News

Anders+Kern Introduce The Revolutionary Kaleidescape Entertainment Server (19/11/2004)

Kaleidescape Inc. has appointed Anders+Kern to introduce the Kaleidescape System to the UK. The Kaleidescape system is an Entertainment Server that allows users to store their entire movie collection on hard disks, and to access any movie in their collection from any viewing zone in their home. With a combination of proprietary patent-pending hardware, software and services, Kaleidescape is defining the future of how movies will be enjoyed at home and is set to revolutionise Anders+Kern's home cinema and home entertainment division. "Kaleidescape stands alongside our Stewart Filmscreen range as the best of the class and complements our expanding range of innovative and world leading home entertainment products " says Anders+Kern Managing Director, Derek Kuziw.

A Kaleidescape System comprises 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 180 DVDs), 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 500 DVDs. 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 complements virtually any existing entertainment system. Analog and digital audio/video outputs on the Kaleidescape Movie Player connect to the homeowner's existing A/V system in the media room, child's room, bedroom, or any other room in the house where convenient access to their movie library is desired. Each Kaleidescape Movie Player and DVD Reader connects simply to the Server(s) via a 100Base-TX Ethernet LAN.

Once imported, the homeowner can have instantaneous access to their entire movie library utilizing an intuitive, easy-to-use 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 even 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.

www.anders-kern.co.uk