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

[MartR]

I hear what your implying, but no jitter is being introduced, at least not by what I'm seeing. It's just a clean smooth and slightly improved picture. Just saying what I have done with my set up.

Thanks for explaining
Although i still dont get why you choose for the splitter though…
Then again the AVPro Edge is indeed the best there is when you talk about a hdmi switch, expensive but really good.
Still i think you dont need it and in my opinion (with clean/jitter etc in mind) ‘less is more’
Or did you do it because some have problems with Lumagen and a hdmi handshake with a Trinnov or Kscape? Then i understand for sure but if it really is to get a better lip sync i find it strange, sorry.
But i guess when other folks see my set up i am sure they question a few things to to be honest.

Ps, what do you mean by ‘slightly improved picture’ ? Are you talking about the Strato K or the AVPro? I hope the K right?

 

[kimg1453]

AVProEdge are definitely excellent products, not questioning that.
I just still don´t understand how your setup eliminates audio delay/lipsync issues and was just curious to learn. But if it works for you, all good.

I should have been more clear about the AVPro Edge. I was only trying to indicate that since it produced 2 identical signals going out, I would have the best chance of not having to deal with any Delay/Sync issues and having to mess around with either the Lumagen or Trinnov. I just wish Kaleidescape had 2 HDMI outs on the Strato K as they do on the Strato C. My system worked perfectly in that scenario and I just wanted to make sure nothing was going to change with the player switch. Thanks, for your input and certainly have enjoyed your posting and knowledge.

 

[kimg1453]

Thanks for explaining
Although i still dont get why you choose for the splitter though…
Then again the AVPro Edge is indeed the best there is when you talk about a hdmi switch, expensive but really good.
Still i think you dont need it and in my opinion (with clean/jitter etc in mind) ‘less is more’
Or did you do it because some have problems with Lumagen and a hdmi handshake with a Trinnov or Kscape? Then i understand for sure but if it really is to get a better lip sync i find it strange, sorry.
But i guess when other folks see my set up i am sure they question a few things to to be honest.

Ps, what do you mean by ‘slightly improved picture’ ? Are you talking about the Strato K or the AVPro? I hope the K right?

Yes, just trying to avoid the possibility of creating any handshake/lip sync issues running things differently from what I had before. Also, my bad, I should have stressed the improved picture parameters are with the Strato K.

Thanks for the input.

Kim

 

[cinelife]

Thank you. I am still waiting on my first experience with Kaleidescape. My K has yet to arrive. Reading many of these comments is becoming a little deflating. Coupled with the long ship times, I am beginning to wonder if I shouldn't have just popped for a used V or even stuck with my Panasonic UB820? I am hoping that my experience will be a positive one. I will be pairing it with a JVC NZ800 and a Stewart screen. I am not sure about adding a terra server at this point. Hopefully, as mentioned, my experience will be a positive one and maybe I will go that route.

Ignore the negative comments, judge for yourself, there are too many variables in the playback chains of owners for any person to make a definitive comment regarding quality (negative OR positive). The positive experiences far outweigh the neutral or negative experiences, based on owner feedback.

Also keep in mind that forums often have people posting that have an agenda, and some with multiple registrations that make it appear that several people agree on a subject when in fact it's one person. This is true from both sides, those that attempt to support their own negative experience, and those attempting to generate more sales, that's why its important to judge for yourself, in YOUR system. I've got dozens of these in the field and not a single disappointed owner based on the feedback I've received.

I don't know what you paid for your K, but I suspect you could sell it rather quickly and not lose any money if for some reason it doesn't meet your expectations. I would suggest the same to those posting here that don't see the value. If you are really that disappointed, sell it, that seems like a logical option given the demand.

To be clear, everyone that actually owns one is entitled to post their experience with the K, and I'm not at all questioning what THEY see, and I'm not questioning those that posted honest opinions. Comments, including the positive comments from me, are okay to read, but the only experience that really matters is your own.

Jim

 

[Furnace Inferno]

4:4:4 vs. 4:2:0 really isn’t new science.

Chroma subsampling has been studied and used for decades because human vision is much more sensitive to luminance detail than to fine color detail. The real question has never been whether 4:4:4 contains more chroma samples — obviously it does — but whether those extra samples translate into a visible improvement when watching normal video content.

A useful published study is Uhrina, Bienik & Mizdos (2017), “Chroma Subsampling Influence on the Perceived Video Quality for Compressed Sequences in High Resolutions.” They tested 4:4:4, 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 using H.264/H.265 with Full HD and Ultra HD video sequences. In their subjective testing, observers did not perceive a difference between the unsubsampled and subsampled sequences. Link: Research Paper

That doesn’t mean 4:4:4 and 4:2:0 are technically identical, or that differences can never be exposed with test patterns, colored text or certain processing situations. It simply reinforces a long-established distinction: more signal information does not automatically mean a meaningful visible improvement in normal movie viewing.

This video explains the concept in a very straightforward way:

Video Link

For anyone interested in the published study:
DOI: 10.15598/aeee.v15i4.2414

My only issue with these is who commissioned the study? It’s also odd for Acarus and Aragon to weigh in on given they have nothing to do with media players.

That aside I’m not sure I agree with this subjective viewing and rating, it’s like playing spot the difference with moving images but only being able to look at each, one at a time. You are no longer just testing whether someone can see the difference but also remember differences between sequences when they don’t even know what they are looking for. You really need them side by side on identical displays as I don’t think many people can pick out small differences in audio or video accurately from memory even in the short term, compared to how many can side by side.

The other thing is just because they use 4:2:0 now doesn’t mean it’s been done in the interest of picture quality. It was purely to save money and storage/bandwidth requirements, same with 24fps. Although that one is an anomaly because people seem to love the look of 24fps despite the fact it has significantly worse motion resolution than 48 or 60fps. However most casuals seem to love motion interpolation (every home TV I see they always have it on despite it making motion look off compared to true HFR) so I’m surprised it didn’t take off.

The reminds me of the initial excitement when Darbee enhancement was first deployed. Users could crank it up until artifact was obvious. Some people liked it on higher settings than others even though artifact was clearly visible.

Looking at recommended settings on AVS for JVC projectors I think most people are running them with a lot of sharpening. I tried the same settings and it has a load of edge sharpening and ringing but clearly most people want that added sharpness even though it’s less accurate.

 

[by96]

AVProEdge are definitely excellent products, not questioning that.
I just still don´t understand how your setup eliminates audio delay/lipsync issues and was just curious to learn. But if it works for you, all good.

I am probably other forum member he is referring to. I am not sure about audio delay/lipsync issues, but in my case, I added a splitter (the AVPro Edge) for several reasons, including sending the Strato signal to my master bedroom, and sending audio to my AV processor directly instead of through the Lumagen. I was having infrequent audio dropouts with audio passing through the LRP, but with the splitter, no more dropouts.

Edit - I see that @kimg1453 mentioned adding the splitter for handshake issues. I do see my system resolving handshakes quicker with the AVPro Edge.

 

[SJHT]

I should have been more clear about the AVPro Edge. I was only trying to indicate that since it produced 2 identical signals going out, I would have the best chance of not having to deal with any Delay/Sync issues and having to mess around with either the Lumagen or Trinnov. I just wish Kaleidescape had 2 HDMI outs on the Strato K as they do on the Strato C. My system worked perfectly in that scenario and I just wanted to make sure nothing was going to change with the player switch. Thanks, for your input and certainly have enjoyed your posting and knowledge.

Likely also eliminates possible audio drops as some folks have that issue with those components….

 

[Golfx]

This is probably the most accurate owner report I’ve read so far, and it lines up pretty closely with my own experience.

That makes some of the earlier “3D pop,” “night-and-day,” “dramatic leap”, “Everyone can see the improvement”, “my family can see the improvement”, commentary age rather… cinematically.

So maybe the buying guide is simpler:

If you have $5K burning a hole in your pocket and want the absolute last few percent, go for it.

And if part of the fun is being able to say, “Yes, mine has four times the color data,” while everyone in the room politely admires the Emperor’s new 4:4:4 wardrobe… well, home theater has always had room for that hobby too.

Well as someone who had family reinforce my approval I find your post would have said everything you needed without the negative sentences about others’ thoughts. You came off as smug in spite of your emoji's

 

[gerald.d]

This is probably the most accurate owner report I’ve read so far, and because it lines up pretty closely with my own experience.

Fixed that typo for you.

You're welcome!

 

[DieZwei]

I am probably other forum member he is referring to. I am not sure about audio delay/lipsync issues, but in my case, I added a splitter (the AVPro Edge) for several reasons, including sending the Strato signal to my master bedroom, and sending audio to my AV processor directly instead of through the Lumagen. I was having infrequent audio dropouts with audio passing through the LRP, but with the splitter, no more dropouts.

Edit - I see that @kimg1453 mentioned adding the splitter for handshake issues. I do see my system resolving handshakes quicker with the AVPro Edge.

Yeah, that makes total sense and that´s among the "additional benefits a splitter can bring" in my previous post.
Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Nathan28]

On going opinions.. I checked out “fellowship of the ring”… “Superman 2025” , Star Wars Episode 1” and Dune Two.

Fellowship - more detail, armor pops more, better shadows.. it’s the same story over and over over.. detail is better.
Superman 2025.. I see grain, and more “detail” again, I can see what kind of fabric his cape is made of… don’t remember seeing that on the standard 4k
Episode 1… same thing.. this movie always has had inconsistent shots.. more detail on fabrics.. and surfaces…
Everything I watch simply looks better. More pop and detail I consistently notice it.

 

[comptr]

I understand what this sounds like coming from a dealer, but if you are thinking about getting more storage, consider a purchase sooner rather than later, or just accept the higher prices that are likely if/when you do purchase. I might have to start offering a payment plan!

Now back to the topic of this thread!

Jim

Will you offer Layaway….lol

 

[NewHomeHelp]

So how is everyone handling 4KC with projectors and video processors. I have noted quite a few movies that had 4K HDR files only have 4KC DV or SDR. I also read that Kaleidescape is adding HDR 10 so does that mean they are going back and adding 4KC HDR 10 to anything that has a 4K HDR eventually?

I also realize we can trigger a setting in our video processors to accept DV but it’s generally not recommended. Also, read there are some issues with DV files but not sure if that matters as long as DV is sent out to video processor for tone mapping versus being done in Strato K.

 

[cinelife]

Will you offer Layaway….lol

Sure, no problem.....

Jim

 

[artur9]

Is a Strato K able to use a Strato S as a server?

 

[LoveCinema]

Is a Strato K able to use a Strato S as a server?

Only if a Terra is present.

 

[Nathan28]

Only if a Terra is present.

What about using Strato V with a Strato K.. can I use the Strato V as storage?

 

[LoveCinema]

What about using Strato V with a Strato K.. can I use the Strato V as storage?

A Strato V can never be used as storage for another player. The Strato E/V/M/K do not have the ability to be movie servers, only the Strato/Strato X/Strato S have that capability. When in an environment with a server, the internal storage of the new players is disabled and inaccessible.

 

[Broncowrangler]

What about using Strato V with a Strato K.. can I use the Strato V as storage?

You could set both of them as independent systems and channel C’matic into the K (non C’matic into V).

 

[Nathan28]

You could set them both up as independent systems and channel C’matic into the K (non C’matic into V).

I honestly think the non cinematic also looks better on the Strato K over the V. one reason I’m waiting on Rmarci to do his testing. It’s what my eyes are telling me, I’d like to know if I’m just crazy lol I’m going to sell the V