Rumors ciculate about BD support.

Apparently, they said that they are going to bring out a bluray player that can't rip disks.

anydvdhd it is...

You want a copy, Peter?

That be very nice Dennis. info@cineramax.com

I try to be nice once a year.

That's correct, the new BR Player will be released later this year, but will not be enabled to import BR content (still waiting for licensing to be in place).

There is NO third party software (including AnyDVD) that can bypass K's operating system. Owner's will just have to wait for licensing.

Jim

Why would customers have to purchase a special ( Im guessing high priced ) BD player. Does the system not allow you to interface any BD player or external source ?

Alan...that would be easier if the "player" thingy was just a BD player; but, it is not. As Jim points out, K's problem for some time has not been technology; but, rather licensing.

Why would customers have to purchase a special ( Im guessing high priced ) BD player. Does the system not allow you to interface any BD player or external source ?
I think they must be talking about upgrading the built-in DVD player to one that also plays BD. That way, you don't have to stack two units to play every format. The unit would have to be "special" so that it allows ripping of DVDs and streaming of the same from the server.

Back to the original topic, they would need the final revision of AACS agreement which is supposed to support managed copy. And second, they would need to get approval for the copy protection they use from AACS. Then they can get down to the business of ripping the BDs.

The final AACS agreement was due last month but that date came and went....

[QUOTE=amirm;15950014]I think they must be talking about upgrading the built-in DVD player to one that also plays BD. That way, you don't have to stack two units to play every format. The unit would have to be "special" so that it allows ripping of DVDs and streaming of the same from the server.....[Quote]

That is essentially correct, the new BR Player will support DVD, CD, and BR importing and playback (basically swapping out the current drive for a BR drive). The current line of KPLAYERS (as they are called), will still only playback DVD/CD, and cannot be software enabled to playback BR, so only the new BR player will playback BR content.

Regarding licensing, stand by........:)

Jim

Regarding licensing, stand by........:)

Jim
Oh, have been doing that since Feb 26th ;)....

Oh, have been doing that since Feb 26th ;)....

I know you know more than me on this issue.....;)

Jim

I know you know more than me on this issue.....;)

Jim
Well, truth to be told, I was the one who cooked up the idea of managed copy for BD/HD DVD in AACS. It became one of the founding principals of the system. Sadly, in the haste to get PS3 and first gen HD DVD players out, the requirement was put on hold and here we are, almost four years later, still without it.

So yes, I keep tabs on its progress even though most of its value is gone with the advent of software which bypasses the copy protection.

Hold the phone ... I'm told there's another announcement coming tomorrow.

Hold the phone ... I'm told there's another announcement coming tomorrow.

Not sure what that announcement will be, but yes, there is some news expected tomorrow.:)

Jim

Well, the news from Kaleidescape turns out to be an announcement for a new mini-system for storing DVD's/CD's that includes everything you need to get up and running, including one of their 1080p Players and a remote control (new for K). System will retail under $8k.

There is also a price reduction on storage disks and Movie Players (effective March 16th) in the 30% range.

BR Players still being released later this year.

Jim

The new Mini system basically is a kill shot at Escient and the Vision system. You get all of the greatness of Kscape, including two music zones, burner, server and player in one box for a relatively small premium over a Vision VS200. No brainer to choose Kscape over the Escient.

The new Mini system basically is a kill shot at Escient and the Vision system. You get all of the greatness of Kscape, including two music zones, burner, server and player in one box for a relatively small premium over a Vision VS200. No brainer to choose Kscape over the Escient.

Agreed. That part of the market needed to be addressed by K.


Jim

The new Mini system basically is a kill shot at Escient and the Vision system. You get all of the greatness of Kscape, including two music zones, burner, server and player in one box for a relatively small premium over a Vision VS200. No brainer to choose Kscape over the Escient.

I agree, except that it may depend on who is the first to get a Blu-ray option first. Granted, the Kscape will be far better since it will be HD based, rather than changer based. However, at this point it appears more likely that Escient may have their Blu-ray system in place before Kscape (and Crestron may beat both of them, although Crestron's system is also changer based).

Obviously a HD based system for Blu-ray is best, but a changer based Blu-ray system for the primary theater and a HD based system for DVD's for the rest of the home (something both Escient and Crestron will do), seems like a decent workaround, especially if the Kscape system for Blu-ray is delayed indefinitely.

I have been watching this space for about seven centuries! The ideal scenario would/should be a configurable solution that would accommodate most of the mainstream HD formats including HD DVD and Blue Ray for starters. The key here is 'configurable' through the purchase of a software key for each format.

Kaleidescape needs to do this quickly as I can see real movement coming from the Apple/ITunes distribution network toward an inevitable solution that puts all the ones and zeros on a consumer device in the basement or at worst a private shared vault in the cloud.

The issue for Kaleidescape is that Apple has economies of scale for minimizing license and distribution costs with a global audience that Kaleidescape will never touch. Yes K is currently the most elegant, best solution for media storage and playback but the technical and regulatory gap is closing real fast. Storage is quickly becoming a non issue with reliable in-house and virtual storage farm price reductions that are exponentially dropping in price. In fact the real world solutions are an effective combination of both with the home based storage simply acting as a proxy for the main storage tank in the cloud!

No argument of substance can be mounted that would suggest that Apple hasn't surpassed Kal with respect to music. It is an elegant, simple, reliable and economical system that is a model for what is to come for the movie industry that not only supports the mass consumer interests but can feed the appetite of the high end connoisseur with more downstream potential for improvements in functionality and quality in the short run.

If Kal does provide a solution that accommodates the HD format on an equal footing with the standard DVD then I will probably order it on the spot even though I truly believe they will be eclipsed within three years by the convergence of technologies alluded to in the above.........

As Amirm probably knows the software media players with the right context have to be able to outperform hardware based players hands down. AND most importantly all without even a hint of complexity or difficulty in getting legitimate owned media on or off the server.

Peter

Apple is too closed and too DRM'ed for everybody to jump on. As far as music, nobody would claim anything other than apple is the undisputed leader.

K does not have the reach, to be mass market, although in their early days they spoke of possibly eventually oem'ing their technology to other companies who do have the massive CE reach.

Who knows what they will do, i will say this though... their CEO is the most savvy guy i have ever met. every time somebody thinks they made a bad decision, they show again how right they are.

all the talk of HD is funny though... there is no legal solution for bd. so anybody who makes one is either breaking the law, or flaunting it, or placing their customer in a position to break it. not the best plan when one wants to build a large successful company.

There are interesting things afoot in the content world when it comes to allowing you to make fair use of content. i found out about DECE last week. very interesting what they are attempting to do. they all recognize that the genie is out of the bottle, and that if they want to keep control, they better come up with a solution and come up with one fast.

Actually, I was thinking of apple as the distribution vehicle. I buy all my movies/music so I'm not trying to save money. What I do want is an uncomplicated access to the uncompressed lossless original which can then be put through the highest quality output device/software aaaaaannnnd I don't want to be concerned about the HD format (HD DVD- BD etc.) in the effort to get the material on my theater screen.

I respect DRM and in fact endorse whatever methods are used to ensure that the material is not subject to compromise from the hacking community.

Having said that, I also believe that the DRM should not get in the way of my enjoyment of the material regardless of which legally owned device I want to use. So if I can use ITunes as my virtual retail outlet and Kaleidescape as my storage and launch platform then I'm a happy camper.

The way Kaleidescape can kill two birds with one stone would be to work out a joint venture/partnership with Apple for content access. The combination of the Apple distribution network converged with the DRM compliance capabilities of the Kaliedescape platform should be a no brainer for the production companies. As you can see I'm not trying to redefine Kal's marketplace or commoditize a highly specialized competency.

There is no technological reason for the sloppiness that exists in todays world. I fact the commercial possibilities open up exponentially when I purchase a movie at full pop and my original is held either at Kal or centrally in the cloud. When my neighbor wants to buy the same movie, at full pop, all he requires is a token to provide access to that same master copy. The first 30 mins can be saved on the Kal system after viewing which would provide sufficient buffer time for subsequent viewing on demand stretching the storage space required by a factor of at least 4. So ten terabytes can suffice for an equivalent 40 terabytes. Maybe insufficient for Spielberg but adequate for the majority of the rest of us soon to be homeless folks.

As you noted and I agree with your observation.....the horse is outta the barn, and its time that the technocracy admit that the DRM soup ought to be the mother of invention.

Before anyone accuses me of oversimplifying the legal chaos that Kaleidescape has been fighting for the last couple of years on their/our behalf, I believe that the world is changing and what would have been considered as heresy in the US banking system even a year ago is now an indelible part of our future!

Peter