Strato V black screen and audio cutout issues

[macfan2k24]

Its been sometime since I have had any audio drop issues until this past weekend. We watch two movies...Anaconda 2025 and Zootopia 2. Both not only had audio drop out but it was permanent...as in complete loss of audio, I had to stop and restart the movie to get audio back. Previously any audio drop outs were only for a few seconds. Nothing has changed with my setup, cables or chain. Just V->AVR->Projector. Nothing fancy in the chain.

The Strato V shows that system was updated to kOS 10.23.1-26489 on January 12.

Similar issue for me with complete loss of audio, same system update date. No changes made to very simple setup.
Happened once in January after the update and again last night (Game of Thrones S1 and S5).
Will probably send another email to support with approximate date(s) and time(s). I hit play / pause in rapid succession five times to give them an event to check the logs.

 

[Furnace Inferno]

I added a Terra Prime SSD so I do actually have something new in the system but given for all intents and purposes it’s just streaming from itself to the player, if anything I would have thought it would improve the situation!

I already changed to 3m HDMI’s which seemed to reduce the frequency of drops but probably just coincidence.

Anyway long week ahead but come Tuesday next week I will begin my next round of tests with the new (old) cable.

Then I’m changing the HDMI port on the Lyngdorf, after that maybe I need to try different HDMI cables to Ugreen. I can also run the fibre cable under the doors initially to check if it fixes the issues before paying to have the stretch ceiling removed and after that I might consider getting the Lyngdorf updated to HDMI 2.1 because that at the very least would change the EDID!

 

[rafaelsmith]

Similar issue for me with complete loss of audio, same system update date. No changes made to very simple setup.
Happened once in January after the update and again last night (Game of Thrones S1 and S5).
Will probably send another email to support with approximate date(s) and time(s). I hit play / pause in rapid succession five times to give them an event to check the logs.

Watched another movie last night with no dropouts....this is really going to be tough to diagnose. I know all my cables are good so not sure what more I can do on my end. I even replayed the recent movies I had complete drop outs with and did not have any one 2nd play...very odd. Honestly, this seems like some sorta design flaw with the V since its had various audio-drop out type issues since the begining...random and infrequent but still there. Or maybe some overheating/temp issue.

 

[Furnace Inferno]

Watched another movie last night with no dropouts....this is really going to be tough to diagnose. I know all my cables are good so not sure what more I can do on my end. I even replayed the recent movies I had complete drop outs with and did not have any one 2nd play...very odd. Honestly, this seems like some sorta design flaw with the V since its had various audio-drop out type issues since the begining...random and infrequent but still there. Or maybe some overheating/temp issue.

The problem is, the C also had audio dropout issues that I’ve seen on previous threads in the past but that one had the option to directly syphon off the audio from the unit to resolve the issue.

It could be the units but it could just as easily be HDMI fuckery given loads of people have no issues at all! I’ve even reconfigured my rack and now have more space above the player since I had another drop, absolutely maddening!

I’m going to get a couple of 3m fibre cables to replace the Lumagen audio cable and the Strato V cable which I already got 3m UGreen HDMI 2.1 cables for.

I need some 3m cables for the new TV mount I got anyway so I’ll switch those around and see what happens if my next round of testing is a failure.

 

[thrillcat]

that one had the option to directly syphon off the audio from the unit to resolve the issue.

This is my biggest head scratcher. I don't know why they removed the separate HDMI audio output from what is their new flagship player.

 

[cinelife]

This is why I continue to use the "C" in my personal setups. I still own the V and E, but use those with direct connections to TV displays in guest rooms, and never experience dropouts. I use 2 C's, connected to different Lumagen Rad Pro's that send audio to Trinnov processors and the video directly to projectors, and one C that sends only the audio Out to a Trinnov and the video Out directly to the projector, no Radiance in the chain. I don't normally experience dropouts with any of those setups, but have had a few over recent years. Haven't had any in the past few months.

Jim

 

[rafaelsmith]

The problem is, the C also had audio dropout issues that I’ve seen on previous threads in the past but that one had the option to directly syphon off the audio from the unit to resolve the issue.

It could be the units but it could just as easily be HDMI fuckery given loads of people have no issues at all! I’ve even reconfigured my rack and now have more space above the player since I had another drop, absolutely maddening!

I’m going to get a couple of 3m fibre cables to replace the Lumagen audio cable and the Strato V cable which I already got 3m UGreen HDMI 2.1 cables for.

I need some 3m cables for the new TV mount I got anyway so I’ll switch those around and see what happens if my next round of testing is a failure.

Yeah it is frustrating to say the least.

Even a simple setup like mine with nothing but a Strato V, AVR and Display device and quality cables experiences these issue. Same cables...same inputs on AVR and Projector...any other device like Apple TV or Zidoo experience no such issue...so issue has to be the Strato V itself...so either the chipset. ssd or they have something really buggy in the firmware/software....that seems to have been there since day one.

 

[Furnace Inferno]

This is my biggest head scratcher. I don't know why they removed the separate HDMI audio output from what is their new flagship player.

I assumed it was just because the new chipset doesn’t support it but made all the more weird by the fact other media players started offering it in more recent models.

This is why I continue to use the "C" in my personal setups. I still own the V and E, but use those with direct connections to TV displays in guest rooms, and never experience dropouts. I use 2 C's, connected to different Lumagen Rad Pro's that send audio to Trinnov processors and the video directly to projectors, and one C that sends only the audio Out to a Trinnov and the video Out directly to the projector, no Radiance in the chain. I don't normally experience dropouts with any of those setups, but have had a few over recent years. Haven't had any in the past few months.

Jim

Now I’ve got a small Terra I’m half tempted to swap the V for a C, I’d lose DV when none of my displays natively support it and gain the 4K UI but potentially not as future proof but that mean nothing if I can’t resolve the dropout issue.

Yeah it is frustrating to say the least.

Even a simple setup like mine with nothing but a Strato V, AVR and Display device and quality cables experiences these issue. Same cables...same inputs on AVR and Projector...any other device like Apple TV or Zidoo experience no such issue...so issue has to be the Strato V itself...so either the chipset. ssd or they have something really buggy in the firmware/software....that seems to have been there since day one.

I still have a sneaking suspicion it might be the Zidoo or Firestick pushing out a signal when in standby because I know they both have done in the past which has messed up other devices. My previous Zidoo Z9S when connected to my TV and projector in the same room would cause the TV remote to become completely unresponsive because of the CEC signal you couldn’t turn off. I had to get a HDMI CEC less adapter just to get it working and physically block th CEC signal.

Although I’ve not had the issue with the Z1000 Pro I still don’t trust it.

Equally could just be the Lumagen but I think I will try powering off the Firestick and Zidoo as part of the testing.

At the very least I’ve upgraded all the cables to something more respectable considering the cost of everything else in the rack (not that I believe it makes a difference and so far it hasn’t!).

 

[rafaelsmith]

I still have a sneaking suspicion it might be the Zidoo or Firestick pushing out a signal when in standby because I know they both have done in the past which has messed up other devices. My previous Zidoo Z9S when connected to my TV and projector in the same room would cause the TV remote to become completely unresponsive because of the CEC signal you couldn’t turn off. I had to get a HDMI CEC less adapter just to get it working and physically block th CEC signal.

I had thought about that although I was very diligent in turning off CEC everywhere....I even tested by unplugging all other devices besides the Strato not only from the AVR but from power. I still found cases of audio dropouts with the Strato. I even did another test and plugged the Strato straight into a LG TV..thus eliminating the AVR as the culprit....and still found cases of audio dropouts. I am 100% certain the culprit is the Strato itself...not CEC, not cables, not the AVR or display devices. Most annoying part of testing is these droputs are 100% random...I have yet to be able to reproduce one specific case...so its a bunch randomly watching scenes across random movies...hoping to get onen to have a dropout. I am done doing that...since I am excluded everything besides the Strato as being the culprit. For now I just deal with it....so far every time I have had a permanent dropout...exit..resume has always fixed it. Still frustrating for a $4k device to glitch like this....but like I said..I have had various of audio blackouts since day one...well over a year now.

 

[Furnace Inferno]

I had thought about that although I was very diligent in turning off CEC everywhere....I even tested by unplugging all other devices besides the Strato not only from the AVR but from power. I still found cases of audio dropouts with the Strato. I even did another test and plugged the Strato straight into a LG TV..thus eliminating the AVR as the culprit....and still found cases of audio dropouts. I am 100% certain the culprit is the Strato itself...not CEC, not cables, not the AVR or display devices. Most annoying part of testing is these droputs are 100% random...I have yet to be able to reproduce one specific case...so its a bunch randomly watching scenes across random movies...hoping to get onen to have a dropout. I am done doing that...since I am excluded everything besides the Strato as being the culprit. For now I just deal with it....so far every time I have had a permanent dropout...exit..resume has always fixed it. Still frustrating for a $4k device to glitch like this....but like I said..I have had various of audio blackouts since day one...well over a year now.

Interesting, I’ve not had any full audio dropouts which needed me to restart the movie. Well that makes me less confident I’m going to be able to fix it but I will preserve for now.

As you say though there is no rhyme or reason to it, the only time I’ve seen anything somewhat consistent was around the 1hr play mark it seemed to be happening, that’s with the original cables I had, the 1.8m THX it came with and a 2m HDMI cable for the audio. Changing those improved the situation somewhat but still keeps happening.

Support keep saying it’s a bandwidth issue but I’ve tried 13.5Gbps, I have three other devices which are fine with 4K 60fps HDR and it happens regardless so I really don’t think that’s the problem.

Not only that I run all my power cables down the sides of the rack with the main rack plugs going out the bottom and all the video/audio cables are in the middle and go up out the top to avoid any EMI.

Support wasn’t particularly helpful tbh, asking me try without the Lumagen or Lyngdorf out of the chain and have the HDMI cable direct to the projectorisn’t makes no sense because then I’d have no audio at all! Although granted they probably meant try it on a TV but I’m not watching a 2-3hr movie on my TV to test, so I draw the line at such sacrilege!

 

[cinelife]

We add so many pieces of equipment to our audio/video chain, challenging EDID multiple times along the way, multiple cables, equipment and cables operating at different transmission rates, and then factor in control elements, and it shouldn't be a surprise when we get an occasional dropout. One of my neighbors was so frustrated with the dropouts he posted a sign on his theater door. "Ignore any audio drops, they're a by-product of my hIgh-end equipment!"

Jim

 

[rafaelsmith]

Interesting, I’ve not had any full audio dropouts which needed me to restart the movie. Well that makes me less confident I’m going to be able to fix it but I will preserve for now.

As you say though there is no rhyme or reason to it, the only time I’ve seen anything somewhat consistent was around the 1hr play mark it seemed to be happening, that’s with the original cables I had, the 1.8m THX it came with and a 2m HDMI cable for the audio. Changing those improved the situation somewhat but still keeps happening.

Support keep saying it’s a bandwidth issue but I’ve tried 13.5Gbps, I have three other devices which are fine with 4K 60fps HDR and it happens regardless so I really don’t think that’s the problem.

Not only that I run all my power cables down the sides of the rack with the main rack plugs going out the bottom and all the video/audio cables are in the middle and go up out the top to avoid any EMI.

Support wasn’t particularly helpful tbh, asking me try without the Lumagen or Lyngdorf out of the chain and have the HDMI cable direct to the projectorisn’t makes no sense because then I’d have no audio at all! Although granted they probably meant try it on a TV but I’m not watching a 2-3hr movie on my TV to test, so I draw the line at such sacrilege!

"Its your network..." umm...this is a standalone Strato V.

"Its your AVR"...um yeah but only the Strato has issues

"Its your projector"...umm yeah but only the Strato has issues.

"its your cables"

"its your video processor".....I dont have any and mentioned that many times.

Basically it was always something else besides their product.

Also wanted me to connect the V straight to the RS1100 projector...yes specifically said projector ...which yeah...no audio. =P

The 13.5Gbps option was the only thing that seemed to help...as in less frequent drops.


THe fact that so many have reported with various equipment setups...going on now for over a year without any fixes or updates leads me to believe its just something we have to deal with.

 

[rafaelsmith]

We add so many pieces of equipment to our audio/video chain, challenging EDID multiple times along the way, multiple cables, equipment and cables operating at different transmission rates, and then factor in control elements, and it shouldn't be a surprise when we get an occasional dropout. One of my neighbors was so frustrated with the dropouts he posted a sign on his theater door. "Ignore any audio drops, they're a by-product of my hIgh-end equipment!"

Jim

Sorry I do not buy that as an excuse....when I have not added nor changed anything in over a year...and the chain is as simple as can get...and the only media device exhibiting this issue or any issue for that matter is the Strato.

 

[RedFire]

Actually, I tend to think it could be a thermal problem within the Strato V. Dropouts usually happen after 1hr of playback - and then every 15-20 minutes.

 

[cinelife]

Sorry I do not buy that as an excuse....when I have not added nor changed anything in over a year...and the chain is as simple as can get...and the only media device exhibiting this issue or any issue for that matter is the Strato.

No need to apologize, and it wasn't meant as an excuse, and certainly wasn't aimed at you personally. Obviously this is a very sensitive area of discussion for you, and given what you've been through I can understand why. My comment was meant as a general comment regarding the setups most of us A/V hobbyists tend to have, and for some of us, the problems that occasionally show up when we add, or replace equipment.

Perhaps I've been lucky, as have my client/friends, because we haven't had the same experience with the Strato players.

Have you tried a different Strato and gotten the same results? (Just curious.)

Jim

 

[Furnace Inferno]

"Its your network..." umm...this is a standalone Strato V.

"Its your AVR"...um yeah but only the Strato has issues

"Its your projector"...umm yeah but only the Strato has issues.

"its your cables"

"its your video processor".....I dont have any and mentioned that many times.

Basically it was always something else besides their product.

Also wanted me to connect the V straight to the RS1100 projector...yes specifically said projector ...which yeah...no audio. =P

The 13.5Gbps option was the only thing that seemed to help...as in less frequent drops.


THe fact that so many have reported with various equipment setups...going on now for over a year without any fixes or updates leads me to believe its just something we have to deal with.

I can understand it’s a troubleshooting process to ensure the hardware isn’t faulty but it’s just an annoying position to start from when everything else works fine and we just want the KScape player to do the same.

If it struggles with certain hardware combinations then it would be nice if they made efforts to resolve it within their device.

There is always the Lumagen artisan if all else fails .

Actually, I tend to think it could be a thermal problem within the Strato V. Dropouts usually happen after 1hr of playback - and then every 15-20 minutes.

Interesting you also feel it’s around 1hr. Mine doesn’t increase in frequency after that though and at the moment it’s completely random. I’d be surprised if mine is a temperature issue though as I have temperature controlled fans in the rack which keep it below 36/37C (hottest point at the top) at all times and that’s in summer worst case scenario. The room is air conditioned at a constant 20C, although in winter I occasionally had the aircon off and open the door to the lobby which is unheated which drops it lower.

I’ve also just stopped using the internal SSD and give it an extra 1U backspace and got a drop in the first movie I watched when I hadn’t had one for a while.

 

[RedFire]

I’d be surprised if mine is a temperature issue though...

I wasn't referring to room temperature control. I think it could be some electronic part inside the Strato that gets "unstable" once the Strato gets warm. At least that's the only idea I have about the fact that issues start after 1hr.

 

[bytebuster]

Does this issue only apply to the V
I just hooked up the Strato E
Played a scene from mad max and at the end of the scene the screen is all black
No button press on the remote makes a difference. I can see the player is continuing to download a movie in the background (from the app)
Is a power cycle the only remedy ?

 

[steelman1991]

Does this issue only apply to the V
I just hooked up the Strato E
Played a scene from mad max and at the end of the scene the screen is all black
No button press on the remote makes a difference. I can see the player is continuing to download a movie in the background (from the app)
Is a power cycle the only remedy ?

If you were playing a “scene” from the curated ones created by Kaleidescape, then a black screen at the end is the expected outcome.

 

[DieZwei]

If you were playing a “scene” from the curated ones created by Kaleidescape, then a black screen at the end is the expected outcome.

Yeah, but pressing "play" (or also "ok") should let the movie continue.