HI. I am a newby to the forum. I am considering purchasing a Mini system from my Local B&O dealership. I live in the UK. Can anyone give me a point of view of this equipment.Its upsides and its downsides. I am looking for an independent opinion as opposed to the enthusiastic sales pitch from the salesman. The equipment from what I can gather is ex display, they were using it in store. Its about 15 months old. I am really on the fence at the moment and I need to really make my mind up. Another thing is that over the last 10 years I have a large collection of R1 DVD's. Can I put these on the machine. I assume it would be a R2 system and also are these things reliable. Any help would be very much appreciated here. The dealership has offered me the system which has to drive bays? for ?2900. Cheers
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Mini System Advice
- Thread starter Stevie53
- Start date
While not exactly something people are supposed to talk about, it is known that the drives they use to load discs are computer drives and as such, computer drives can be made "region free" so the R1/R2 issues would be moot if you decided to do a little modification.
I have wanted a mini system for a long time but never made the plunge. The only major drawback would be that it won't play BluRay or have the new M-series high resolution interface. I can't speak for the reliability of the mini system, but I have had a couple 5U servers, a 3U and many players which have been pretty reliable. The only issues I have had were fixed quite quickly by Kaleidescape within warranty.
I have wanted a mini system for a long time but never made the plunge. The only major drawback would be that it won't play BluRay or have the new M-series high resolution interface. I can't speak for the reliability of the mini system, but I have had a couple 5U servers, a 3U and many players which have been pretty reliable. The only issues I have had were fixed quite quickly by Kaleidescape within warranty.
When I first got interested in Kaleidescape the Mini System had just been announced. It is a great one box solution if your DVD collection is not going to exceed 225 discs. If additional capacity is required a server could be added at later date .
I considered the Mini System but choose to go with a server and separate player as it is a more flexible solution and allows upgrading of individual components.
The Mini System does not have the latest M Class architecture. Therefore is does not have the latest interface or the ability for BluRay importing or playback.
A pre-owned Mini System for ?3000 may or may not be good value. It depends on what exactly you are getting. Is the B&O dealer an authorised K dealer? My experience with two different B&O dealers in the UK is mixed. One was very knowledgeable and the other knew the price and not much else, only one of them was listed on the Kaleidescape website.
I would get detailed information on the status of the warranties for the Mini System and the drives. A Mini System with two drives installed will store approx 75 DVD's an additional two new drives will probably cost over ?1000 at present.
Is the dealer going to install, setup and register the system with Kaleidescape for you or are being given a box and being sent on your way! There are a lot of variables with pre-owned equipment.
The DVD region code is set at region 1 as originally supplied. This can be changed up four times. Dealers will usually import your DVD collection during the installation process.
The Kaleidescape system is about as reliable as such a system can be. The only problems I have heard of are drive failures and these to my knowledge are rare. I suspect many drive failures are initiated from damage done during transit. Kaleidescape has a good reputation for resolving problems.
I think the choice of dealer is crucial with this type of specialised equipment. I checked out several dealers before choosing the one to get my business.
Kaleidescape's website has a good FAQ section and this forum has a lot of good info. If you use these resources then "waterboard" a few dealers you should get a good result.
I imagine over the next year current owners may be upgrading systems to enable BluRay storage and playback. There may be some deals to done with 1U servers and 1080P players. If I was about purchase a pre-owned system I would be in contact with as many dealers as possible to get a good idea of the market in the UK.
If your collection will fit on Mini System then it may be the ideal solution for you.
Don't underestimate the amount of storage that you may require. Most owners find they buy a lot more discs once they have a system. Its not just great at storing films but it handles TV series really well. I find its more like having your own TV station where you can watch whatever you want, whenever you want. It even has a separate children's channel.
I considered the Mini System but choose to go with a server and separate player as it is a more flexible solution and allows upgrading of individual components.
The Mini System does not have the latest M Class architecture. Therefore is does not have the latest interface or the ability for BluRay importing or playback.
A pre-owned Mini System for ?3000 may or may not be good value. It depends on what exactly you are getting. Is the B&O dealer an authorised K dealer? My experience with two different B&O dealers in the UK is mixed. One was very knowledgeable and the other knew the price and not much else, only one of them was listed on the Kaleidescape website.
I would get detailed information on the status of the warranties for the Mini System and the drives. A Mini System with two drives installed will store approx 75 DVD's an additional two new drives will probably cost over ?1000 at present.
Is the dealer going to install, setup and register the system with Kaleidescape for you or are being given a box and being sent on your way! There are a lot of variables with pre-owned equipment.
The DVD region code is set at region 1 as originally supplied. This can be changed up four times. Dealers will usually import your DVD collection during the installation process.
The Kaleidescape system is about as reliable as such a system can be. The only problems I have heard of are drive failures and these to my knowledge are rare. I suspect many drive failures are initiated from damage done during transit. Kaleidescape has a good reputation for resolving problems.
I think the choice of dealer is crucial with this type of specialised equipment. I checked out several dealers before choosing the one to get my business.
Kaleidescape's website has a good FAQ section and this forum has a lot of good info. If you use these resources then "waterboard" a few dealers you should get a good result.
I imagine over the next year current owners may be upgrading systems to enable BluRay storage and playback. There may be some deals to done with 1U servers and 1080P players. If I was about purchase a pre-owned system I would be in contact with as many dealers as possible to get a good idea of the market in the UK.
If your collection will fit on Mini System then it may be the ideal solution for you.
Don't underestimate the amount of storage that you may require. Most owners find they buy a lot more discs once they have a system. Its not just great at storing films but it handles TV series really well. I find its more like having your own TV station where you can watch whatever you want, whenever you want. It even has a separate children's channel.
In addition to what our esteemed forum members have said above, I would add that if your heart is set on the mini-system, and new is outside of your affordability range, these things don't pop up very often on the used market. I did see one sell for a crazy low price several months ago, but I was a bit suspicious about it and baulked at bidding. One like this is more typical. As you can see, yours is pitched at a reasonable price point all things considered, particularly if there is warranty remaining.
Regarding M-Class (KEAOS 4), my understanding (and I stand to be corrected) is if you were to buy the new children's IR remote then the M-Class OS will be pushed to your mini. Whilst the mini system doesn't support the native 1080P UI, the new features are a step up from KEAOS 3 and definitely worth the price of the remote.
Regarding M-Class (KEAOS 4), my understanding (and I stand to be corrected) is if you were to buy the new children's IR remote then the M-Class OS will be pushed to your mini. Whilst the mini system doesn't support the native 1080P UI, the new features are a step up from KEAOS 3 and definitely worth the price of the remote.
Also it is worth noting that 1TB drives for 2.5" form factor have started shipping in the consumer channels. I don't know when Kaleidescape will announce 1TB drives for the mini-system but that would be a pretty big increase in storage for the mini system.
Well, the mini system wouldn't make much of a portable Blu-Ray system since one would need a vault and that makes the system not so mini. Putting the disc in the tray makes it not so Kaleidescape and even if both those hurdles were out of the way, 3TB is only going to hold what, 75 Blu-Rays? In all honesty, the mini system is not going to be very functional for BluRay and would be best as a music/DVD system. If I had an RV or a large boat, I could see getting one for that purpose but not for use with Blu-Ray. Still, I would like the new interface of the M-Class players on it and being able to play a Blu-Ray would add value as a player should a guest bring over a disc or if you pick one up while on the road.
I considered getting a Mini System but choose not to as the maximum capacity of 225 DVD's was not sufficient for my needs. An increase in drive size's to give up to 3TB would allow a potential 450 DVD's to be stored. That for me would be fine for a second independent system.
M-Class architecture and BluRay capability would allow the facility of adding the Mini System to a full Kaleidescape BluRay system at a later date without reduced functionality. I would prefer not to be in a situation where I only had access to part of a collection.
I believe the Miniplayer has been discontinued and I wonder how long the 1080p player will be available. Are the DVD Mini System's days numbered?
M-Class architecture and BluRay capability would allow the facility of adding the Mini System to a full Kaleidescape BluRay system at a later date without reduced functionality. I would prefer not to be in a situation where I only had access to part of a collection.
I believe the Miniplayer has been discontinued and I wonder how long the 1080p player will be available. Are the DVD Mini System's days numbered?