For those who say that the Kaleidescape system is a rip-of:
I built my own media server system in my house (3.5TB, gigE, massive powerhouse system) but it never was as smooth to use as I would have liked. I purchased a Kaleidescape and within a month I had sold my old media server.
Just a rundown of how cool the Kaleidescape is. It does to your DVD collection what TiVo has done to broadcast TV. Some of the cool features:
When you choose a movie to watch, it goes to the beginning of the film - bypassing forced ads, menus, FBI warnings, etc. If you want to get to the DVD menu, you can choose play disc instead of play movie.
When integrated with a control system - it will automatically adjust your screen masking system to the exact ratio of the film. It will dim the lights and when the film is paused it will raise the lights. It will also automatically raise the lights when the credits roll.
Put the DVD in the tray to incorporate it into the system. No other user intervention is required. If the film is not in the system (from personal experience this is VERY RARE) then you just type in the UPC code on the web interface and its information will appear in 1-2 days. The film is still accessible in the interim. If you have a very rare disc or something they cannot find, they will ship you a box to send it to them in. They pay shipping both ways.
The system can support an unlimited number of servers, players and readers and can handle 7 active DVD streams at once or 2 active HD streams at once (or a combination of the two). Expanding a server is simple - slide in a new cartridge. Upgrade takes no tools, doesn't need to power the system down and requires 10 seconds.
Sort your entire collection by title, genre, actor, director, year or length with the push of a button.
Look through collection by lists or graphically by cover art. System can re-arrange cover art to group similar movies on the fly (way cool!) if you are just browsing and don't know exactly what you want to see.
Bookmark your own collection of favorite scenes. These can be selected from a menu individually or play them all one after the next.
Pause a movie in one room, resume it in the next room.
Adjust for overscan from the set-up menu in each player - you can see the overscan your display has and adjust for it very easily.
Watch multiple movies in multiple rooms or the same movie in multiple rooms at different points in the film. mpossible with DVD changers!
Set-up parental controls on selected players and they cannot even see there are movies on the server that are forbidden. (No explaining to the wife who Jenna Jameson is or why the kids can't watch Boogie Nights)
Automatic download of high resolution cover art and film synopsis.
Player will output component, composite, S-Video and HDMI simultaneously. It will also output S/PDIF via CO-AX and Toslink at the same time. Player has Faroudja DCDi and will scale output.
Player will automatically select preferred audio track (DTS for me) even if it isn't the default track. For films that have both fullscreen and widescreen on the same disc, you can choose which format you want to watch it. This choice is player specific so you can set a small kids TV to 4:3 and keep your theater in widescreen.
System is easy to install - just plugs into the existing Cat5e network in your house. (Although people have reported using wireless successfully, wired is strongly recommended).
Sorry for the long post, but this thing kicks ass and I love it as much as I love TiVo.
Slashdot Mirror
For those who say that the Kaleidescape system is a rip-of: I built my own media server system in my house (3.5TB, gigE, massive powerhouse system) but it never was as smooth to use as I would have liked. I purchased a Kaleidescape and within a month I had sold my old media server. Just a rundown of how cool the Kaleidescape is. It does to your DVD collection what TiVo has done to broadcast TV. Some of the cool features: When you choose a movie to watch, it goes to the beginning of the film - bypassing forced ads, menus, FBI warnings, etc. If you want to get to the DVD menu, you can choose play disc instead of play movie. When integrated with a control system - it will automatically adjust your screen masking system to the exact ratio of the film. It will dim the lights and when the film is paused it will raise the lights. It will also automatically raise the lights when the credits roll. Put the DVD in the tray to incorporate it into the system. No other user intervention is required. If the film is not in the system (from personal experience this is VERY RARE) then you just type in the UPC code on the web interface and its information will appear in 1-2 days. The film is still accessible in the interim. If you have a very rare disc or something they cannot find, they will ship you a box to send it to them in. They pay shipping both ways. The system can support an unlimited number of servers, players and readers and can handle 7 active DVD streams at once or 2 active HD streams at once (or a combination of the two). Expanding a server is simple - slide in a new cartridge. Upgrade takes no tools, doesn't need to power the system down and requires 10 seconds. Sort your entire collection by title, genre, actor, director, year or length with the push of a button. Look through collection by lists or graphically by cover art. System can re-arrange cover art to group similar movies on the fly (way cool!) if you are just browsing and don't know exactly what you want to see. Bookmark your own collection of favorite scenes. These can be selected from a menu individually or play them all one after the next. Pause a movie in one room, resume it in the next room. Adjust for overscan from the set-up menu in each player - you can see the overscan your display has and adjust for it very easily. Watch multiple movies in multiple rooms or the same movie in multiple rooms at different points in the film. mpossible with DVD changers! Set-up parental controls on selected players and they cannot even see there are movies on the server that are forbidden. (No explaining to the wife who Jenna Jameson is or why the kids can't watch Boogie Nights) Automatic download of high resolution cover art and film synopsis. Player will output component, composite, S-Video and HDMI simultaneously. It will also output S/PDIF via CO-AX and Toslink at the same time. Player has Faroudja DCDi and will scale output. Player will automatically select preferred audio track (DTS for me) even if it isn't the default track. For films that have both fullscreen and widescreen on the same disc, you can choose which format you want to watch it. This choice is player specific so you can set a small kids TV to 4:3 and keep your theater in widescreen. System is easy to install - just plugs into the existing Cat5e network in your house. (Although people have reported using wireless successfully, wired is strongly recommended). Sorry for the long post, but this thing kicks ass and I love it as much as I love TiVo.