New 1080p Players
1080p Video Output – The 1080p Movie Player upscales ordinary DVD content to beautiful high definition video, matching the highest resolution of today's display devices without the added cost and complexity of an external scaler. Crystal clear video and amazingly accurate colors provide a viewing experience rivaling that of Blu-ray.
Content-Aware Video Processing – The 1080p Movie Player adapts its video processing to the type of content being viewed to achieve results that are impossible for an external scaler. For example, the onscreen display (OSD) with its sharp edges and high contrast is processed differently than movies, which contain motion and natural colors. Information in Kaleidescape's extensive Movie Guide database is also used to tailor the viewing experience, for example, to automatically detect and expand movies to fill a 16:9 display without any user intervention.
Advanced DVD and CD Playback Features – The Kaleidescape Experience is now available for DVDs and CDs that have not been imported. The user may insert a disc into a 1080p Player and enjoy detailed information about the movie or album, including cover art, movie synopsis, album review, and track names. Selecting "Play Movie" on the OSD starts the movie instantly, without trailers or advertisements – even for rental movies! These features combine to make the 1080p Player the ultimate DVD/CD player.
Full Import Control – The 1080p Player prevents accidental imports of DVDs and CDs for less worrisome enjoyment of borrowed or rented movies. The import process is only initiated with a press of the Import button on the front panel, or by selecting "Import DVD" or "Import CD" on the OSD.
Small Size and Near-Silent Operation – The 1080p Mini Player's small size and near-silent operation make it an ideal free-standing device sitting on a shelf in the viewing room, hidden behind a plasma display, concealed in a cabinet, or mounted recessed in a wall or behind a piece of furniture. Installed in the viewing room and connected to a Kaleidescape Server via Ethernet, the 1080p Mini Player allows for 1080p video quality in more locations throughout the home.
Myriad Installation Options – The 1080p Mini Player includes a mounting bracket, making it quick to attach to any surface. Its mounting options allow for inconspicuous installation in a viewing room where the ability to import or play directly from DVDs and CDs is unnecessary. An optional rack-mount kit secures two 1080p Mini Players in a 1U shelf, doubling the rack density of the 1080p Player.
Availability
The 1080p Player is available now, and the 1080p Mini Player will be available in the second half of July, 2008. For more information, contact Kaleidescape at (888) 352-5343 or (650) 625-6150, email sales@kaleidescape.com, or visit www.kaleidescape.com.
About Kaleidescape
The Kaleidescape System redefines home entertainment by transforming the way movies and music are collected, managed and enjoyed throughout the home or yacht. The Kaleidescape System combines a compelling interface, outstanding industrial design, and services that set new standards in the consumer electronics industry. Kaleidescape, Inc. was founded in 2001 and is privately held. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with research and development conducted by Kaleidescape Canada, Inc., based in Waterloo, Ontario. Kaleidescape products are available through a worldwide network of custom-installation dealers and distributors. For more information, contact Kaleidescape at (888) 352-5343 or (650) 625-6150, email us at sales@kaleidescape.com, or visit www.kaleidescape.com.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JimC @ Jun 18th 2008 9:16AM
Oh brother...I can't wait for reviewers to get their hands on these machines (and from Toshiba) so that a side-by-side comparison with blu-ray can be done....and then laugh at the very predictable results.
DrXym @ Jun 18th 2008 10:04AM
Video Enhancer's site has an objective comparison of its own upscaling efforts compared to some other plugins as well as to various interpolation algorithms. Suffice to say that while it is moderately better than interpolation by itself you would never ever mistake it for proper HD.
DVD4ME @ Jun 18th 2008 9:18AM
Oh, and JimC, sorry.
Ben @ Jun 18th 2008 9:24AM
What a joke, you simply can't make SD look like HD, no matter how much you fix it up.
But hey, if you're stupid enough to pay $50k for a DVD jukebook with an ugly UI, then I'm sure you're stupid enough to buy a 5k DVD player that can't play Blu-ray Discs cause your integrator told you that you can't tell the difference.
Jim Mallory @ Jun 18th 2008 9:39AM
There just trying to deflect attention from the fact that you can build a system just as good as theirs with a decent NAS or Server with a DLNA server and then use your choice of DLNA client (PS3, XBOX360, Mivx, etc.) or with Vista Media Center and MyMovies for a lot less than they charge.
And wouldn't someone who drops 50K for jukebox would already be using a high-end scaler anyways?
lee @ Jun 18th 2008 9:51AM
15 G's to play a DVD, yea that m,akes a lot of sense? WTF?
DrXym @ Jun 18th 2008 9:59AM
It isn't possible. Why do you think it even is?
JimC @ Jun 18th 2008 10:12AM
Oh I'm sure it "helps", in fact, I might want a Toshiba super upscaler for my DVD collection but get this, I will not be buying any new DVD's so this would be purely for my current DVD collection that I won't be replacing with blu-rays. Stuff like 80% of the kids DVD's and I'd say at least 50% of the rest of the DVD's will never be replaced.
All my new titles will be blu-ray and I will be replacing some of my favorites in blu-ray, such as LotR, Starwars, etc...
By the way, this is impossible to be equivalent to blu-ray. No matter how much spin and hype Toshiba or anyone else puts out there, taking SD DVD and processing them only enhances the SD content but it cannot "create" extra resolution or color without some artifacting and other possible side-effects.
Like I said, this will be good for SD DVD's that you are necessarily dying to have in blu-ray but a blu-ray killer it is not....nor will it be equivalent...
Doc @ Jun 18th 2008 10:29AM
I have to admit the current state of DVD's are really good, surprisingly enough, but you simply can't just unleash what's not there to begin with IMO. Just how stupid do you have to be to buy one of these players anyways?
mntwister @ Jun 18th 2008 11:22AM
hey DVD4me, thanks for remembering me:-). I have always said I would be fair with my opinion when I see and hear these players, I have only said I do not believe (My opinion) it will match a well transferred 1080p movie with a lossless soundtrack. I might add, DVD4me, the same might go for you.....you have yet to say a good word about blu-ray yet you are on all these threads touting these upscalers and on the blu-ray news threads you are cutting down the format. So, let's not talk about others who might be doing the same thing you are.
Sure I'll be fair, when they are able to do a comparison showing a good blu-ray disc next to one of these new super upconversion players with the same disc in dvd format on matching tv's calibrated identically, I'll be very fair with my opinion, but I have my doubts. It also states that it will handle PCM soundtracks...now is that supposed to be of any use? How many dvd's have PCM on them? Maybe 25? What about all of the other 100,000 releases? Are they going to sound as good as that blu-ray lossless disc playing right next to it when many dvd's have Dolby Digital somewhere near 300kbps compared to a Dolby True or PCM track neat 4mbps or dvd's with DTS (of which most were 768kbps not 1.5 mbps)?
You guys are forgetting that half the experience is in the sound, and there's no way to uncompress a compressed audio track except for falsely equalizing the soundtrack. So IF this turned out to look as good as an actual high definition disc (?), I still have little interest because after 14 years I am tired of hearing cramped sound that does not present the proper musical stage or anything near what studio masters sound like, where you can hear that violin string being pulled or that bass drum in all its glory. DVD could simply never do that properly. Lossless can.
Listen, for $199 (which is what I believe blu-ray players will be this holiday season, at least on a few sales), a person is much better off with that package. Now, for those with huge dvd collections (and I do have one myself), many of those movies will take a long time to come out on high def disc. If a player could look close to high def, then it may be worth it for someone who doesn't mind buying yet another upconverting player, but certainly a player like this is not within the price range of the average consumer.
I'll be one of the first to check out Toshiba's super upscaling player because I would like to upscale my dvd's better than I am now (although I am using the Realta chip) until a blu-ray version of the movies are released. But I have always advanced with modern electronics that vastly improve what I am watching AND hearing, and if these indeed do give us a better dvd picture, for me that's only half the story when the horrible dvd sound compression remains.
mntwister @ Jun 18th 2008 11:26AM
Oh and I did forget that of the dvd titles that ARE released, how many of them have sub-par or poor transfers? Not all that many have been re-issued as special remastered editions, so what does an expensive (or cheaper) upscaler player do with those thousands of poor quality transfers out there on dvd? I imagine they will upscale the poor picture and it will look worse because you will see even more how the transfer was poor.
Susurrus @ Jun 18th 2008 11:50AM
Engadget needs a demo unit, and side-by-side screen shots...
DVD4ME @ Jun 19th 2008 4:50AM
No chance, this site is on the blu ray payroll, they wont be comparing anything that might make BR look bad!
Dave @ Jun 18th 2008 11:52AM
LOL what a stupid way to get people money... No one will buy this crap.
Mr. E @ Jun 18th 2008 11:53AM
It's certainly possible to have decent upconversion. It's certainly NOT possible for any upconversion technology to match true 1080p HD. As I keep saying, add the best upconverting technology you can to a Blu-ray player to maximize the appearance of your old discs, and it would be worthwhile.
Think about it: Anyone with a top-notch home theater and the crazy coin to throw at a product like this *might* get it to complement a Blu-ray player, but certainly not as a substitute for one.
shawnmos @ Jun 18th 2008 1:01PM
This is why I got a Samsung BD-UP5000. It play Blu-ray, HD DVD, and upscales DVD beautifully with it's Reon chip. I have no plans to buy any more HD DVDs or DVDs though.
kcmurphy88 @ Jun 18th 2008 2:02PM
If you get one of these, you may find that it doesn't quite equal blu-ray quality. People will tell you that it's due to some technical impossibility. DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM, THEY ARE BLU-RAY FANATICS!
The problem is NOT the player -- it's your cables!
Standard HDMI cables don't have the extra digital signals needed to carry the new interpolated data. You really need to get the KCM(tm) brand super-HDMI cables with patented Proterpolation Plus parallel signaling over thiotimoline-doped xenon-free vacuum-filled hollow copper cables.
At a mere $899/meter these advanced cables match you DVD players upconverting capability dollar-for-dollar. Available at all pro high-end AV stores!
blauck44 @ Jun 19th 2008 12:17AM
Sounds like alchemy is still around, maybe I can turn lead into gold
DVD4ME @ Jun 19th 2008 4:47AM
Good old Xmmy, right on cue, you can set your clock by him!