Kaleidescape's new Mini System offers a more compact way to serve up your DVDs and albums

Two years ago, we reviewed the Kaleidescape Movie & Music Server, a rack-mounted home theater beast that could store all of your albums and DVDs on its hard drives. It was big and expensive, but did its job really well, to the extent that we gave it a Certified & Recommended rating.

Kaleidescape has since expanded its library and feature set, and is finally offering an all-in-one system that can fit under your TV, and not in your gear closet.

The Kaleidescape Mini System takes the server and player components of its original system and shrinks it into a set-top box that measures just over 17 inches wide and weighs just over 21 pounds with maximum storage.

Kaleidescape sales in the black

As I write this, the Dow is down another 3%, well below 9000. Retirement funds are counting losses in the trillions. Even Google, the wunderkind stock, has lost more than half its value since the start of the year. People, this is serious!

But in these times of economic upheaval as many of us are wondering about making the next mortgage or grocery payment, you might take comfort in the fact that there are still people out there with the means to buy high-end A/V gear. Or you might feel like rioting in the streets, it could really go either way.

Kaleidescape, maker of $15,000+ DVD servers, sent out a letter to dealers a few days ago letting them know that even though the rest of the country seems to be tanking, their sales are A-OK. In fact, Kaleidescape made the list of America’s fastest-growing private companies, and ranks 14th among the private companies in California’s tech-centric Silicon Valley. From 2004 to 2007 Kaleidescape saw a 747% sales growth, and they have enjoyed 11 straight quarters of profitability.

The full letter is after the jump (click to enlarge) . . .

Kaleidescape price drop! Cash in your stocks!

Few products invoke the raw, carnal “I must have you!” lust like Kaleidescape. They invented the concept of the DVD movie server and then wrapped it in an interface that would get Steve Jobs hot and bothered. Let’s face it; their system is awesome. And I don’t care about that computer that you’ve Franken-modded together to kind of be like a Kaleidescape. Face it: It’s not a Kaleidescape.

Oh, but the sexy-sexy joys of Kaleidescape ownership has always come with a price. That price being a wallet clutching, credit card melting, take-out-a-third-mortgage-on-your-sub-prime-loan price tag that many found excruciating. Rejoice, for Kaleidescape has heard your cries and finally answered them in the form of a price drop.