pykaleidescape

Async Python client for controlling Kaleidescape devices via the Kaleidescape System Control Protocol.

Note: This library is not operated by, or affiliated with, Kaleidescape, Inc.

Features

• Async API built on asyncio
• High-level Device abstraction for connecting to a Kaleidescape player
• Mirrors device state into convenient dataclasses (system, power, osd, movie, automation)
• Event-driven integration via a lightweight Dispatcher
• Automation integration using user-defined events

Installation

pip install pykaleidescape

Quickstart

This minimal example connects to a Kaleidescape player and prints its power state. See the Examples section for more complete usage patterns.

import asyncio
import logging

from kaleidescape import const, Device

logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)

async def main() -> None:
    device = Device("<ipaddress>")

    # Open the connection and perform initial state sync
    await device.connect()
    await device.refresh()

    print(f"Power state is currently: {device.power.state}")


if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

All library calls that talk to the device are async and must be awaited inside an event loop.

Examples

The examples/ directory contains small, runnable scripts that demonstrate typical usage patterns.

• examples/basic.py – connect to a player, refresh state, and control power.
• examples/events.py – register an event listener with device.dispatcher and react to incoming events.
• examples/volume.py – implement external volume control by responding to Kaleidescape user-defined events.

API overview

Most users will interact with the Device class and constants from kaleidescape.const.

from kaleidescape import Device, const

Device lifecycle

A Device represents a single Kaleidescape player and manages the underlying TCP connection.

• Device(host, *, port=..., timeout=..., reconnect=True, reconnect_delay=...)
  • Create a new client instance for the given host.
• await device.connect()
  • Resolve the host, open a TCP connection, and start the reader task.
• await device.refresh()
  • Perform an initial or on-demand state sync (system, power, UI, movie, automation).
• await device.disconnect()
  • Close the connection and stop reconnect behavior.
• device.is_connected
  • Boolean indicating whether the underlying connection is currently open.

State dataclasses

After connect() and refresh(), the Device exposes several state objects that are kept up to date by incoming events:

• device.system
  • System-level information such as serial number, IP, CPDID, model, friendly name, number of zones, firmware/protocol versions.
• device.power
  • Power and readiness state, using constants from kaleidescape.const such as DEVICE_POWER_STATE_ON and DEVICE_POWER_STATE_STANDBY.
• device.osd
  • On-screen display state, including the current UI screen and highlighted item when available.
• device.movie
  • Movie playback state such as play status, current location, and content handle (when applicable).
• device.automation
  • Automation-centric fields (movie location, Cinemascape mode, mask information, etc.).

Common commands

All commands are async methods on Device and must be awaited.

Power

• await device.leave_standby() – bring the player out of standby.
• await device.enter_standby() – put the player into standby.

Transport (availability may depend on the connected device)

• await device.play()
• await device.pause()
• await device.stop()
• await device.next()
• await device.previous()
• await device.replay()
• await device.scan_forward()
• await device.scan_reverse()

Navigation & UI

• await device.select()
• await device.up() / await device.down()
• await device.left() / await device.right()
• await device.cancel()
• await device.status_and_settings()
• await device.intermission_toggle()
• await device.go_movie_list()
• await device.go_movie_collections()
• await device.go_movies()
• await device.go_movie_covers()
• await device.menu_toggle()

System info & content

• await device.get_system_pairing_info() – retrieve pairing-related information.
• await device.get_friendly_system_name() – get the configured friendly name.
• await device.get_available_devices() – query other devices visible to this system.
• await device.get_available_serial_numbers() – query serial numbers of available devices.
• await device.get_content_details(handle) – fetch rich metadata for a specific content handle.

Volume integration

The library supports integration with an external volume / AVR by responding to Kaleidescape user-defined events.

• await device.set_volume_capabilities(bitmask) – advertise supported volume capabilities (see kaleidescape.const for bit flags).
• await device.set_volume_level(level) – report the current volume level.
• await device.set_volume_muted(is_muted) – report the current mute state.

See examples/volume.py for a complete flow.

Events and dispatcher

The library is event-driven: incoming protocol messages are parsed into response objects and dispatched to subscribers.

• device.dispatcher is a Dispatcher instance.

• Register a callback with:

  async def handle_event(event: str, *args) -> None:
      print("Event received:", event, args)
  
  device.dispatcher.connect(handle_event)
  

• Callbacks may be async or sync callables.

• Events include power changes, system readiness updates, UI state changes, user-defined events (for volume integration), and more.

Async usage

pykaleidescape is built on asyncio.

• Use asyncio.run(main()) for simple scripts.
• In larger applications (e.g., Home Assistant), reuse the application event loop rather than creating new ones.
• Do not call async methods like connect(), refresh(), or command methods from synchronous code without running them in the event loop.
• For long-running integrations:
  • Create a single Device per player.
  • Connect once, call refresh() on startup, and keep the connection alive.
  • Use the dispatcher to react to state changes instead of polling.

The underlying Connection supports automatic reconnect when enabled (see the Device constructor arguments), so transient network issues can often be handled transparently.

Development and testing

This repository includes a full test suite and an in-process emulator for the Kaleidescape System Control Protocol.

Project layout

• kaleidescape/
  • Library code: device.py, connection.py, message.py, dispatcher.py, const.py, error.py.
• examples/
  • Runnable examples demonstrating common usage patterns.
• tests/
  • test_a_message.py – message parsing/formatting.
  • test_b_connection.py – connection lifecycle & reconnect behavior.
  • test_c_command.py – command behavior.
  • test_d_device.py – Device behavior and state updates.
  • emulator.py – protocol emulator used by the tests.

Local setup

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Running tests

Use pytest to run the test suite:

pytest

The tests automatically start the in-process emulator; no physical Kaleidescape hardware is required.

If you have tox installed, you can also run the full test matrix defined in tox.ini:

tox

Linting, type checking, and formatting

This project uses ruff (for linting and formatting) and mypy.

ruff check kaleidescape tests
ruff format kaleidescape tests
mypy kaleidescape

When contributing changes, please keep tests passing and the linters clean.

Limitations and notes

• This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kaleidescape, Inc.
• Behavior depends on the firmware and capabilities of your Kaleidescape system; some commands may only apply to movie players and not server-only devices.
• Network connectivity, DNS resolution, and firewall rules must allow outbound TCP connections to the Kaleidescape System Control Protocol port on your player.

License

This project is licensed under the terms specified in the LICENSE file included in this repository.