Kaleidescape Serves Up Multizone Mini System

Kaleidescape's new Mini System is a single-component system that combines storage, Kaleidescape's vaunted user interface, multizone music capability, and remote control -- in a box the size of your standard DVD player.

At $7,995, it's also about 40 percent less than the current Kaleidescape system; and you can expand it by adding Kaleidescape players and/or servers to increase capacity or bring other rooms into the mix.

You get the usual Kaleidescape browsing bells and whistles of push-button access to your movie or music collection sorted about any way you can think of -- by actor, title, artist, director, genre, year-of-release or run time. The company's Movie and Music Guide Services brings in cross-referencing to help you discover, or rediscover, old faves, and the high-res cover art makes it easy to pick out exactly what you're looking for.

Other features include:

• 1080p video output upscaled from DVDs
• Storage of up to 75 DVDs or 825 CDs, expandable by adding disk cartridges
• Two independent music zones, so you can view a movie in one room but listen to music in another from the same component
• Direct playback of DVDs and CDs from the disc

Kaleidescape also announced price reductions on its 1080p Player, 1080p Mini Player and Disk Cartridges, which effective March 16 will carry MSRPs of $2,995, $1,995 and $995, respectively.