Strato Upscaling Quality

[TrackZ]

So, we've used the Strato for a variety of movies now, and I had the notion in my mind that the quality of 1080p content wasn't at my level of expectation. That it was softer and more noisy. I've primarily used an Oppo 203 for 1080p BD rip playback, so I am used to quality upscaling.

I had been using the Strato with "Allow display mode changes" using the internal scalar to always output 4k. Tonight, I changed it to "Allow display mode changes (use external scaler)". The scaling was thus done in my JVC X790 which then was also applying its eshift algorithms.

I must say that the image quality improved noticeably. The upscaling hardware/software in the Strato definitely leaves something to be desired vs. the projector, and I don't think the JVCs are even that well regarded in their scaling either (compared to Sony). I'm eager to get my NX7 soon.

Just curious what other's thoughts were on K device scaling? Do you agree on the lesser quality vs. other devices?

 

[Spizzy]

I’m also looking at getting an NX7 to soon so look forward to your impressions in regards to scaling with it.

 

[Montucky]

Huh. Interesting. I've always found the Strato's upscaling to be superb! One of the most drastic improvements is seeing what it can do to DVD (SD 480p) content on a 4K display. That's always kind of blown my mind. As for BD (HD 1080P) content on a 4K display, I've always found it to be so good that it is darn near indistinguishable from a proper 4K movie if it wasn't for the HDR difference.

I wonder how much our experiences differ due to differences in settings on (A) the Strato, (B) the AVR, and finally (C) the display?

 

[cinelife]

That's strange, there must be something in the settings somewhere affecting what you are seeing. I've had 3 Oppo's, including the 203 you noted, and as good as they were, I found the Strato to be just as good (not better, but as good), and I'm VERY picky when it comes video.

I know that some anti-aliasing settings on some components can make the image less sharp (smoother), as can other settings, but that might not be relevant here.


Jim

 

[TrackZ]

I will take some pictures of an A/B compare and post them. It’s not a settings thing. I’m using the Strato in the same system I had the Oppo.


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[mbmapit]

I will take some pictures of an A/B compare and post them. It’s not a settings thing. I’m using the Strato in the same system I had the Oppo.


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Looking forward to seeing the pictures. I have a Strato hooked up to an X7900 and I cannot tell the difference between outputting 1080P and 4K meaning the Strato is doing just as good a job at upscaling as the projector can.

 

[cinelife]

To be clear, I'm not at all questioning what your are seeing, just sharing my experience with the Strato, but curious to see the pics as well.

Jim

 

[Kostas]

I am using the Sony VW5000 and personally I can't see a difference between the Strato C and the Oppo 205 but I have a Lumagen Radiance Pro in the middle.
Out of curiosity I have also tested in another zone with a Strato C and an Oppo 203 hooked up directly to a Samsung Q9. A/B looks exactly the same to me. Curious to see your pictures as well.

 

[TrackZ]

Here are the pictures. The last couple of 1080p movies we watched were Elf and Surf's Up. Notice the ringing around Will Ferrell's eyes. That kind of noise is prevalent all over when my Strato is set to 4k output on 1080p material. It cleans up a lot when I select native 1080p output.

 

[o0OBillO0o]

I’m sure you see something. I can’t make a good judgement call here. You’re using a cellphone camera, with it’s own image processing, and your photos are not in the same place. You’re also using a e-shift projector.

The JVC accepts 4K content, and uses advanced techniques to project them so that they seem more detailed and sharper than standard 1920 x 1080 projectors that lack pixel shifting, but that they cannot resolve detail as fine as a true native resolution 3840 x 2160 projector can. Here is JVC’s explanation on how ther technology works.

http://usjvc.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=20&id=268&artlang=en

The Strato’s scaling with the Sony 285ES (native 4K projector) performs as it should. Maybe now that JVC has native 4K projectors there will be a noticeable improvement.

 

[TrackZ]

I wonder how much of what I’m seeing is eshift noise. That’s the one thing about this JVC I wasn’t thrilled about. I’m very eager to finally get the NX7 and see the difference.


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[Mark H]

What I have noticed is that it is somewhat display dependant. There is certainly a noticeable improvement when playing HD content from my 3U via the co-star and Strato on my newest Samsung HDR TV whereas the difference is much less noticeable on an older Samsung HDR TV.

 

[mbmapit]

I wonder how much of what I’m seeing is eshift noise. That’s the one thing about this JVC I wasn’t thrilled about. I’m very eager to finally get the NX7 and see the difference.


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Silly question perhaps but have you considered this...

If your JVC has been calibrated for 4K it will automatically choose the settings for that. So when you send 1080P it will be loading a different set of options (including colour space, gamma etc. etc.). The only reason I ask is because there is a clear shift in colour temperature/balance in the 2 sets of images.