In other words, the user is running the server to interface with the client, rather than the other way around.

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"Kaleidescape was the first to develop a movie server with an onscreen user interface and remote control designed specifically for young children, " said Michael Malcolm, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Kaleidescape.

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The user interface on the Home Media Server and clients is based on HTML5, which we're told is why it's so snappy and switches so quickly between other apps like YouTube and HSN's Shop By Remote.

ENGADGET

In the server market, the company is already selling memory interface devices, PCI express switches and timing components, and plans to add to the mix flash memory controllers, temperature sensors, power modules and other chips.

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The software consists of authoring templates, element inspectors, a time axis, a user interface inspector, an extensive javascript library, publishing and validation tools and a content delivery server.

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Server 2012 is also defined by what you won't find: while the Metro-style interface from the platform's Windows 8 cousin shows its face in the Essentials version, it's noticeably stripped down and goes away in the more advanced tiers.

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