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NEWS: Strato K Movie Player with 8K capability and new "4K Cinematic" full-chroma & higher bitrate support

Trevor said:
Top (1)= Disc from an Oppo 203
Middle (2) = Legacy HDR10 encode on Strato C
Bottom (3) = 4K_C HDR10 encode on Strato K
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Don't take these shots too seriously. People with proper capture equipment will be along to assist you shortly. 😁
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In the first example the skin texture appears more defined, even the blemishes; especially the de coloration under the right brow looks more pronounced.

Or maybe I have a preconceived bias. 🤣
 
My plans to stream this afternoon and showcase the K and system integration failed thanks to Fedex. Meh. I swear almost every delivery is delayed with them lately.

So...the units should land tomorrow. I'm really trying to make it work for the stream then. FYI as well, @MikeKobb will be joining my podcast on Monday at 8:00 PM to talk about the K and the new formats.
 
Techthusiasm said:
My plans to stream this afternoon and showcase the K and system integration failed thanks to Fedex. Meh. I swear almost every delivery is delayed with them lately.

So...the units should land tomorrow. I'm really trying to make it work for the stream then. FYI as well, @MikeKobb will be joining my podcast on Monday at 8:00 PM to talk about the K and the new formats.
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That's true about FedEx. I don't think I've had a package delivered on first estimate in several years. It's always later than originally estimated.
 
Techthusiasm said:
My plans to stream this afternoon and showcase the K and system integration failed thanks to Fedex. Meh. I swear almost every delivery is delayed with them lately.

So...the units should land tomorrow. I'm really trying to make it work for the stream then. FYI as well, @MikeKobb will be joining my podcast on Monday at 8:00 PM to talk about the K and the new formats.
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My K was supposed to be here today, Fedex delayed to Friday, then Monday.:mad:
 
Techthusiasm said:
My plans to stream this afternoon and showcase the K and system integration failed thanks to Fedex. Meh. I swear almost every delivery is delayed with them lately.
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Lon said:
My K was supposed to be here today, Fedex delayed to Friday, then Monday.:mad:
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My dealer is shipping mine out tomorrow via overnight UPS with Saturday delivery. For what that shipping cost me, it better show up on Saturday. Hopefully UPS is more reliable than FedEx has been.
 
I usually always ship my sales via UPS and am often happy with the real delivery time versus the estimates. Great integration with Pirate Ship as well.
 
Techthusiasm said:
I'm told I'm allowed to share this link. madVR updated their Kaleidescape setup FAQ with a dedicated section on the K. I will be covering this ASAP in my setup.

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This is very helpful, but, it contradicts MadVR’s own table here (pdf link) where it very clearly states that for the Core range, only the Core Mk II with premium pack can accept a 4:4:4 input.

Given I upgraded my order from the Mk I to the Mk II + premium pack for precisely this stated difference, it is somewhat confusing to read this new document where they say that was unnecessary.

Others in a similar position should probably be seeking some clarity from MadVR on this…
 
I do like visual symmetry and consistency. With my new Strato K being black, it matches everything else in my rack. Now the Compact Terra stands out. Pushing both back still exposes the aluminum housing of the Terra. So I measured the edge and ordered black vinyl tape in that size (1/8 inch wide) to stick on that edge. Here’s the before:

IMG_5549.jpeg

And here’s my quickie first stab at putting a sticker on it:

IMG_5572.jpeg

Yay stickers!
 
Thanks! And sure thing @sanfor — it was an Amazon choice for pin stripe tape:

Amazon.com: 6pcs Lightning Whiteboard Pinstripe Tape Line, 108 Feet Feet Long per Roll, Dry Erase White Board Graphic Grid Marking Gridding Self Adhesive Artist Thin Pinstriping Tape Black (1/8 inch Width) : Office Products

Amazon.com: 6pcs Lightning Whiteboard Pinstripe Tape Line, 108 Feet Feet Long per Roll, Dry Erase White Board Graphic Grid Marking Gridding Self Adhesive Artist Thin Pinstriping Tape Black (1/8 inch Width) : Office Products
a.co

IMG_5573.jpeg
 
gerald.d said:
This is very helpful, but, it contradicts MadVR’s own table here (pdf link) where it very clearly states that for the Core range, only the Core Mk II with premium pack can accept a 4:4:4 input.

Given I upgraded my order from the Mk I to the Mk II + premium pack for precisely this stated difference, it is somewhat confusing to read this new document where they say that was unnecessary.

Others in a similar position should probably be seeking some clarity from MadVR on this…
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Repeating my quote directly from the madVR developer here:
"Pipeline bitdepth is an interesting topic. A pipeline can use either integer or floating point math, and you can have a pipeline in either 4:2:2 or 4:4:4, and you can count bitdepth either per component or per pixel. Envy's pipeline is full 4:4:4, from start to finish. If the input signal is 4:2:2 or 4:2:0, Envy always upscales chroma to 4:4:4 in the first step, usually using AI chroma upscaling. If you want to see some bitdepth per pixel numbers, here you go:

8bit per component 4:2:2 = 16bit per pixel
10bit per component 4:2:2 = 20bit per pixel
12bit per component 4:2:2 = 24bit per pixel
16bit per component 4:2:2 = 32bit per pixel
16bit per component 4:4:4 = 48bit per pixel (Envy temporary buffers)
32bit per component 4:4:4 = 96bit per pixel (Envy calculations)

It could be argued that the bitdepth only needs to be high enough to not introduce any banding (or other) artifacts, so maybe Envy is going overboard here. But that's just the native bitdepth Direct3D GPUs are working in, so it doesn't cost us anything. Now if you'd ask me how many bits a video processing pipeline needs to have, I don't really know. But surely it doesn't hurt to be on the safe side."

This quote is from early 2022 and it applies to all Envy´s ever produced since the beginning.
 
I just received my Strato K yesterday. I have a Marantz 8805 (unfortunately I missed the upgrade to the “a” version during COVID-19 times so I’m limited to HDMI 2.0a instead of 2.1) and an LG G5 OLED. Even with my smallish screen, subjectively I feel the image is richer (the “pop” that people seem to be commenting on) and more detailed, which I don’t believe is confirmation bias (feel free to correct me with objective measurements). I already had my LG set to deep color and 4:4:4 passthrough when using my Strato E prior, so I didn’t need to make any changes to my TV settings. I have noticed new possible HDMI handshake issues, though, where there is a longer delay before the image appears on the screen when starting a movie—it remains black 1-2 second after I I hear sound from my speakers. I’m considering upgrading to a Marantz AV20. I hope this is helpful information for people contemplating upgrading to the Strato K.
 
KDeering said:
Maybe we should confirm these are actually in 444 before we create even more obsessive worrying about preserving it? I have a sneaking suspicion it is a lot of worrying and obsession over nothing.
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Exactly. Is K-scape getting higher grade studio masters, or is this simply 4:2:0 that the Strato K is upsampling. I'm guessing it's the latter, in which case the Strato K is just doing the upsampling instead of your image processor/display.

I have to say, the Strato K is another disappointing miss from K-scape, as it proves once again that they do not understand what and how to build a high-end movie server.
Look at the interior - it's a cheap POS! Compare it to a high end music server (e.g., Taiko Extreme/Olympus) or the Apple TV "X". The Strato K has everything done wrong in terms of minimizing jitter and other types of noise. They instead put out an 8K / 4:4:4 player for movies which have no reasonable expectation to be in 8K or native 4:4:4.

strato-k-explode.jpg
 
Surge said:
Exactly. Is K-scape getting higher grade studio masters, or is this simply 4:2:0 that the Strato K is upsampling. I'm guessing it's the latter, in which case the Strato K is just doing the upsampling instead of your image processor/display.

I have to say, the Strato K is another disappointing miss from K-scape, as it proves once again that they do not understand what and how to build a high-end movie server.
Look at the interior - it's a cheap POS! Compare it to a high end music server (e.g., Taiko Extreme/Olympus) or the Apple TV "X". The Strato K has everything done wrong in terms of minimizing jitter and other types of noise. They instead put out an 8K / 4:4:4 player for movies which have no reasonable expectation to be in 8K or native 4:4:4.

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I will be powering my K with a FARAD Linear Power Supply ...... I can 'hear the audio difference with the LPM
 
todo said:
I will be powering my K with a FARAD Linear Power Supply ...... I can 'hear the audio difference with the LPM
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Ok, good! I am powering my Strato S with a FARAD Super10, which made a huge difference, and finally brought the video quality up to ATV-X standards, perhaps a bit better.
I am curious to hear how the K compares to the Strato you had before, powered by a FARAD.

Quick recap for anyone who has missed this topic:
I will not get into a debate here, but the summary is:
You do NOT get "bit perfect" playback on ANY digital device. When the 1s and 0s move from the HD (in this case) to the display, they are send in analog form through the cables. You cannot send a "1" or a "0" along a cable. This analog format is susceptible to distortion from a myriad of sources - for example: the power supply, the CPU, the cooling fan (note that it is right on the PCB on the K -- bad design).
There is no check-sum to ensure the bits were delivered because you are playing the file in real-time. There is no buffer in a display.
If you don't believe this, you ought to find a place where you can demo a Strato on the included PSU for example, and an upgraded LPS. You may still NOT see a difference -- if your noise floor is too high (e.g., because you have unfiltered AC powering your display, etc.), you likely will see no difference.
I can tell you when noise floor is lowered, the difference is absolutely Stunning.
 
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Surge said:
Exactly. Is K-scape getting higher grade studio masters, or is this simply 4:2:0 that the Strato K is upsampling. I'm guessing it's the latter, in which case the Strato K is just doing the upsampling instead of your image processor/display.

I have to say, the Strato K is another disappointing miss from K-scape, as it proves once again that they do not understand what and how to build a high-end movie server.
Look at the interior - it's a cheap POS! Compare it to a high end music server (e.g., Taiko Extreme/Olympus) or the Apple TV "X". The Strato K has everything done wrong in terms of minimizing jitter and other types of noise. They instead put out an 8K / 4:4:4 player for movies which have no reasonable expectation to be in 8K or native 4:4:4.

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I believe it has already been confirmed by K-scape that they are not upsampling the chroma. They are presenting what the studio files provide. As Kris has said, probably very few will be 4:4:4. I’m okay with that; if it’s what the studios provide. I’m also okay that the first thing MadVR does is upsample chroma to 4:4:4, so I’m not exactly a purist. I do believe we’ll start seeing more 8K files from the studios. The Strato K and the Kaleidescape ecosystem are uniquely positioned to make 8K content a reality, which is very exciting.
 
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