• Thanks for visiting the Kaleidescape Owners' Forum

    This forum is for the community of Kaleidescape owners, and others interested in learning about the system, equipment, services, and the company itself.

    It is run by a group of enthusiastic Kaleidescape owners and dealers purely as a service to this community.

    This board is not affiliated in any way with Kaleidescape, Inc.
    For official technical support, product information, or customer service, please visit www.kaleidescape.com

  • You are currently in "Guest" mode and not logged in with a registered account.

    The forum is free to use and most of the forum can be used by guests who are not registered....

    ... but we strongly encourage you to register for a full account. There is no cost to register for a full account.

    Benefits of registering for a full account:

    • Participate in the discussions! You must have a registered account to make posts on the forums. You will be able to start your own thread on a topic or question, or you can reply to other threads/discussions.
    • Use the "Conversation" feature (known as "private messaging" on other forums) to communicate directly with any of the other users here.
    • Access the Files area. The "resources" area of the forum contains many "Favorite Scene" and Script files that can dramatically increase the enjoyment of your Kaleidescape system. Go directly to great scenes in your favorite movies, created by other owners, and add automation to playback of your system with Scripts.
    • You won't see this annoying notice at the top of every screen!😊

    It's easy and free to register for the forum. Just click the "Register" button in the upper right corner of this page, and follow the instructions there.

Request from Kaleidescape: Mobile Apps feedback

MikeKobb

Well-known member
◥ ◣ Kaleidescape, Inc.
Hello all,

Some time ago, I started a thread asking those who use our Second Screen app to let me know how you use the app, what you like about it, and what if anything you would like to see changed. That thread had some excellent feedback. I'd like to renew and expand that request with this new thread by inviting feedback on either our Second Screen app for iPad, or our mobile app for iPhone/iPad/Android.

What do you find indispensable? What are your most common uses for the app(s) you use? What about the apps do you find delightful? What would make the app(s) you use better?

If you use both apps, are there features in one that you wish were in the other? Do you think having separate apps for browsing your collection and shopping on the store is a good division or would you like to see things combined?

Any and all constructive feedback is welcome. I can't make any promises about what will or will not be incorporated, but I can promise that I will read with interest. Also, please note that of course feedback and suggestions are voluntary and may be used for any purpose without obligation of any kind.

Thanks for your time!
 
Hi Mike
Thanks for the enquirey.

As a legacy Premiere user, I still use the second screen app often, as movies not available in the store do not show up on the main app. It would sure be nice if this integration could happen, as the main app has great features.

Dave Little
 
I have to say, the mobile app is one of the nicest apps I've ever used. It's fast, responsive, intuitive. I love being able to click on the cover art and see it full screen and even zoom in. All the little details really make it a joy to use, such as just swiping on the edge of the screen to go back and not having to specifically hit the back button. Common Sense is something I frequently use and the integration is perfect. Overall the app is just very, very slick.

There are a few things I'd love to see in the app though:
  • Show additional data that's available on the website, such as Aspect Ratio and Download Size
  • I would love to see any commentary tracks listed "above the fold". I'm a huge fan of them and wish I could see them right away rather than having to click to see all the tracks.
  • For Special Features, show what version (SD, HD, and/or UHD) they're on, exactly how it's done for audio/subtitles.
Edit: I just remembered that you can click on the rating/time/year and get a Movie Information modal. That currently shows the aspect ratio. What if a movie has different aspect ratios for different versions? That screen could be structured a bit better and a good place to put the download size info.
 
I only use the "Kaleidescape" app. Don't even have second screen installed.

Stuff I use it for and feedback:
  1. I routinely check sales and for whatever new content might have been put into the store every day. I think notifications should improve and expand. Give me notifies when items on my wish list go on sale. Every new bundle promo should generate a notification. I feel like notifications are few and far between from the app and could be used a lot more.
    1. Maybe building on that idea, a "New Daily" content row would be nice. List the movies added to the store within the last 3 days or so for quick reference.
  2. The remote control in the app needs a button for that 10 to 15 second jump back command that is in the Control4 drivers. Also, make it enable subtitles for the jump back duration automatically and then turn them off after the duration. The whole reason to jump back for me is to try to re-hear dialog or something I missed the first time. Doing this turn subtitles on, then rewind, then play, then turn subtitles off sequence on device using a regular remote or my NEEO is terribly frustrating to execute.
  3. I'd also like to be able to speedily swipe left and right in the control app to fast scroll through playing content timeline, like the Apple TV touch remote does when paused in content.
  4. Allow being able to show the triangle corner indicator for owned content on the movie posters in all the views. I hate having to filter "movies I don't own" or "own" or click into every movie to verify if I have it.
  5. We need sort by title through all the filter/sort views in the app (and on the web).
  6. I *really* want to be able to put my movies into collections on a cloud level within the platform. Let me build collections in the app, sync them to web views and on device views. Let me name them, sort the movie order in them, and so on. K is a movie collector's platform, so give us features to hands-on manage our libraries. Collections right now are limited to being on device and only to movies downloaded to the device, but they should live online in our accounts and apply throughout the platform.
I'm sure be back after thinking of a few more things. :)

I freaking love this app, BTW. I think it's one of the best of the home theater industry platform apps and a huge boon to the platform.
 
It would be nice if the volume slider on the app could be changed (via additional commands during startup/connection from the app to your control system). It only allows 0-100. Many processors use -100-0. Thanks!
 
“Strangely” I use the mobile app on my phone and second screen on my iPad when actually watching films.

I also find I use the web browser when actually purchasing films or (my biggest bug bear) trying to view my entire collection.

I really really really want/need a way to view ALL my titles; digital, disc, downloaded, not downloaded. The bigger my correction grows the more critical this becomes.

I can “Get round it” but no one else in the house or who visits doesn’t because “they just don’t know”
 
Using the ‘Second Screen’ app on an iPad is one of the best features of a K system, IMO. Having friends over and passing around the cover view, letting folks pick their favorite scenes is a lot of fun. Or specifying a genre and everyone picks from that. No-one knows what’s coming until it starts playing on screen.

This may be more of an overall feature request, then specifically the mobile app, but a feature I’d love to see is the ability to add scenes to a ‘dynamic queue’. Instead of having to build a script, I just want to queue up a few scenes that auto-start when the previous scene ends. Potentially, with the option to convert the queue to a script if you want to have it for future use.

Scenes are already a differentiator from most steaming options (I know select titles on Apple have scenes) and this would be another advantage of a K system.
 
I would like to see the app (and web) to have the following:

1) Movie Count - (Downloaded, Local, Cataloged, In-Cloud, Total Owned) (as Vodder said)
2) Sort by size, special features, movie characteristics, and movie info (as David23 said)
3) Notify if a movie in the Wishlist is on-sale (and controllable in Notification Settings)
4) Streaming - Let me watch content I own through the app (on the go)... Like how VUDU does it (Download mobile version of the movie, or stream it)
5) System issue notify (over heat, lost connection, etc.).

These are a few that I would really like to see.
 
I would like to see the app (and web) to have the following:

1) Movie Count - (Downloaded, Local, Cataloged, In-Cloud, Total Owned) (as Vodder said)
2) Sort by size, special features, movie characteristics, and movie info (as David23 said)
3) Notify if a movie in the Wishlist is on-sale (and controllable in Notification Settings)
4) Streaming - Let me watch content I own through the app (on the go)... Like how VUDU does it (Download mobile version of the movie, or stream it)
5) System issue notify (over heat, lost connection, etc.).

These are a few that I would really like to see.
Would agree with all of those and definitely use the last 3 regularly. The first 2 I would probably use occasionally.
 
I think the two apps are both fantastic, though I often forget about the Second Screen app, so perhaps my vote would be to incorporate that into the main app. Though it could create an issue when you're away from the home and can't access the Second Screen content - but that could be solved with a friendly message (or granting remote access).

In the main app, when in the search panel, I always find it weird to have to close the keyboard to get back to the other areas of the app. I think specifically, after I've searched and I "x" out the text I've added into the search field, it brings the keyboard back up, then I need to hit done to clear the keyboard so I can get back to browsing.

Options I've come up with that could work:
  • Tapping empty search results area clears keyboard - faster than tapping "done"
  • Don't bring up the keyboard just from clicking "x" to clear search terms - skips a step
  • Remove the search tab at the bottom and incorporate it into the main store GUI - frees up a space in the dock for Second Screen access
Also, clicking "The Kaleidescape Experience" brings up an outdated pdf with great info, but the available models are outdated and EOL.
 
I would like to see the app (and web) to have the following:

1) Movie Count - (Downloaded, Local, Cataloged, In-Cloud, Total Owned) (as Vodder said)
2) Sort by size, special features, movie characteristics, and movie info (as David23 said)
3) Notify if a movie in the Wishlist is on-sale (and controllable in Notification Settings)
4) Streaming - Let me watch content I own through the app (on the go)... Like how VUDU does it (Download mobile version of the movie, or stream it)
5) System issue notify (over heat, lost connection, etc.).

These are a few that I would really like to see.
I agree with all of these. Specifically on #4, even if it's just watching the content on the local network via ipads / tablets and not on the go, it would suffice for family use.
 
I mostly use the Second Screen app as a backup remote (when the C4 stick needs to charge) or for directly hopping between discs in a series (without having to drop back to the main menu.) My biggest fault against the K app is the "modern"/simplified remote. Sure, neither app will cause tactile buttons to form out of the screen, but I hate having to remember/perform all the various secret handshakes to do anything, so having dedicated buttons visually present is a big win. Similarly, I would agree the K app is too streamlined in how much less information it displays (no corner flag indicators) and how many times it takes an extra step or two in order to reach it (with as high resolution as most mobile devices are, can we move beyond the days of mobile design theory being to show nothing?)

Adding the replay button to Second Screen would be nice, as would jog navigation (for frame advance/reverse.) Maybe a progress indicator for loading the movie list/art?

5) System issue notify (over heat, lost connection, etc.).
Doesn't the K app already do this (or are you lucky enough to have not had such a trigger yet?)
 
Amazing apps. Both of them.

Stuff I like:

Second Screen
#1 Doing Collections categorization on a MacBook Pro.
#2 Covers view of a collection. Hand an iPad to guests to select a movie from a curated collection.
#3 The ability to start a selected movie from an iPad (without having to navigate any menus on the theater screen)

K app
#1 Remote
#2 Checking download status

(Low priority) K app wish list: Additional My Movie sorts that include Collections
 
Last edited:
Second Screen app stopped working today. Never had issues until now. Says it cannot connect. The other app works.
Also, on the K-scape, I’m seeing kOS version 0.0.0-0 and Current Time Unknown; but via the ip address URL I do see the kOS version as 10.13.4-23547.
Also, a rented movie has the Play Movie greyed out, but it still plays when you select it.
I fully powered off (not in Standby) the unit a few times but it didn’t fix it.
 
I had some trouble waking the Strato-C over the holiday weekend (took multiple cycles of the C4 & Second Screen to finally get it going,) further search failures in Second Screen (example: when searching for "War" it didn't bring up the movie with that title - only getting partway through the Star Wars films - despite the total count looking right,) and also noticed that audio sync took longer when navigating using Second Screen versus Control4.

While I'm glad the volume buttons in Second Screen work since the C4 driver update, it'd be nice if they could go in half-steps as normal, rather than full decibel increments.
 
I'm completely unfamiliar with the Second Screen app. Is it related to Control4, or can anyone use it? I tried to find it in the Android app store, but nothing obvious came up. What is this app everyone speaks of?
 
I'm completely unfamiliar with the Second Screen app. Is it related to Control4, or can anyone use it? I tried to find it in the Android app store, but nothing obvious came up. What is this app everyone speaks of?

If I understand it correctly, it's basically the same collection information you get from my-kaleidescape in your web browser, but it adds a graphical interface more aligned with the players, and it adds remote control functionality. Pretty sure it's created as iPad only, but it does also run on M1 Macs.

Screenshot 2023-01-28 at 10.12.52 AM.png
Screenshot 2023-01-28 at 10.12.56 AM.png
Screenshot 2023-01-28 at 10.12.59 AM.png
 
Back
Top