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New Strato V Owner

  • Thread starter Thread starter Spinn74
  • Start date Start date
S

Spinn74

Guest
Hi. I just installed the Strato V. I have all settings at the defaults. Do I need to change anything? Is 24p enabled by default?

Also, why is the cover art at 1080p? It looks terrible. My $150 Apple TV looks so much better. Is this a mistake that will be fixed?
 
Spinn74 said:
Hi. I just installed the Strato V. I have all settings at the defaults. Do I need to change anything? Is 24p enabled by default?

Also, why is the cover art at 1080p? It looks terrible. My $150 Apple TV looks so much better. Is this a mistake that will be fixed?
Click to expand...
If everything is operating fine, leave at default. When set to default 24p will be displayed as 24p.
 
Packers said:
If everything is operating fine, leave at default. When set to default 24p will be displayed as 24p.
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Thanks. I didn’t know the default was 24p. I thought that I read it was 60p by default?

Why can’t the cover art be 4k? For $4,000 this is completely unacceptable. I’m assuming they want is to spend another $5k+ to get a server to get 4k? I hope someone wakes up.
 
Spinn74 said:
I’m assuming they want is to spend another $5k+ to get a server to get 4k.
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No, not at all. I addressed this in a couple of posts in the thread that was referenced above, but the most direct answer is in this post:

MikeKobb

Post in thread 'Strato V: UI resolution limited to 1080, not 4k!'

OK, just wanted to check, because CinemaScape can definitely degrade the appearance of the cover images in 10.18.

Rusty is correct -- the UI is rendered at 1080p internally before being scaled up to be output at 2160p. This is a hardware limitation of the new chip upon which this player was built. As mentioned in another thread, all product design involves a process of selecting the components that best fit the needs of the product. In the case of Strato V, this was the chip that gave us excellent CPU performance, Dolby Vision, the ability to have a player that could be either standalone...
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Also, do see my reply to your post at the end of that thread.
 
MikeKobb said:
No, not at all. I addressed this in a couple of posts in the thread that was referenced above, but the most direct answer is in this post:

MikeKobb

Post in thread 'Strato V: UI resolution limited to 1080, not 4k!'

OK, just wanted to check, because CinemaScape can definitely degrade the appearance of the cover images in 10.18.

Rusty is correct -- the UI is rendered at 1080p internally before being scaled up to be output at 2160p. This is a hardware limitation of the new chip upon which this player was built. As mentioned in another thread, all product design involves a process of selecting the components that best fit the needs of the product. In the case of Strato V, this was the chip that gave us excellent CPU performance, Dolby Vision, the ability to have a player that could be either standalone...
  • Like

Also, do see my reply to your post at the end of that thread.
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So my $150 Apple TV can show 4k cover art but my $4,000 Strato V cannot? How does this make any sense?
 
Your Apple TV is using custom silicon designed by a trillion-dollar company with billion-device economies of scale, exclusively for their own use. As mentioned in the post that I referenced above, when developing a hardware product, you have to choose from the set of components that are available to you. There are a very limited number of chips that can:
  • Decode 2160p video at the bit-rates that we require for our quality level
  • Process lossless audio, including lossless Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
  • Decode and process Dolby Vision content
  • Decrypt high-value content within a secure compute environment that meets the standards required by major motion picture studios to permit the licensing of their content
  • Support download at hundreds of megabits per second to an SSD, while simultaneously playing a movie
It happens that the chip that best met all of those criteria (and more), while offering strong developer support and a roadmap for future capabilities, has an onscreen display graphics plane that is at 1080p resolution.

If there had been a chip with all of the same capabilities, support, and roadmap, plus a 4K onscreen display, then of course we would have selected that chip. There wasn’t. We picked the chip that was the best suited to provide a great movie-watching experience.

As I said in the other thread, we have identified some areas in which we believe we can improve the scaling performance when viewing the onscreen display, and we’ll be incorporating those in upcoming updates.

I hope that answers your question!
 
I am using the Strato V in standalone mode (without a server). AND, I am NOT upset. I don't find the UI that bad, and I understand Kaleidescape's reasoning (as explained by @MikeKobb ) for its choice of chip and prioritization of functionality. I also trust that Kaleidescape will make continued improvements over time.

I have a Strato C with Terra servers in another location and will ultimately decide whether to combine the systems.

In standalone mode: I am using Strato V, Sony X95L (85"), and Sony STR-AZ7000ES receiver.
 
Spinn74 said:
.....I’m pretty sure everyone who owns a Strato V without a server is upset.
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I say this with no ill will. You're certainly entitled to make whatever statement you feel necessary, but you're wrong with the above statement. I've sold many, many Strato-V's, mostly to existing clients, and only one reported his disappointment with the Covers screen, and that was before the update. Personally, I've got the V in two systems, and movie playback is excellent, the Covers page looks fine as well, for the 2 or 3 minutes I'm looking at it.

I'm not questioning your experience with the V, and I don't know your video chain, but obviously we all know that what we actually see on screen is also affected by more than just the source.

Jim
 
Spinn74 said:
Jim- I have a 140” screen and the cover art looks like Windows 95. It’s just not acceptable at this price point. I have had friends see it as ask what’s wrong. If Kaleidescape is trying to sell this product to new customers via word of mouth they definitely messed up.
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Something must be wrong. Could you maybe post a picture of the cover art? Also describe your entire video chain?
 
Spinn74 said:
I appreciate the reply and explanation. However at this price point this is unacceptable. I think you should sacrifice profit margins to make your customers happy or negotiate a better deal. I’m pretty sure everyone who owns a Strato V without a server is upset.
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Please stop insinuating that you speak for everyone. You do not.

I am a new owner of the Strato V and a Terra Prime. Did my research beforehand, fully understood the rationale regarding the compromise with the 1080p interface, and have absolutely no complaints whatsoever.
 
I have both setups... so I can easily compare the two and feel the need to add my voice here.

In our primary home I have Strato S's with Terra server as well, driving high-end sony 77" OLED screens at full 4K resolution, so getting the best possible output (at least without DV and separate video processors). The video and the UI are drop-dead gorgeous in my opinion.

Recently, we put a Strato V standalone in our vacation house, driving a Sony 4K (xw6000es) laser projector at 140". The video (movie) quality is outstanding in that setup as you would expect from this decent 2023 midrange 4K projector. The UI here at 1080p on that large screen is "somewhat" noticeably lower quality... I can see a difference, but my wife didn't notice it, nor have my adult kids or any guests. It is DEFINITELY not horrible or unacceptable, and no one has made the (ok, amusing) comparison to Windows 95. I did not notice it myself when I first set up the Kaleidescape, so to me it wasn't horrible to the point of me wondering what was wrong with my system. Over time though, I did start to notice the detail difference in the UI.

I'l label myself slighly disappointed in the UI quality of the V, but not to the point I'm upset or wanting to return it.

I will say this: If this limitation was known at the launch, I didn't catch it and Kaleidescape should be sure to point this out to buyers who really do care a lot about this, as @Spinn74 does, and I'm sure there are others. This is a specifications difference between the V and the S/C players should be noted for buyers who are comparing tradeoffs when they make a buying decision, but I'm in the camp that it's not at all a dealbreaker for me. I wouldn't trade my V for an C right now in the vacation house since I don't really want to add a Terra at that house. It serves my specific needs.
 
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Spinn74 said:
Jim- I have a 140” screen and the cover art looks like Windows 95. It’s just not acceptable at this price point. I have had friends see it as ask what’s wrong. If Kaleidescape is trying to sell this product to new customers via word of mouth they definitely messed up.
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What PJ?
 
Spinn74 said:
Grow up. I’m not insinuating anything. It’s a valid complaint.
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Nah it's not really - first world problems. It's what actual content looks like that matters and it's superb.
Spinn74 said:
I’m pretty sure everyone who owns a Strato V without a server is upset
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You did make a fairly obvious insinuation.
 
I never said it wasn’t a first world problem. Stop putting words into my mouth please. I raised my concern, which is valid. Seems like it won’t be fixed unfortunately.
 
steelman1991 said:
Nah it's not really - first world problems. It's what actual content looks like that matters and it's superb.

You did make a fairly obvious insinuation.
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There are many others who agree. Most if whom most likely do not troll thus forum.
 
Spinn74 said:
I never said it wasn’t a first world problem. Stop putting words into my mouth please. I raised my concern, which is valid. Seems like it won’t be fixed unfortunately.
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Your continual posting on the subject would suggest otherwise. You really need to read and comprehend post #7 - there is no fix, as there is nothing too fix 🤦‍♂️
 
steelman1991 said:
Your continual posting on the subject would suggest otherwise. You really need to read and comprehend post #7 - there is no fix, as there is nothing too fix 🤦‍♂️
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I read it and understand what was said. There is something to fix, and it was mentioned that there may be ways to improve the scaling in future updates. The image when playing a movie is fantastic, but the cover art is soft, especially on a 140” screen. Again, I have had several people see this and comment, so it’s not great marketing for Kaleidescape. The first thing you see is the cover art, and first impressions last. If I were working at Kaleidescape I would appreciate this feedback.

This has zero to do with my AV equipment.
 
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