Beatis - A Cheap Alternative to Kaleidescope?

Originally Posted by DanFrancis

just pop for the Kscape, Steve. You know you have the cash and just like your Theta gear; you know there isn't really a cheaper alternative that's just as good.

Originally Posted by Steve Bruzonsky

http://baetisaudio.com/

$2595 sale price for this media computer!

What do you think?

Supposedly will handle all music and video formats, including blu ray!

(Woops! Its "Baetis Audio", not "Beatis"!

Originally Posted by Steve Bruzonsky

Sorry I don't have the bucks for Kscape and I wouldn't spend it anyway for that. We have lotsa home repairs this year, my money is being sunk into my home!

Originally Posted by DanFrancis

Steve, I have to say that it isn't the Dirac that would be the turning point for me. I think that Morris went the more logical route utilizing Dirac instead of Trinnov- but Trinnov has really turned me into a believer.

Actually, perhaps when things settle down for the folks at Theta, I'll be able to convince Jeff to let me borrow the new Casa HD/ Dirac implementation to audition- I wouldn't mind adding their line to my stable.

So no, I haven't completely "turned to the dark side" , but I'll tell you this: with that full Trinnov implementation, the Reference is very hard to beat- even for Theta.

But that's not the point here- the point is you're sandbagging! You can get into Kscape for less than 20k and have Blu-ray at your beck and call, plus a kick-a$$ ipad control app to boot? ....pull the trigger....you know you want to....pull the trigger....Steve.....Steve...jedi mind trick.....Steve....

Dan

fun

Originally Posted by GetGray

No. I had some HTPC gurus I trust help me and recommend hardware. I used an Intel CPU that was supposed to get the frame rate thing right but it didn't do it perfect, althoug it is very very close (0.001 fps off). There were other issues, I forget the details. I think 4-4-4 RGB color out, PC does deinterlace, etc. Bottom line was it did not do what I called source direct. That said, I've been fine with the PQ from it. Haven't had and problems there really. I have a 3 chip DLP on a 56" tall screen. Not huge but big enough and bright enough to show bad video. The convenience of the MyMovies interface (K-like) is very nice. It even does one or 2 things K does not. Main thing there is I filter my collection to "not watched" so I only browse the movies I haven't seen yet. Which is normally what I want to look at. If I need to borrow a movie from friend/family/etc, I can put it on the server until I get time to watch it, then delete it when I'm done. With the server I set up all you have to do is put the disc in the tray and close it. Done. The MM software gets the movie, puts it on the hard drive intact, goes out to the MM servers and pulls all the movies data, cover art, actors, format ratngs, etc and it just magically appears in my list. When it's done it ejects the disc. That easy. It burps every once and a while when it can't read a disc but it's relatively rare. I call it my BR Tivo.

The client HTPC I built has a heatpipe chassis and a special high power low wattage CPU. So there is no fan. None. Zero noise in my rack which is in my theater room. Server is a datacenter class Dell 1U rack server and a rackmount SAS 24 drive hot-swap and not so quiet. But it's out in my shop where noise isn't an issue. No vaults to mess with. I have a lot of flexibility on what goes on the server and what does not. And with multiple raid 5 arrays configured in the drive chassis, I have a nice home server for all things non-theater, too. "Free" perk.

Originally Posted by Steve Bruzonsky

My AVS account is the one he never hacked. I was one of the original 6, not Cyclons, but forum members. Doug registered "me" on a bunch of other internet forums and posted as "me" saying stuff I'd never say! I don't think he's active as "me" anymore, as my AVS signature alerted folks that he is a fake!!!

Originally Posted by mani


I have gone through all the options including streamers like popcorn hour , dune , two htpc,s, with myMovies . I also have unraid server with 30 TB hard drives . Kscape in terms of ease of use and picture quality bests them all without a doubt at least to my eyes . My family always had problem using htpc , to the point they stopped using it after a month. Kscape is piece of cake . I always preferred picture and sound quality of oppo over HtPCs , but K either equals or bests that too. I understand there is a huge price difference , so it comes down to price / benefit ratio and individual finances etc.

Originally Posted by mani

I have gone through all the options including streamers like popcorn hour , dune , two htpc,s, with myMovies . I also have unraid server with 30 TB hard drives . Kscape in terms of ease of use and picture quality bests them all without a doubt at least to my eyes . My family always had problem using htpc , to the point they stopped using it after a month. Kscape is piece of cake . I always preferred picture and sound quality of oppo over HtPCs , but K either equals or bests that too. I understand there is a huge price difference , so it comes down to price / benefit ratio and individual finances etc.

Originally Posted by pokekevin

I've been able to get my htpc calibrated somewhat and think it turned out great. My parents love the ease of the htpc and they barely know how to use a computer!

Originally Posted by mani


I had my theater professionally calibrated . I was watching streamer and then HTPC on 170" wide scope screen with Sim2 Lumis HOST , and I always preferred Oppo over HTPC in terms of picture quality. I of course used top of the line NVIDIA graphics card and other components etc.

Regarding ease of use :

I received Kscape boxes- Vault and players. Opened them . Attached power cable, HDMI cable and ethernet cable pressed the power button. They were up and running - just like that - i.e 10 minutes per room. So 4 rooms in less than 1 hour. I have 900 DVD's, close to 280 Blu rays , and 900 CD's. All I needed to do was insert 320 DVD's, CD's, Blu rays at a time and forget about it and they will be stored on the server categorised, metadata/ high res cover art added etc. One click and you can eject all CD's, all DVD's , all blu rays and re insert the next batch .
Samething while watching it just works , you can browse cover art on ipad , integrate the whole thing into the automation system ( i.e; control4, crestron etc). I use control 4. So one click on ipad, or regular control 4 remote does everything .
I am quite savvy with electronics and computers and have been making my servers/ computers etc for several years. But there is no cpmparison in terms of reliability/ quality/ ease of use.

Again it is expensive- whether what it brings to the table is worth the cost is individual decision- If I could not afford K , I will be equally happy with Oppo93 for serious viewing and some streamer for casual viewing. I wont recommend someone spending half of their savings to buy K. But to say that you can get same quality and ease with HTPC is just not true . I have owned both and been in both the camps and have not met anyone who have owned both and thinks otherwise. This argument can go on and on, but unless you own and use K for sometime after HTPC, there is no way of making someone understand , what it is that makes K different.

Mani

Originally Posted by sierraalphahotel

I was lead to believe that a HTPC could be configured to output picture and sound equal to any stand alone player (strictly digitally speaking)? I am currently doing research for a HTPC build and I am doing so on the basis that I hope to achieve a music and HD movie experience such that I don't need a separate blu-ray player (and a K system is waaay out of my individual finances ).

Originally Posted by GetGray

Neither will do source direct (per K) and per my experience with the HTPC, like a simple Oppo will. Is it a bad thing? Sometimes, depends on the source. For BRD, not so much. I agree with Mani, the HTPC setup is not as "smooth" as the K. But that said, almost every feature he listed is part of the MM package now too. But, it comes with some pain and some kludgyness. K is, as far as I know (based on other's trusted input), flawless on execution wihen it comes to the interface functioning properly. The (my) HTPC definately is not. Usually works fine, but every once in a while it hiccups, locks, pops up some windows message in the middle of what you are doing, etc. Annoying for sure. But it has a few advantages. As I said before, depends on you. If not for the cost, there would be no contest IMO. And who knows which will last longest with all the court ridiculousness. The tighter that gets, the more likely the more "bootleg" option will work longer I'd expect. I just hope they keep making BRD's and we aren't all forced to consuming Netflix crap recompressed streams.

Originally Posted by GetGray

Neither will do source direct (per K) and per my experience with the HTPC, like a simple Oppo will. Is it a bad thing? Sometimes, depends on the source. For BRD, not so much. I agree with Mani, the HTPC setup is not as "smooth" as the K. But that said, almost every feature he listed is part of the MM package now too. But, it comes with some pain and some kludgyness. K is, as far as I know (based on other's trusted input), flawless on execution wihen it comes to the interface functioning properly. The (my) HTPC definately is not. Usually works fine, but every once in a while it hiccups, locks, pops up some windows message in the middle of what you are doing, etc. Annoying for sure. But it has a few advantages. As I said before, depends on you. If not for the cost, there would be no contest IMO. And who knows which will last longest with all the court ridiculousness. The tighter that gets, the more likely the more "bootleg" option will work longer I'd expect. I just hope they keep making BRD's and we aren't all forced to consuming Netflix crap recompressed streams.