[Buyer’s Guide] Kaleidescape Quality Compared to Blu-ray & other Digital Sources

[thrawn997]

Yes, it doesn’t matter whether KS reads this thread or not. They gave me a private email where I can send all my comparisons and feedback.
I also post them publicly here because I want others to be aware of the issues and to put some pressure on KS to fix them more quickly.

There are also a few titles that were updated in the last few weeks that I still need to check. I’m just waiting for the firmware update before reviewing them again, because I suspect the player not only adds block artifacts but may also apply some denoising to brighter pixels.

You do truly excellent work, thank you. I finally got my ugoos am6b plus setup and your guides were excellent. A bit more of a hassle than K, and some of the newer stuff isn’t on BD yet so the lag there is annoying, but I found when I want to go watch something stupid like Mercy it is nice to know that I dont have a year old bug that crops the image for absolutely no reason.

When the quality is there, K is worth it to me for the convenience and ease of use. But with them treating this as a non-issue, they have really burnt bridges I think. People are going to do their research and see that K is really dropping the ball on their biggest selling point (imo).

 

[cinelife]

Guys, there is no doubt that you all see these problems and that they bother you, I get it, and I've never said they didn't. What I said was I don't look for them, so I don't see them, and many others have said the same thing. That doesn't change what you see, and as we all know, K has acknowledged many of these issues as well. We all know K is working on these issues, but obviously not within a timeframe you all find acceptable, as your almost daily posts remind anyone that visits the thread.

There are no arguments that you can make that will convince me to change my opinion, just as there are none I can make that will change yours. If saying we don't see problems significant enough to detract from the movie watching experience causes some of you to say we are treating these reports as "non-issues, so be it, I can change your thinking in that regard.

I've got hundreds of systems, including dozens of the new Strato players, in the field and all owners have my direct cell phone and know they can call me 7 days a week up to 9:00 pm with any concerns or complaints. I've received zero complaints, and a bunch that are forum members actually reached out to say the didn't understand the complaints, they loved their systems. Now, maybe the content they downloaded are not movies with problems, or maybe it's ignorant bliss, I don't know. But at some point after someone posts that they don'y see any problem, one of the regulars in the thread goes after their comment as if they are wrong, it's often subtle, but it's there and has caused people to ignore the thread going forward.

K is obviously aware of Rmarci's work, they've had direct content, and when I said "I BELIEVE they have stopped looking at this thread" it was based on comments I received. I'm sure someone will occasionally take a look, but it is no longer in the frequency it was, and according to one comment I received, they only look at Rmarci's posts. Sorry f that bothers some of you.

I also agree with MartR's comment, "Don't like it...don't read it," others got that message a while ago.

Jim

 

[thrawn997]

Now, maybe the content they downloaded are not movies with problems, or maybe it's ignorant bliss, I don't know. But at some point after someone posts that they don'y see any problem, one of the regulars in the thread goes after their comment as if they are wrong, it's often subtle, but it's there and has caused people to ignore the thread going forward.

K has acknowledged many of these issues as well. We all know K is working on these issues

Simultaneously "K has acknowledged the problems" and "people don't see any problems"

If this isn't a problem for someone I'm not sure what repeatedly posting about that accomplishes in the middle of a discussion with screenshots showing said problems that can be observed. It's great the defects don't bother some people, and there are many threads where people are discussing their happiness with these bad encodes and defective hardware. I'm not sure what repeatedly telling us it's all fine don't worry serves except to absolve K of their responsibility to either fix the issue or their misleading claims.

 

[Rmarci]

I just hope the player issues are actually fixable with a software update as promised by Mike and that it doesn’t end up like what LG just did.

A couple of months ago, I sent LG video test files that clearly exposed the HDR10 banding and posterization affecting all of their OLED TVs. Instead of fixing it by applying whatever processing they use in Dolby Vision to avoid that banding, they ended up using my own test files in their showroom to demonstrate the issue and promote the new G6 processing over the G5 as a selling point.


This comparison pic comes directly from the LG showroom, it is 100% my file... Some of you might remember, I posted about this a few weeks ago.

First look at LG's G6 OLED and 'micro RGB'

G6 is brighter and has significantly less banding in dark scenes

www.flatpanelshd.com

 

[cinelife]

Simultaneously "K has acknowledged the problems" and "people don't see any problems"

If this isn't a problem for someone I'm not sure what repeatedly posting about that is in the middle of a discussion with screenshots showing said problems that can be observed. It's great the defects don't bother some people, and there are many threads where people are discussing their happiness with these bad encodes and defective hardware. I'm not sure what repeatedly telling us it's all fine don't worry serves except to absolve K of their responsibility to either fix the issue or their misleading claims.

Why is that hard to understand?? K has acknowledged much of what Rmarci has pointed about, that's a given, BUT it's also a given that many owners either don't see it, OR, don't care, based on their comments.

The repsonse I posted that got some of you choking on your food, was a response to the comment regarding "hope that K reads this...." It bothers some people that K might have missed their latest comment, which is really what's behind most of the follow on comments. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't, my comment was based on conversations I've been involved in over the past several weeks. Sorry if that bothers some people. It's that simple.

Have a good evening!

Jim

 

[thrawn997]

The repsonse I posted that got some of you choking on your food

I think one of your 10 times a day checks for people being uncivil in this thread might have missed a post.

 

[cinelife]

I think one of your 10 times a day checks for people being uncivil in this thread might have missed a post.

C'mon...that's a joke...

But okay, I recognize and accept your sensitivity and apologize....

Jim

 

[thrawn997]

C'mon...that's a joke...

But okay, I recognize and accept your sensitivity and apologize....

Jim

As a reminder you came here to tell us that *some people* are chasing away people that disagree with them and you keep checking in to make sure that things stay civil.

 

[thrawn997]

A couple of months ago, I sent LG video test files that clearly exposed the HDR10 banding and posterization affecting all of their OLED TVs. Instead of fixing it by applying whatever processing they use in Dolby Vision to avoid that banding, they ended up using my own test files in their showroom to demonstrate the issue and promote the new G6 processing over the G5 as a selling point.

Oh man please don't give K ideas. Now announcing, the Strato V2

 

[Furnace Inferno]

As a reminder you came here to tell us that *some people* are chasing away people that disagree with them and you keep checking in to make sure that things stay civil.

Bro get the hint;

It’s you…

You’ve only posted in one thread on this entire forum and made 100 posts with nothing positive to say, honestly who hurt you?!

You’ve supposedly bought another device to watch movies and are done with K and yet here you still are . Probably because deep down you know full well that ripping those discs wastes far more time than your complaining on here .

I look forward to you disliking my comment since you actually care about those .

 

[MartR]

Oke… i get all the pro’s and con’s and dont want to be negative about K, i even like it very much and have really only one con and yes here i come again that’s the added or let me say it this way ‘preserve’ grain as K them self named it.
For me in person that’s the only problem i have and the other problems i dont see or dont have but that doesnt matter if it isn’t there , and if someone has an issue with it it is in there rights to say someting about it with the hope it’s being fixed.
And i know it is a pain in the ..s to read it over and over again but it is also a pain in the ..s to write it over and over again…
And yes i agree with Jim that i constant write the same but i only see the same problem again and again and only want it to be fixed.
Apperently you guys are fine with it bit i am not, sorry.
If i write here five times about the added grain Jim is always on his defense to write down five times that it is nothing and old news and no one have to read this anymore. How should i feel about that?
I dont try to hurt anyone and especially not K or there users , i only want it to be on par with the disc or better!!!

Maybe the other problem like the microblocking is on the V ,i dont know, but the grain (and color push) is created by K and is also on the C and not only a V problem so if it’s hopefully one time being fixed it is in all our benefits, that;s how i see it.
I know almost no one compare the quality to disc or 1:1 rip and maybe i am a fool doing that (possibly) but then you can see a clear difference.
I have a Oppo for discs and a Zappiti for 1:1 rips and K and i can see it clearly with a 90% of the movies.
Whetever they say they do add a fine grain layer on top, and yes maybe some don’t bother but i hate it i really do but listening to Jim that is allready known by many ;-)
Again sorry

This is marci’s topic and i dont want to be complainer all the time (because i am not and very easy on life) so i will stop complaining about the added grain , i only hope that K still are willing to do anything about that issue if i stop complaining about it over and over again?
Let marci do his thing and lets all hope for the best and that it all will be resolve in time.
Next to that all but good thing about K for me and especially the audio because that is isane and yes better then the disc or 1:1 rips
That i’am always reccomend K to others that are still on discs or stream say’s a lot i guess..

 

[thrawn997]

Bro get the hint;

It’s you…

You’ve only posted in one thread on this entire forum and made 100 posts with nothing positive to say, honestly who hurt you?!

You’ve supposedly bought another device to watch movies and are done with K and yet here you still are . Probably because deep down you know full well that ripping those discs wastes far more time than your complaining on here .

I look forward to you disliking my comment since you actually care about those .

Well I was going to wait for the mods to take down your comment since they said they check frequently just to make sure everyone is staying civil but seems they are okay with this type of engagement on this forum. Noted.

Anyway I know some here might have financial interests in protecting K, it's just surprising they are so transparent about it in front of other potential customers.

 

[thrawn997]

This is marci’s topic and i dont want to be complainer all the time (because i am not and very easy on life) so i will stop complaining about the added grain , i only hope that K still are willing to do anything about that issue if i stop complaining about it over and over again?

Don't give up. The people trying to chase us out of here with incivility are doing a disservice to K customers by pretending this well documented problem is fine. K absolutely will not do anything without continued pressure, they are still releasing garbage encodes on top of their hardware defects.

 

[cinelife]

Well I was going to wait for the mods to take down your comment since they said they check frequently just to make sure everyone is staying civil but seems they are okay with this type of engagement on this forum. Noted.

Anyway I know some here might have financial interests in protecting K, it's just surprising they are so transparent about it in front of other potential customers.

To be clear about the meaning of "personal attacks," we don't want members referring to other members using incindiary language, as doing so usually causes discussions to devolve into back and forth name calling. We're all adults her (I think), so we should be able to disagree without making it personal. People pointing out that your repetitive complaints turns people off of an otherwise useful thread is not the type of personal attack we are referring to, and likewise my comments are not using attacking type adjectives to describe you personally, it's to point out how you are being perceived by other members (not all members, but some that have given up on this thread based on their comments to me).
You are a member and have a right to post, just as other members have the right to ignore you. There is no plan to push you off of the Forum, not you, not Rmarci, nor any others that disagree with me or any member, so there is no reason to play the victim in this thread.

Also, just to be clear, I don't only check THIS thread 10 times a time, that's a general number based on how many times I see a new post, it's obviously not always 10 times a day, and there's no reason to feel special that I look at this thread, I check ALL new posts, and some threads get more of my attention than this one. This thread is actually easy to check, it's normally the same folks in the echo chamber and you don't attack each other.

As I've stated many times, I have no problem with Rmarci's posts, and it's apparent some members find value in them, so no one is trying to chase him off of the forum, members decide for themselves to either visit, or ignore the thread, but that shouldn't affect Rmarci's postings. He's still a member that contributes to this forum.

If your "financial interests in protecting K" comment is aimed at me, your comment is misplaced, you'd have to know me to know why. Also, K doesn't need any protection, they are fine.

Jim

 

[thrawn997]

To be clear about the meaning of "personal attacks," we don't want members referring to other members using incindiary language

You’ve only posted in one thread on this entire forum and made 100 posts with nothing positive to say, honestly who hurt you?

But okay, I recognize and accept your sensitivity

The repsonse I posted that got some of you choking on your food,

there is no reason to play the victim in this thread.

likewise my comments are not using attacking type adjectives to describe you personally,

As long as we're all good with these types of comments, that's fine and good to know going forward. I'm an adult. But I'd rather we keep this thread focused on the topic of K's defective hardware and poor encodes instead of attempting to derail it with personal attacks/"jokes".

 

[cinelife]

Thumbs down only as related to the general statement "K's defective hardware" because 99% (general number) of K owners are happy and satisfied with their K systems, and do not consider them to be defective (no need to re-litigate it's defective because of software, that's been done already).

BTW, if you are so disatisfied with your Strato player why didn't you respond to my DM?? (You had an opportunity (now withdrawn) to sell me your Strato and receive payment for all of the Store content you purchased.) I made that offer to two others, they declined. I can only assume you all like owning "defective" equipment.

Jim

 

[cinelife]

Let's stop it here and give Rmarci his thread back, I'm sure our back and forth is unnecessary and boring to other members.

Stay well!

Jim

 

[thrawn997]

Thumbs down only as related to the general statement "K's defective hardware" because 99% (general number) of K owners are happy and satisfied with their K systems, and do not consider them to be defective (no need to re-litigate it's defective because of software, that's been done already).

BTW, if you are so disatisfied with your Strato player why didn't you respond to my DM?? (You had an opportunity (now withdrawn) to sell me your Strato and receive payment for all of the Store content you purchased.) I made that offer to two others, they declined. I can only assume you all like owning "defective" equipment.

Jim

As a mod here and authorized K dealer do you typically go to every report of a problem and repeatedly tell the reporter that 99% of your customers are satisfied?

If LG can fix their dithering of their TVs with software but they decide not to is it still just a bug? No, it's a defective product until it's fixed, regardless of if the fix is software or hardware.

K keeps putting out bad encodes regardless of if they claim they will fix some subset of the problems with a firmware update. No reason to believe all problems are going to be addressed.

Since as you say no reason to rehash this I'm going to assume that settles things.

Also, just to be clear, I don't only check THIS thread 10 times a time, that's a general number based on how many times I see a new post, it's obviously not always 10 times a day, and there's no reason to feel special that I look at this thread

To be clear you stated how frequently you visit to diminish @Rmarci pointing out how viewed this thread was. Important context.

BTW, if you are so disatisfied with your Strato player why didn't you respond to my DM??

I didn't respond to your DM requesting that I call you because if this is how rude you are to people in written text I definitely would not want to speak with you on the phone. And I believe your comment is deceptively giving the impression that you made said offer to me. You did not. You requested I call you.

 

[thrawn997]

Let's stop it here and give Rmarci his thread back, I'm sure our back and forth is unnecessary and boring to other members.

Stay well!

Jim

Sounds good to me

 

[Nathan28]

Weren’t we told in August or September in this thread An update would come in February
That would fix the issues? Which leads to my second question…..if they cannot fix the players with an update, what kind of compensation, buy back or replacement player (a player that does function as advertised) will possibly be offered?
And the Third question… how much time needs to go by before calling a duck a duck? I’ve been watching rmarci’s data for months and months with disgust waiting patiently for a fix…. Sure I have voiced my opinion, I’m not extremely wealthy like some of you and spent a chunk of cash in thinking I was getting a reference experience. It’s like thinking you are meeting the prom queen for dinner and a bed bug shows up.