Kaleidescape to support Blu-ray
When I first wrote about Kaleidescape, they were ambivalent to HD DVD and Blu-ray. Yesterday they announced they would be supporting Blu-ray in the future (thanks to Kaleidescape Owners’ Forum).
A new Blu-ray player will be released for the system that will rip DVD, CD and possibly Blu-ray to the server. This player will be compatible with all existing servers, so it will be easy to upgrade if you currently have one (and don’t we all?). As Kaleidescape is trying to keep their business on the “up-and-up,” I imagine they’re looking to get the BDA to give them the ability to copy the discs without resorting to third-party encrypting software as other companies are doing. It’s posible the user might have to pay the studio a “user fee” on each copy of the movie.
The player is expected in 2009 at about the same cost as the current media player. They’re predicting at least 5 streams of video and audio from the player with the possibility of going up to 20 on a gigabit network.
There are no plans for an HD DVD model, but they will be watching the marketplace and revisit that decision in the future.
So all of you with $20,000 sitting around and don’t know what to do with it, find a Kaleidescape dealer and enjoy the ride.
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