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Kaleidescape goes "entry-level" with new $10k 1U server
Not a lot of companies have the brass to call a $10,000 media server their "entry-level" product, but the Kaleidescape peeps practically pity the weak-sauce consumers who can't pony up the $30k for their flagship server. According to COO Cheena Srinivasan, their new 1U server is "catering to the several hundreds of prospective customers that have witnessed a Kaleidescape demo, and the $30,000 configuration was a little too steep." Can't you just hear the derision drip? For the piddling sum of $10,000 you can now get the rack-mountable server with dual 250GB HDDs, which connects to your TV for flashy media browsing. Oddly, you have to choose between movie or music server functionality, or "upgrade" to both for $2,735. Another configuration is available for $17k that includes three 750GB discs and plays back both formats. The introduction of 750GB drives also means that if you make the right choice and spring for the full-fledged server, you can manage 8.25TB of storage. If that's not worth selling a kidney, we don't know what is.
Colorado's vNet color touchscreen, IP-based music server
While the myriad of choices you have when scouting out an in-home streaming music solution is quite robust, Colorado is aiming to provide a new twist on a device that has become relatively stagnant in the innovation department. The company's vNet lineup includes Vibe media servers, encoders, tuners, and docks, but the focal point here is the 7-inch color touchscreen that controls all the action. The LCD, aside from displaying album art, metadata, and libraries from every connected audio source, houses a 70 watt Class D amplifier to act as a self-contained receiver, should you choose to use it. This "IP-based audio streaming solution" allows you to connect PCs, CD players, DAPs, satellite radio receivers, and essentially anything with an audio output to your home network through Ethernet, while the LCD receiver of sorts locates and manages connected devices. Since it's highly doubtful your special edition iPod or circa 1985 cassette deck has a LAN port, Colorado offers encoder units that accept just about any form of analog / digital audio inputs, and converts the tunes to PCM streams that get piped to your speaker system via the Vibe display. We don't have any clues on pricing or availability, as it seems Colorado is mostly interested in dealers at this point, but we can't wait to give this thing a go with our vintage 8-track player once it drops.[Via CEPro]
