Salt Lake City-based Mozaex has begun shipping its Chroma series of multi-room entertainment servers that combine iTunes with Blu-ray, NetFlix, and Ultraviolet movies. And the company’s CEO Douglas Kihm is taking great pains to ensure that dealers and their clients recognize the legality of his offerings.
It is Mozaex’s belief that the recent court ruling against Kaleidescape reaffirms that Mozaex products are legal because Mozaex does not “make, traffic, or provide” unlicensed decryption software. Mozaex also believes that the court reaffirmed that the DMCA law does not prohibit the use of decryption software for legal purposes, which includes storing content you own for your own personal use.
Kihm also believes that his company’s new is a perfect replacement for the discontinued Sony Blu-ray disc changer used in thousands of single-room projects and perfect for multiple-room projects with budgets under $5,000.”
“Mozaex has once again set a new value proposition in home entertainment by introducing the first entertainment server that combines the features of a Blu-ray server and an Apple TV into a single appliance for under $3,000,” said Mozaex CEO Douglas Kihm. “By combining the quality of Blu-ray with the popularity and ease of Apple TV, iTunes, NetFlix, and Ultraviolet (UV), Chroma offers our dealers a unique opportunity to expand sales while dramatically improving their clients’ entertainment value and experience.”
Mozaex’s Chroma media server
Chroma includes “iBLU,” which supports both the iTunes movies/music store and Blu-ray movies. Chroma also includes a feature called iPlay, which allows the user to play their iTunes library of movies and music using Apple’s free iPad/iPhone “Remote” App. Chroma works with the Apple AirPort Express unit so Chroma’s music can be extended to another room wirelessly.
“iTunes, Apple TV, and iPad/iPhone iDevices have revolutionized multi-room music and touchpanel control, yet the dealer channel has not yet been able to fully capitalize on this profitable revolution until now,” Kihm added. “With a price of a music-only server, Mozaex dealers can now offer a full featured multi-room iTunes Music Server plus a full featured Blu-ray and iTunes movie server with iDevice control.”
Customers can both buy and browse media via its HDTV interface and, unlike Apple TV, Chroma doesn’t require a TV to play music when using the Apple Remote App. You can also add unlimited Chroma Sonnets music players for multi-room iTunes music and other online media throughout the home.
Another product, called Chroma Sonnet, affordably adds wireless music playback to any room in the house. Sonnet is a wireless music-only player, for use when only music and streaming media is needed. Sonnet plays loaded CDs, iTunes, imported music files, and Pandora radio. Sonnet may be controlled with an iPhone/iPad, a two-way touchpanel or with its included RF Remote. Sonnet’s TV user interface offers the same HD cover art library that is used on other Chroma players and servers.
Chroma 4Play allows end-users to play discs, downloaded, streaming, and mobile movies and music
According to Kihm’s market analysis, only Mozaex plays all four forms of media including discs, downloaded, streaming, and mobile. Now with Ultraviolet VUDU support, Chroma allows consumers to enjoy UV-authorized DVDs and Blu-rays on a mobile iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows laptop, or via the Chroma’s VUDU online library. Chroma also plays photo slideshows and more than 10 formats of downloaded videos and home videos.
Chroma comes with a RF handheld remote and may also be controlled by a number of other control systems including Control4, Vantage, iPad/iPhone, ELAN g!, RTI, Crestron, and others.
Chroma is enclosed in a compact, ultra-quiet chassis that may be mounted into either a 1.75-inch tall, 1U rack space, behind a TV with its included VESA mounting bracket, or on a shelf. All models weigh less than five pounds. It is especially useful on yachts where large disc-changers cannot be used, Kihm pointed out.
Chroma does not require a disc-changer and is fully legal, according to Kihm. As it is with the 100 million PCs sold every year, Mozaex does not ship with or require unlicensed decryption software to be installed or used to play a wide variety of local and online media. It is the user’s responsibility to obey all copyright laws. Mozaex does not promote or approve of the unlawful use of its products. For more details on this subject visit http://www.mozaex.com/legal.aspx.
The Chroma Series includes a “Chroma” integrated Player and storage server, a “Player” which plays all media, a “Sonnet” which plays music and online media and a “Stor” which adds external USB storage to the Chroma. There is a $100 license fee for adding your own USB or eSATA storage. All Chroma models may be used with other Mozaex Players, Servers and Solos. Up to four additional Players and unlimited Sonnets may be addded to a Chroma.
The Chroma 1TB is retail priced at $2,995 USD. The Chroma 4TB will be retail priced at $3,995 USD.
The Chroma Player BD is retail priced at $2,795 USD.
The Chroma Player ND (which is a Blu-ray Player with no Blu-ray Drive) is priced at $2,595 USD.
The Chroma Sonnet music player is retail priced at $795 USD.
The Chroma Stor 3TB external add-on USB storage unit is retailed priced at $395 USD.
All models are currently shipping except the Chroma 4TB which will ship in September 2012.
Chroma is covered by a limited two-year parts and labor warranty plus free product lifetime support.
