Google seems to be working on a uniform one-stop hub for all your video streaming services in Chrome called Kaleidoscope.
While there is no guarantee that this Kaleidoscope will make it even in prime time, it can now be found directly on chrome: // kaleidoscope / if you happen to be using the developer-focused Chrome Canary. The feature was first detected by the guys on ChromeStory, while the page is currently not functioning, it would show the following message:
“Chrome Kaleidoscope is currently unavailable for your account. If you are a Googler, please check / kaleidoscope not available for more information. “
However, they were able to grab some screenshots of what appears to be a home screen where you can add your streaming services to one easily accessible hub. After trying to launch the web platform on our own devices, we were able to trigger it but were not given the option to add streaming services. The screenshots give some strong hints that Chrome Kaleidoscope will be a unified portal for you to watch your favorite shows:
“You can watch all your favorite shows in one place, no matter where they are hosted.”
It’s not clear if Kaleidoscope in Chrome will be able to detect services where you’re currently signed in before the prompt appears, but ChromeStory could watch Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney +. As this platform continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see if more popular services like HBO Max, Hulu, and even YouTube join the ‘known’ list.
Our own Kyle Bradshaw and Dylan Roussel have been doing some digging ever since and found that Kaleidoscope Discover could offer some sort of recommendations on what to look for when selecting stream providers. Those recommendations may appear when you open a new tab page. This can help to surface more content that you would not necessarily find by scrolling aimlessly through the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney +.
We also found that this feature could eventually integrate purchases and rentals, suggesting integration with YouTube or Google Play Movies. However, we are not entirely sure how this might or could work with or from third party services such as Amazon Prime Video. Mention is made of “Views”, “Likes” and “Dislikes”, which strongly suggests that YouTube integration is likely as well.
One last screen shows that Kaleidoscope is only being tested internally on Chrome with Googlers, but let’s hope we learn more in the not too distant future.
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