Kaleidescape Releases New Mobile App for iOS Devices

Kaleidescape Releases New Mobile App for iOS Devices

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(October 31, 2018) Kaleidescape’s exceptional user interface experience is getting a boost thanks to a new phone app. The “Kaleidescape Mobile App” allows owners of iOS devices to easily select and purchase movies via a unique store environment, while also receiving updates and film recommendations direct from the company . It also offers a newly designed remote feature that provides simple control over a Kaleidescape system “without taking your eyes off the big screen.”

According to Kaleidescape’s CEO and founder, Cheena Srinivasan:"Kaleidescape is known for its beautiful onscreen user interface. However, to use it, many of our customers interact with 3rd party control tablets that make it impossible to use some of the best features of our onscreen user interface. [We] designed our new mobile app to solve this problem by providing a control interface that is as elegant as our onscreen interface. The mobile app's design was also influenced by the lack of a practical way to visit our movie store and buy movies with a smartphone. The Kaleidescape mobile app will continue to play a central role as we evolve Kaleidescape's user interface, making it more intuitive and more entertaining."

The app is currently available as a free download through the Apple Store. The company says an Android friendly app is planned for the future.
 

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Thanks for the update. With everybody having smart phones, it is smart for the company to integrate the app which will make it a lot easier for owners to manipulate the data when the remote is not nearby.
 

Matthew J Poes

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This is cool, but I have to be honest, I thought it was something else at first. I thought they were finally releasing their software so we could access their movie market on our own devices. I still think they need to do that. I get that their hardware is excellent and plays a role in the experience. However, their pricing is so high I can't even dream about owning it. Nobody is offering a comparable video store either, I really think they have a great product.
 

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Yeah - not yet. Kaleidescape has told me they are aware of the coming demand that the broad consumer segment will have... but you'll likely not see them expand out of the custom install segment soon.

For device-based app streaming, I don't think Kaleidescape would be competitive against the likes of Netflix, etc, anyway. They're wheelhouse is offering true HD/4K UHD versions of films (in some cases better than what discs offer) with full lossless audio encodes for home theater environments. Much of that would be lost on a stream direct to a phone.
 

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Yeah - not yet. Kaleidescape has told me they are aware of the coming demand that the broad consumer segment will have... but you'll likely not see them expand out of the custom install segment soon.

For device-based app streaming, I don't think Kaleidescape would be competitive against the likes of Netflix, etc, anyway. They're wheelhouse is offering true HD/4K UHD versions of films (in some cases better than what discs offer) with full lossless audio encodes for home theater environments. Much of that would be lost on a stream direct to a phone.

I agree but If they port their software over to iOS or Android that also means they can begin to be used on Roku, FireTV, and Apple TV. That is more what I’m interested in. I’m not concerned with direct competition for Netflix. I want Vudu done right. A pay per view that is as good or better than the discs.

I think it makes good business sense. Even if it’s not hugely popular it would potentially add revenue to help develop their core product line. Maybe in time they could even leverage existing hardware to reduce their costs and increase profits so they can stick around.
 

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I doubt that's going to happen. Kaleidescape isn't streaming, it's download. The files are big (we're talking 60-120 gigs of information for a piece of media), laced with home automation meta-data, and significant upgrades in video and audio presentation over what you experience from streaming (particularly in the audio dept). I do believe they give you a medallion to use for UltraViolet, but their film downloads are rather proprietary. Much of their content isn't ripped direct from a Blu-ray or 4K UHD disc, but rather mastered from the same digital intermediate file that the movie house uses to discs... so bit rates aren't limited (like you'll find on a disc). And they also have value-add features like in-house selected bookmarks, etc.

Their business model appears to be healthy in the install segment - compared to other custom install gear, they are priced low (if you think about it). We'll see if pricing changes in the coming years. Hopefully it will drop for the enthusiast segment -- it's one awesome piece of gear and delivers a user experience that pretty much blows discs out of the water.
 

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I doubt that's going to happen. Kaleidescape isn't streaming, it's download. The files are big (we're talking 60-120 gigs of information for a piece of media), laced with home automation meta-data, and significant upgrades in video and audio presentation over what you experience from streaming (particularly in the audio dept). I do believe they give you a medallion to use for UltraViolet, but their film downloads are rather proprietary. Much of their content isn't ripped direct from a Blu-ray or 4K UHD disc, but rather mastered from the same digital intermediate file that the movie house uses to discs... so bit rates aren't limited (like you'll find on a disc). And they also have value-add features like in-house selected bookmarks, etc.

Their business model appears to be healthy in the install segment - compared to other custom install gear, they are priced low (if you think about it). We'll see if pricing changes in the coming years. Hopefully it will drop for the enthusiast segment -- it's one awesome piece of gear and delivers a user experience that pretty much blows discs out of the water.

I suspect the storage problem could be resolved by adding an external drive to the higher end streamers from the prior mentioned companies.

In any case, I get that it won’t change soon. I think their products are pretty expensive. I think they would need to get an all in one video device down to about $1500 before more average consumers embrace it.

I’m skeptical that they are very healthy. They have been on the verge of bankruptcy for quite a while with a very serious close call just a year ago. That implies they are neither profitable nor revenue neutral. I think video is far too expensive to rely on wealthy CI clients alone and make a go of it. It’s never succeeded in the past.
 

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That 2016 shutdown was alarming, but brief. There were several forces driving that, from what I understand. They did recover.

Kaleidescape is set up differently than most services that have agreements with movie houses. Recently people were upset when Apple titles they bought disappeared - I haven’t read the ins and outs, but that was likely due to titles changing ownership among studios. That doesn’t happen with Kaliedescape. You actually own the content you purchase... I don’t get the feeling that can be instantly ported and spread amongst the various streaming services.

While I do agree that pricing is just too high for the average consumer, I do think they’ve shown a lot of welcomed health over the last two years. The Sony relationship was big... they’ve come out with new streamlined gear this year... and it sounds like some good changes are on the horizon.

The fact that you can get 4K titles that haven’t been (or may not be) released on disc is really tempting - not to mention access to early releases and the interface. The service has definitely been on my radar!
 
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